Tag Archives: reticule or bag

What was fashionable in Bridgerton and Jane Austen’s times? Mourning, riding, daytime, evening fashion plus underclothing. #Bridgerton #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion

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Fashion Women 1810-1814 History Notes Book 27 What was fashionable for women in Jane Austen’s times? Mourning, riding, daytime, evening clothing, plus underclothing, corsets and accessories. This book looks at what was fashionable for women in Jane Austen’s times, or the early 1800s, or the Regency Era in Britain. Wars were being fought around the globe so women’s fashion adopted a military look in support of soldiers. Fashions, like the lifestyle, became progressively more extravagant and accessories went from colorful to over-the-top.

The Lady’s Magazine said of the basis of women’s fashion that was popular for the first twenty years of the 1800s, ‘White is still the prevailing color for robes. For morning dresses, linen gowns, in large diamonds or squares, are fashionable. Indian muslins, plain or embroidered, are preferred to Florence and satins. The designs of embroidery for shawls are of infinite variety. Long gloves, which reach above the elbow, are not yet laid aside. Medallions are hung around the neck from crossed chains and some of these medallions are shaped like the bags, called ridicules. These reticules are of the lozenge or hexagon shape, with a small tassel at each angle. Reticules, or ridicules, are in lozenge or hexagon shapes with a small tassel at each angle. In capotes, or hats, and ribbands, the violet and dark green prevail over jonquil. Bracelets in hair, pear-shaped ear-rings, medallions on square plates, saltiers of colored stones, are still in fashion.’

These are the types of outfits worn by Jane Austen and contemporaries in English magazines, where French fashions were obsessively copied despite the two countries being at war for many years. In Jane Austen’s years, she and her contemporaries spent a lot of time walking outdoors. People were encouraged to partake in outdoor pursuits to maintain good health. Fragile slippers were worn for balls and evening events but for walking sturdier shoes were needed, In the early 1800s, these were typically made of leather, had a very small heel, slightly rounded toes and were laced up on the top.

HN_27_History Notes book 27 What was fashionable for women in Jane Austen's times? Mourning, riding, daytime, evening clothing, plus underclothing, corsets and accessories. Wars were being fought so women adopted military looks in support of soldiers. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814
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1660-1700 ca. Green Velvet Gaming Purse, Probably French. #Europe #games #Antiques #purse

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1660-1700 ca.  Green Velvet Gaming Purse, Probably French. Trimmed with Copper-Gilt Thread, probably French. This purse was designed especially for gaming, or gambling, and would have held money, or counters, and is of a different design to other 17th-century purses. The base is a flat circle and the sides are gathered on a drawstring to stop money or gaming counters from spilling out, and to hide how much a gambler had in the purse. The bag’s plain look was probably a deliberate move to fool other gamblers into thinking the owner had little money.The purse is quite plain, with no embroidery and only a twist of copper gilt thread, gilt being a cheap substitute for gold or silver thread.

Playing and betting on card games was a socially acceptable pastime for the wealthy in the late 17th century. Along with dancing, riding and the theatre, it was an amusement for those classes that did not have to work. A gentleman or lady who did not participate in games such as ‘Quadrille’ and ‘Basset’ would have been considered ‘low-bred and hardly fit for conversation’ according to ‘The Compleat Gamester’, published in 1674.  Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.

1660-1700-ca. Gaming Purse, probably French. Green velvet trimmed with copper gilt thread. Gaming or gambling with cards popular as a 17th Century Pastime and any gentleman or lady.
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1799 November 24th ‘Parisian Ladies in Their Full Winter Dress for 1800’. Caricature By Isaac Cruikshank. #GeorgianEra #Cartoon #BritishHistory

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1799 November 24th ‘Parisian Ladies in Their Full Winter Dress for 1800’. By Isaac Cruikshank. Ridiculing excesses of late 1790s Parisian high-waisted Greek look gowns of transparent fabrics and extremely low cut bodices.Full Dress meant every possible accessory was added to outfits.g. elaborate hats, reticules or bags, anklets and jewels. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)

1799 November 24th 'Parisian Ladies in Their Full Winter Dress for 1800'. By Isaac Cruikshank. Ridiculing excesses of late 1790s Parisian high-waisted Greek look gowns of transparent fabrics and extremely low cut bodices.Full Dress meant every possible accessory was added to outfits.g. elaborate hats, reticules or bags, anklets and jewels. Via Suzi Love - suzilove.com & British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
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HN_1 Fashion Women Late 1700s History Notes Book 1 by Suzi Love. What was fashionable for women in the late 1700s? Extravagant colors and fabrics and outrageous styles were all seen in these flamboyant fashions. books2read.com/suziloveFashWomen1700s

1800-1819 Women’s Fashions In Bridgerton’s and Jane Austen’s Times In A Box Set. #Bridgerton #RegencyEra #JaneAusten #HistoricalFashion

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An overview of women’s fashions in the first twenty years of the 19th century. What was fashionable for women in Jane Austen’s times, or the early 1800s. Wars were being fought around the globe, so women’s fashion adopted a military look in support of soldiers. In Britain, the Prince Regent ruled instead of his father, King George III, so fashions, like the lifestyle, became more extravagant and accessories went from pretty to opulent. This set includes books 12, 25, 26, 27 and 28. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomenBoxSet

Ladies clothing in the early 1800’s featured a high waist line called an Empire Line, or Empire style dress, with a waist line just under the natural bust line and much higher than the natural waist. The high-waisted, or short-bodied, Regency styles shifted focus away from the natural waist and so left the natural waist unconstricted, in direct contrast to previous and future styles. Britain took these simple European styles and progressively made them more elaborate by adding more and more complicated embroidery onto white fabrics to create the white on white look popular for many years.  

The empire look of fine muslin dresses left women more exposed than in the Georgian Era when fabrics had been thicker and styles bulkier. Women, especially in England, preserved their modesty by adding lace, frills, flounces, ruches, and fabric plaits to dresses to adequately cover any parts that might inadvertently be exposed. Outer layers, such as Spencers, Redingotes or Pelisses or coats, and shawls, were also added for warmth and to brighten outfits. 


This Empire fashion was totally dependent on a supply of fine, translucent cotton muslin – at first imported from India, then later, less exclusive imitations often woven and printed or embroidered in Britain. Fabrics were soft and lightweight and muslins and other cotton fabrics from India and other Asian countries were in high demand.

HN_24_Fashion Women 1800-1819 Box Set History Notes Book 24 An overview of the first twenty years of the 19th century. These books look at what was fashionable for women in Jane Austen's times, or the early 1800s. Wars were being fought around the globe so women's fashion adopted a military look in support of soldiers. In Britain, the Prince Regent ruled instead of his father, King George III, so fashions, like the lifestyle, became more extravagant and accessories went from pretty to opulent. This set includes books 12, 25, 26, 27 and 28. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomenBoxSet


HN_24_D2D Fashion Women 1800-1819 Box Set https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomenBoxSet

1808 Gorgeous Women’s Fashion In The Times Of Jane Austen. #Regency #JaneAusten #Fashion

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1808 Gorgeous Women’s Fashion In The Times Of Jane Austen. Fashion plates from Journal des Dames et des Modes or Costume Parisien. Dresses, coats or Redingotes, Spencers in purple and red, shawls, fichu or shoulder cape, shoes, hats and headdresses, gloves, and Reticules or bags. Empire style, high-waisted dresses of lightweight cotton with softly falling, gathered, long skirt and with a train were commonly worn. In Jane Austen years, high-waisted and short sleeved dresses were the Neo-classical dresses which imitated the Greek and Roman clothing seen in sculptures. White muslin fabrics were either imported from India, or made in Europe to imitate Indian materials.

Fashion Women 1805-1809 History Notes Book 26 What did Jane Austen and friends wear? This book looks at early 1800s fashions, which 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. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809

Definition Reticule Or Ridicule Or Bag or Purse or Handbag: 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.

1808 High-Waisted White Dress, French. White Fichu over the shoulders, pale blue shoes, pink striped hat. Fashion Plate via suzilove.com and Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1808 High-Waisted White Dress, French. White Fichu over the shoulders, pale blue shoes, pink striped hat.
1808 White Dress With Purple Spencer, French. Fashion Plate via suzilove.com and Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1808 White Dress With Purple Spencer, French.
1800 White Dress, French. Black ribbon criss-crossing the back bodice. Fashion Plate via suzilove.com and Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1800 White Dress, French. Black ribbon criss-crossing the back bodice.
1808 White Dress With Train Under A Red Spencer, French. Pointed shawl bodice and long sleeves, carrying a yellow reticule with tassels, yellow gloves, white straw hat with a pink ribbon tie. Fashion Plate via suzilove.com and Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1808 White Dress With Train Under A Red Spencer, French. Pointed shawl bodice and long sleeves.
1808 Negligee Or At-Home Dress, French. Orange redingote, or coat, white shawl, blue gloves and shoes, blue and red reticule, frilled cap with red ribbon. Fashion Plate via suzilove.com and Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1808 Negligee Or At-Home Dress, French. Orange redingote, or coat, white shawl, blue gloves and shoes.
1808 Lady in a white At-Home dress and cap sitting at her dressing table, French. Fashion Plate via suzilove.com and Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1808 Lady in a white At-Home dress and cap sitting at her dressing table, French.
HN_26_D2D Fashion Women 1805-1809 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
Fashion Women 1805-1809 History Notes Book 26 What did Jane Austen and friends wear? This book looks at early 1800s fashions, which 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. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809

1800-1819 Bridgerton And Jane Austen Must Have Fashion Accessories. History Notes Books 3, 4, and 5. #Bridgerton #RegencyFashion #JaneAusten #HistoricalFashion

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  • Reticule Or Bag: Purse, often with a drawstring to pull closed and usually made of cloth or covered cardboard and often decorated with beading or embroidery. Carried by a woman during the Regency period to carry all their daily necessities. in the place of pockets.
  • Spencer: Short jacket, cropped at the waist, worn over a dress, or gown. Delicate and regency dresses provided so little protection from the cold, so over garments were essential for warmth, modesty and good health.
  • Pelisse Or redingote Or Walking Dress: Coat worn over clothing of both sexes for warmth and protection from the elements.
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Love gorgeous fashions from Jane Austen years? Take a look at what women wore and carried around 1800. #RegencyFashion #JaneAusten #nonfiction

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Fashion Women 1800 By Suzi Love History Notes Book 12 #Regency #Fashion Love gorgeous historical women’s fashions? Take a look at what women wore and carried in 1800 in Europe and around the world. This is the world Jane Austen lived in and the fashions she wore. books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1800

  • Women’s dress changed dramatically after 1785. The rich fabrics and complicated, formal shapes of the late 18th century gave way to simple, light fabrics that draped easily. These new gowns achieved something of the effect of the simple tunics shown on classical Greek and Roman statues and vases. Inspired in part by the statuary of ancient Greece and Rome, the new fashion was epitomised by light cotton gowns falling around the body in an unstructured way, held around the high waist with a simple sash and accompanied by a soft shawl draped around exposed shoulders. This style was ideal for the Indian imports like Kashmiri shawls and Bengali muslin, as used in this embroidered gown. Championed by such influential figures as Emma Hamilton in England and Madame Récamier in France, the so-called ‘Empire’ style catapulted Indian muslin into the forefront of fashion.
  • Empire Dress: Owes its name, physical emancipation, popularity, and even its sexiness to France. In this English example, French style is slavishly followed in the gown’s high waist and modish stripes.
  • 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.
  • Inspired in part by the statuary of ancient Greece and Rome, the new fashion was epitomised by light cotton gowns falling around the body in an unstructured way, held around the high waist with a simple sash and accompanied by a soft shawl draped around exposed shoulders. This style was ideal for the Indian imports like Kashmiri shawls and Bengali muslin, as used in this embroidered gown. Championed by such influential figures as Emma Hamilton in England and Madame Récamier in France, the so-called ‘Empire’ style catapulted Indian muslin into the forefront of fashion.
HN_12_Fashion Women 1800 By Suzi Love History Notes Book 12 #Regency #Fashion Love gorgeous historical women's fashions? Take a look at what women wore and carried in 1800 in Europe and around the world. books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1800
HN_12_Fashion Women 1800 By Suzi Love History Notes Book 12 #Regency #Fashion Love gorgeous historical women’s fashions? Take a look at what women wore and carried in 1800 in Europe and around the world. books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1800
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1800-1810 ca. Knitted Pineapple Reticule, or Bag. Style of handbag made by women known to Jane Austen and Bridgertons #JaneAusten #Reticule #France

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1800-1810 ca. Pineapple Reticule, or Bag. A knitted pineapple with long strings. In Jane Austen’s times, pineapples were a luxury imported item that most people in Great Britain had never seen, let alone tasted. When more pineapples were imported from hotter countries, or English gardeners started to grow some, pineapples became a much desired novelty and an exotic experience. Pineapple motifs appeared on dresses, furniture, household goods etc. Knitting pineapple reticules was part of this obsession with pineapples. via Kyoto Museum, Japan.

Definition Ridicule, Reticule, Indispensable, or Handbag: From the late 1700s, pockets could no longer be sewn into gowns, as skirts fell from just under the bust and were full and flowing. Instead, women began carrying small bags, known at first as ridicules and later as reticules, to keep necessary items on their person e.g. handkerchiefs, coins, vinaigrettes, calling cards, glasses etc. http://books2read.com/suziloveReticules

In the early nineteenth century, reticules started to look like future handbags as they were often made from rigid card or molded mâché or card into a variety of shapes. Early bags were circular and with a drawstring but as women wanted their reticules to look individual they could be made with two halves and a hinged metal closure or with concertina sides. Materials varied from silk, cotton and string and shapes were round, hexagonal or lozenge shapes with shell shaped bags becoming very popular during the Regency and Romantic Eras.

1800s magazines were written for well bred women who could read, so they gave plenty of ideas for how ladies could make and embellish reticules for their own use and as pretty gifts. Needlework was highly encouraged as a pastime for a lady so bags were frequently embroidered or decorated with beading. By the 1820s, reticules became more like our modern handbags using soft leather gathered at the top or hard leather with a rigid fastener and metal chain for carrying.

1800-1810 ca. Reticule, or Bag. A knitted pineapple with long strings. via Kyoto Museum, Japan. books2read.com/suziloveReticules
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1805 May Two Ladies In Jane Austen Style Walking Dress and Full Dress, English. #RegencyFashion #JaneAusten #HistoricalFashion

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1805 May Two Ladies In Jane Austen Style Walking Dress and Full Dress, English. White dress with a train under a purple cape, purple reticule or bag, and green parasol. Pink evening full dress with low cut bodice, short sleeves and light draping shawl. via Vernon and Hood at The Lady’s Monthly Museum, London, U.K.
Definition Reticule, or Ridicule, or 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.

1805 May Two Ladies In Jane Austen Style Walking Dress and Full Dress, English. White dress with a train under a purple cape, purple reticule or bag, and green parasol. Pink evening full dress with low cut bodice, short sleeves and light draping shawl. via Vernon and Hood at The Lady’s Monthly Museum, London, U.K.
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Love the fashions worn by the Bridgerton ladies and Jane Austen? Reticule, Spencer, Pelisse. #Bridgerton #RegencyFashion #JaneAusten

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What was fashionable outdoor wear for the Bridgerton ladis, Jane Austen, and their contemporaries? Reticules, Spencers, and Pelisses, or Walking Dresses, Or Redingotes. History Notes Books 3, 4, and 5 By Suzi Love.

What was fashionable for purses in past centuries? Call them what you like: purses, bags, handbags, reticules, ridicules, clutches, or pocket replacements. They all did the same job and they changed greatly with the prevailing fashions of time. books2read.com/suziloveReticules

What was fashionable in women’s jackets in the Regency Era? Call them what you like: Spencers, short jackets, or Regency jackets. They provided modesty and warmth and they changed greatly with the prevailing fashions of the time. Take a look at the jackets being worn by women in the early 1800s. books2read.com/suziloveSpencers

What sort of coats did women wear during the Regency years? them what you like: Coat, Pelisse, Redingote, Walking Dress, Promenade Dress. Take a look at what was being worn by women, men, and children. books2read.com/suzilovePelisse

Fashion Accessories: Reticules, Spencers, Redingotes. History Notes Books 3, 4, and 5 By Suzi Love. #Regency #Fashion #History books2read.com/suziloveReticules books2read.com/suziloveSpencers books2read.com/suzilovePelisse
HN_4_Spencers, Or Jackets. #Regency #Georgian #Victorian #Fashion History Notes Book 4 By Suzi Love. books2read.com/suziloveSpencers
HN_4_Spencers, Or Jackets. #Regency #Georgian #Victorian #Fashion History Notes Book 4 By Suzi Love.