1805 Typical Regency Era, or Early 1800s, Muslin Dress. Long sleeves, square neckline, and decorated with Palm Tree embroidery. via Whitaker Auction whitakerauction.smugmug.com Typical of the Empire dresses worn by Jane Austen and her contemporaries. Square necklines, long sleeves, and skirts that started directly under the bust and flowed into the classical relaxed wide styles of Greece and Rome. These high-waisted dresses were worn most days and cotton, silk or taffeta were the popular fabrics.