“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” #JaneAusten #Regency
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813)


“Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” #JaneAusten #Regency
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813)
1819 February Pink Ball Dress, English. Underskirt with white lace hem, pink layer with intricate decoration, short puffed sleeves, low décolletage, or neckline, white shawl and white hat with pink feather. Fashion Plate via John Belle’s La Belle Assemblée or, Bell’s Court and Fashionable Magazine, London. Women’s clothing came in the late 1810s came in a wide range of styles to suit every season and occasion. When attending assemblies or balls, ladies in Jane Austen’s times women wore Empire style dresses which were usually made of light fabric and floaty in style and often of a shorter length suitable for dancing. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1815-1819
Definition Ball Dress: At the end of the 1810s, ball or dancing dresses had higher hemlines that rose several inches above the ankle so ladies wouldn’t trip on their hens or flounces and make a spectacle of themselves.
Definition Aigret, aigrette, egret: Plume of feathers or jeweled ornament in shape of feathers worn on head or hats. During the early 19th century, or Jane Austen’s lifetime, or during the years of the Bridgerton series, the favorite feathers were osprey and heron.
1816 October Half-Dress. A gown of lilac sarsnet, cut low round the bust, which is trimmed with pink ribbon, disposed so as to form a wreath; the shape of the back is marked by hands of pink, and a large bow, in the French style, ornaments the middle of it at bottom. The back is full; a plain light front forms the shape in a most becoming manner. Long full sleeve, composed of clear muslin, trimmed at the wrist with a single row of lace, and finished by a pink bow. Fichu to correspond, very full trimmed round the throat with lace. The bottom of the skirt is edged with pink, and trimmed with a single flounce of blond lace, set on very full, and surmounted by a wreath of French roses. Cornette composed of tulle, finished by a quilling of blond round the face, and fastened by a pink bow under the chin; a bow to correspond ornaments it on the forehead, and a bunch of flowers is placed very far back on the head. The style of this cornette, though French, is so simply elegant and becoming, that we have not for some time seen any half-dress cap to equal it. Plain gold ornaments. White kid gloves, and white kid slippers with pink rosettes. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
Definition Half Dress: Between undress and full dress, respectable outfit without an excess of formal accessories and might be worn either day or evening. Could include Afternoon Dress, such as Afternoon Walking Dress and even Evening Dress if not a very formal evening occasion, such as a theatre attendance or dinner engagement.
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.
19th Century Embroidered Silk Bag, Japan. Metal clasp and chain, embroidered with a beautiful bird and flowers. via Ruby Lane Antiques. rubylane.com
Definition Reticule: Bag or purse, often with a drawstring to pull closed and usually made of cloth or covered cardboard and often decorated with beading or embroidery. A reticule, or purse, or handbag, was usually carried by a woman during the Regency period to carry all their daily necessities. Earlier, women used pockets that tied at the waistline and were hidden in the folds of their skirts. Empire style, or early 1800s, high-waisted dresses made it impossible to either sewn in a pocket or to tie on a pocket. So women began carrying small, decorated bags called Reticules, or ridicules, which generally pulled close at the top with a drawstring.
1802 Jane Austen Style Riding Habit, French. Blue riding habit made of castor, worn with a Fichu of white lace to cover her chest and preserve her modesty and carrying a long riding whip. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien.
Riding Habit: Early 1800s riding habits still copied men’s riding fashion and usually made by male tailors. They were often a close-fitting jacket worn over a shirt, or with a fichu covering the neck. A skirt with train had either a waistband or straps over the shoulders to keep it in place. Sometimes, habits were made in one piece with the skirt and bodice joined.
1804 Jane Austen style Fashionable Hats, Hairstyles and Dresses. From: 1804 The Ladies’ Own Memorandum Book. via Google Books. (PD-180) https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1801-1804
1816 May Full Evening Dress, English. The type of evening dress the Bridgerton family and Jane Austen and her contemporaries would have worn to a formal evening event, such as a ball. A white satin slip, over which is a white lace dress, ornamented with three quillings of white lace on the skirt, intermixed with bows of white satin ribbon. The body and sleeve, both of which are richly ornamented with colored stones, are formed, as our readers will see by the print, in a very novel style. Head-dress, a cap composed of white satin, finished with a band edged with pearls, and a superb plume of white feathers. Necklace, ear-rings, and bracelets,’ colored stones intermixed with pearls. White satin slippers, and white kid gloves. We are indebted to the elegant invention Of Mrs. Gill, of Cork-street, Burlington-Gardens, for our dress this month. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
Definition Full Dress: Most formal of outfits, day or night, with all possible accessories added.
1805-1808 ca. Man’s three-part court suit of coat, waistcoat, and breeches, French. Wool broadcloth embroidered with silk and metallic threads, spangles, and glass. Plum colored broadcloth embroidered with plum colored and white silk and chenille, silver thread, spangles and brilliants. Supposed to have been worn by the Hon. James Bowdoin, U.S. Minister to Spain, 1805-1808, at a ball given by Napoleon at the Tuileries. Worn with 01.110 and 01.111. Said to have been worn by the Hon. James Bowdoin, U.S. Minister to Spain from 1805-1808; to his grand-nephew, James Bowdoin Winthrop by inheritance; to James Bowdoin Winthrop’s nephew, Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. by inheritance; gift of Robert C. Winthrop, Jr. to MFA, February 1, 1901.
DIMENSIONS Coat: center back (collar to bottom of coat): 106 cm (41 3/4 in.)
Waistcoat: center front: 55.2 cm (21.75 in.)
Breeches: center front: 67.9 cm (26.75 in.)
CREDIT LINEGift of Robert C. Winthrop. ACCESSION NUMBER01.110-112 via Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, U.S.A.
1800s Typical Food Served and Table Settings Used. Historic food from Mrs. Beeton’s Household Management, 1882 Warne’ s Model Housekeeper, London, U.K., 1892 Cassel’s Dictionary of Cookery.
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
The Empire waist gown defined women’s fashion during the Regency Era. ‘Empire’ is the name given in France to the period when Napoleon built his French Empire. High-waisted, loose gowns were adopted by the aristocracy as a symbol of turning away from the fussy, elaborate and expensive clothing worn in the 1700s. Jean-Jaques Rousseau advocated copying peasants and returning to a simpler life and more natural fashions. Unrestricting clothing was part of the new Democracy in France and these simpler and flowing fashions were adopted all over Europe, including Britain and despite the continual wars being fought against France during the early 1800s. Not even war stopped fashions from being copied everywhere.