1818 Redingote Or Overcoat French. Blue tailcoat, red waistcoat, straight blue trousers, black boots, knotted kerchief and black top hat. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1815 March Evening Full Dress For the Opera or Theatre, English. Rich burgundy velour dress with white under dress with short puffed sleeves over long straight sleeves, rows of puffings for hem trimming, white lace shawl collar with Vandyke points, matching burgundy velvet turban with white feathers or plumes. Fashion Plate via John Belle’s La Belle Assemblée or, Bell’s Court and Fashionable Magazine, London.
Definition Van Dyke Points: V-shaped lace and trims named after a 17th Century Flemish painter, Sir Anthony Van Dyck, known for painting V-shaped lace collars and scalloped edges on sitters.
Definition Evening Dress: There were minute distinctions between ball, dinner, evening and opera gowns meant different quality of fabrics and designs. A Ball Gown differed from an evening dress as expensive silk fabrics were usually worn, light or heavy, decorated with lace, embroidery or beading, with low-cut bodice, short or no sleeves, and full skirts. In the early 1800s, white cotton dresses were considered suitable for many evening events, but not for balls. And definitely not for an evening event in a palace or at the opera or theatre.
Dress Full Dress: The most formal and complete ensemble, worn for day or night events, and includes the fullest range of accessories that could be added to the outfit to make the most impressive display.
1812-1814 Ca. White Muslin Peignoir Or Dressing Gown, British. The sort of robe Jane Austen would have worn. Fabric made in India, Garment made in Britain. Wrap-over gown with round, slightly raised collar, gathered trimmings, narrow shoulder frills, excessively long sleeves with wristbands. Muslin dyed in the ikat technique, Malay term for complex tie-resist dyeing where warp threads dyed to form pattern before weaving. White with blue and red blurred warp.
via Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk Credit: Given by Messrs Harrods Ltd.
1800 ca. Pair of Flintlock Duelling Pistols. Owned by Captain William Waller (active 1794-1807). Walnut stock, chequered grips, rounded butts, fitted with two silver pipes containing ramrods. Silver trigger guards engraved and end in pineapple shaped finials, each with flintlock containing flints. Lock plates engraved with leaf design, octagonal barrels browned with narrow gold bands near lock. via Royal Museums Greenwich collections.rmg.co.uk
During the Regency Era and Jane Austen’s writing years, dueling was illegal, although secret duels still happened. Courts were made up of peers and they rarely charged another peer for anything illegal. Honor and gentlemanly behavior were the most important things to men so if there was an offense committed, a dawn duel was arranged with seconds to check the weapons used and a doctor in case of injuries.
Here is an example of when English magazines copied French fashion plates. 1815 December Left: French fashion plate Ensembles French and English via Journal des Dames et des Modes. White short length ball dress with tiny bodice. Right: English fashion plate by Rudolph Ackermann in the Repository Of arts. Blue sarsnet Pelisse, or Walking dress, or Redingote. Decorated with white lace trim on neck, vertical front, and hem. Carrying red shawl and with high plumed bonnet.
Typical of the outfits worn by Jane Austen and her contemporaries for daytime and evening activities. An Empire style, or high-waisted white dress with jewelry for evening and for daytime a Pelisses or Walking Dress or Redingote or coat for warmth and with pretty hats, shawls and shoes.
1802-1812 ca. Dancing Or La Dansomanie Series. Four women being instructed in dancing before a mirror by a master playing a violin. Le Bon Genre Description Plate 12. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
19th Century Early Chemise or Shift, American. Linen and embroidery. Chemise: Worn next to the skin under stays or corset. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
Chemise Or Shift: Sleeveless, mid-calf length garment of white cotton or muslin was worn next to the skin under stays or corset. Called ‘Shift’ from early Georgian (1700-1750) until Late Georgian (1750-1790) to replace ‘Smock’. By 1800, name replaced by ‘Chemise’.
1814 Gentleman’s Morning Outfit, French. Green double-breasted cutaway tailcoat, cream trousers, high collared shirt, unusual black cravat, heeled black boots with small spurs, fob at his waist, black top hat with decoration. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1809 ca. Empire Style, Or High-Waisted, Dress, English. Typical of the fsashions worn by Jane Austen and her family. Hand-embroidered white cotton muslin, cotton bobbin lace,shell buttons and linen tape. via National Gallery of Victoria, Australia. ngv.vic.gov
What did Jane Austen and friends wear? Early 1800s fashions were elegant and pretty with high waists and fabrics that were almost transparent. These Empire style gowns, named after Napoleon’s first Empress, became popular throughout Europe, and were then copied around the world. Colorful outwear was added to make an ensemble more attractive and warmer. History Notes Book 26 Fashion Women 1805-1809.
https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
