18th Century Late – 19th Century Early Gloves as worn by women in Jane Austen’s and Bridgerton’s years, French. Silk embroidered with silk. via Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. mfa.org
Early 1800’s Three Dresses, German. Three dresses showing the new simplistic and relaxed Grecian look. Soft floating fabrics, high- waisted, or Empire style, waist lines with wrist length or short puffed sleeves. Via landeskunde-online.de.
Definition Empire Style: Named after the First Empire in France, by 1800 Empire dresses had a very low décolleté, or neckline and a short narrow backed bodice attached to a separate skirt. Skirts started directly under the bust and flowed into the classical relaxed wide styles of Greece and Rome. This style of dress is associated with Jane Austen and her contemporaries as a simple cotton high-waisted dress was worn most days and accessorized according to the importance of the occasion.
What shoes did the Bridgertons and Jane Austen wear? Gray Slippers, American, with long ankle ties.
Typical Regency Era women’s footwear as worn by Jane Austen and her contemporaries and by the Bridgerton family were shoes that had low heels, slightly rounded toes, embellished with a bow and with ribbon ties for the ankles. Shoe styles and shapes were generally very plain but then shoes began to be made in bright colors to match the colorful Empire style, or high-waisted, gowns. Plus, as gowns were lighter and floatier, glimpses could be had of these new pretty shoes. Ribbons, rosettes and other decorative. embellishments allowed ladies to personalize shoes.
1806 Short-Sleeved White Muslin Dress With Train. Bodice and sleeves have ribbon decoration, evening flowered headdress, half parure of necklace and ear bobs, and gorgeous Indian hand-loomed green shawl. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
Definition Half Parure: A Parure is a matched set of jewelry, including a necklace, bracelet, earrings, pin etc. A half Parure didn’t include a jewelled headdress, or tiara.
Definition Shawls: The shawl started off in India as a fine wool garment for men that could be worn as a scarf, turban or as a mantle: the word comes from the Persian shäl. Originally imported from the East, European Kashmir shawls were made first in Norwich and Edinburgh in Britain in the late 18th century. Shawls were an essential item in the early 1800s to cover the thin gowns women wore. They were made of muslin, gauze, silk, wool, and velvet, though cashmere shawls were the softest and most prized.
1802 Two Bodices, French. Two bonnets, one with a veil. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1801-1804
1780-1820 ca. Brown Leather Boots, British. Construction and appearance typical of early 1800s shoes. Size suggests made for a man but elongated point toe unusual for menswear. Side lacing was very uncommon until 1830 and the leather thong shoelace, cut in a curve, is also peculiar. Perhaps made for something outside of fashionable wear, such as local peculiarity or fancy dress costume. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1812-1820 ca. Red Wool Tailcoat, American. Brass buttons everywhere, including on the tails and pockets. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1813 April Carriage Dress, English. Green coat over white Empire style dress of jaconet or cambric muslin, plaited bodice, long sleeve, deep frill, with a vandyke of needle-work. Russian mantle is made of Pomona or spring green sasnet, lined with white satin, trimmed with a rich frog fringe and closed with a cord or tassel. Close-fitting cottage slouch bonnet of the same material and edged with scalloped lace, tied on the left under the chin with ribbon, and decorated with a small cluster of spring flowers. Reticule, or bag, of the sam fabric, slippers of green kid, and gloves of primrose kid. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
1810 ca. Full Dress Jacket, Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry, Britain. The East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry was raised as a one troop formation at Haddington in May 1797. Five years later a second troop was raised and in 1803 a third and fourth troop. The regiment was reduced to one troop in 1823 and disbanded 15 years later. National Army Museum, London, UK. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819 In Jane Austen’s time, or the early 1800s, gentlemen were seen in military coats like this often because many Englishmen were involved in the long lasting wars against Napoleon. .
1810 Cotton Waistcoat. Blue black and white woven plaid, narrow double breast with self buttons, buttons create optional lapels, stand collar, hemline pockets, white cotton back with ties and cotton lining. via Whitaker Auction whitakerauction.smugmug.com
Typical of a gentleman’s waistcoat, or vest, worn during the early 1800s, or Regency Era, or Jane Austen’s times with a fancy collar, straight cut, and straight buttoned front.
