1809 White Dress, French. Large striped shawl with pointed back and white hat tied with pink ribbon. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. I can picture Jane Austen and her female friends and family wearing a white Empire style dress and warm shawl, or cape, like this for shopping or paying visits. The essential cap is tied under the chin and trimmed with lace and ribbon.
1805-1810 ca. High-waisted evening gown, French, and shawl. Typical of the dresses and shawls in the wardrobe of every woman in the times of Jane Austen. Evening dress of white muslin, embroidered all over in white cotton in French knots, with collar, hem, and centre stripe in chain stitch, low square neck adjusted with draw-cord, high waist, skirt gathered at back, short sleeves with vandyke trim.
Typical Neo-classical dress imitating Greek and Roman sculptures, white muslin fabric either
imported from India or made in Europe to imitate Indian materials. Scarf of knitted silk printed in
similar pattern to popular Indian cashmere shawls. via Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
1810 Les Invisibles. By James Gillray. Two men walk towards each other, each with a lady hanging to each arm, all have their faces concealed by some part of their dress, hat, or collar, or both. One man has a round hat, with a fantastically curved brim projecting downwards. The other has a huge crescent-shaped cocked hat with the peaks dipping over face and back. Via British Museum, London, UK. britishmuseum.org (PD-Art)
1817 March. Opera Dress, English. The sort of outfit Jane Austen and her contemporaries or the Bridgerton women would wear for an evening at the opera or theatre. Fashion Plate via Rudolph Ackermann’s ‘The Repository of Arts’.
A blue crape dress over a white satin slip; the dress trimmed round the skirt with a deep blond lace, which is headed with a light and novel trimming, composed of white floss silk and small pearl beads: this trimming is surmounted with a beautiful deep embroidery of lilies, surrounded by leaves. The body and sleeves of this dress, as our readers will perceive by our print, are extremely novel. Head-dress, toque à la Berri; it is a crown of a novel form, tastefully ornamented round the top with lilies to correspond with the trimming of the skirt, and a plume of white feathers, which droop over the face. Ear-rings, necklace, and bracelets, sapphire mixed with pearl. The hair dressed in loose light ringlets on the forehead, and disposed in full curls in the back of the neck. White kid gloves, and white satin slippers.
1814 Couple In Walking Ensembles, French. Gentleman in a brown tailcoat with a notched collar and back pockets, vest, white breeches tied under his knees, red fob at the waist, white stockings, high white shirt collar, white cravat, top hat and cane. Lady in adorable pink Redingote with capes.
