1808 Orange Redingote, or Pelisse, French. Walking dress with white vertical front trim and wearing a blue hat with three rows of lace trim hanging down to cover the face. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, Costume Parisien. Jane Austen and her female contemporaries wore coats like these when outdoors because they needed the warmth over the fashionable light muslin dresses that all women wore. Redingotes could be both comfortable and decorative. They often had military elements in support of the thousands of men involved in ongoing wars.

Definition Redingote Or Pelisse Or Walking Dress Or Coat: Long fitted outdoor coat worn over other garments for warmth. Often left open at the front to show off the dress underneath. French word developed from English words, riding coat.