Why Petticoats and Chemises Were Worn Under Regency Gowns

Copyright (c) Jane Austen’s World. Look at this lovely Regency lady in this image from 1814. Her petticoat peeps under her fashionably short gown, whose conical shaped skirt has been given a definite shape by the undergarment. At the turn of the century, when lighter cloths were used to fashion gowns and when the dress [...]

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Public Reaction to Rising Waists During the Late 18th Century: Regency Fashion

To our modern eyes, Regency empire dresses represent a charmed and romantic era. But in 1794, the high-waisted look that had so recently come into fashion aroused much ridicule, and was described as the “banishment of the body from the female form.” The Rage, or Shepherds I have Lost My Waist was a doggerel based [...]

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Making a Regency Ballgown

Its all in the details Making a Regency Ballgown is a useful site for people who are interested in studying regency costumes or making a regency ballgown. The site is arranged in year order and makes the evolving styles clear. The evening or ballgowns are arranged by year and described in detail by bodices, sleeves, [...]

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Le Miroir de la Mode

In 1803, a woman named Madame Lanchester of Bond Street, published  ’Le Miroir de la Mode‘. By 1804, scarcely two years after it appeared, the magazine had vanished. (Although The Museum of London has at least one plate published by Madame Lanchester which is dated 1807).  Very little is known about the woman, who had designed [...]

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Regency Dress Database

// Find examples of Regency dresses and unmentionables in this extensive database by Démodé. The clothes featured in this link are from 1800 through 1830. Examples include corsets, bodices, shifts, underdresses, petticoats, day dresses, spencers, robes, etc, from collections around the world. These images are representative of the Démodé Regency collection.

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Regency Hairstyles and their Accessories

Everything we now use is made [in] imitation of those models lately discovered in Italy. – Observation by an Englishman In the late 18th century, hairstyles for women took a dramatic turn from the pouffed-up and constructed hairdos of the earlier Georgian age to the simple hair styles inspired by the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians. [...]

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Persuasion: Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen

Inquiring Reader: Emma, the author of this post, lives in Melbourne, Australia. After she interviewed me for a class assignment, I asked her if she would give us her impressions of the the fabulous fashion show at the National Gallery of Victoria. Happily, she said yes. Click here to read an article on Jane Austen [...]

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What Men Wore at Regency Assembly Balls

Rolinda Sharple’s 1817 painting, The Cloak Room at The Clifton Assembly Rooms, depicts several styles of men’s fashions.

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Favorite Regency Fashion Sites

Internet sites featuring Regency era clothes, which are among my favorites

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La Belle Assemblée 1807: Kensington Garden Dresses

La Belle Assemblée was an influential taste and fashion magazine in the 19th century. This post is about the 1807 edition.

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Seen Over the Ether: Women’s Hairstyles and Clothing in Period Films

Regency hairstyles and fashions are often inaccurately depicted in period film adaptations. The articles at these links will tell you why.

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Regency Riding Costumes, Their Origins and Their Fashion Influences

During the first two decades of the nineteenth century, riding habits echoed the high-waisted empire styles that prevailed and the fashion trends that were currently in vogue. The light blue Glengarry riding habit of 1817 (at right) is typical of the fashion of the day. The military-inspired dress was trimmed with lace, braids (image at [...]

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