Bridgerton is still dominating Netflix numbers and online water-cooler talk. And one of the biggest Bridgerton questions I see is: did they actually dress like that? I think that this is important because fashion historians have been some of the biggest critics of Bridgerton because of its costume design. While we absolutely should have a critical eye when we watch something, I think the fact that it is making people ask these questions when they never would have otherwise shouldn’t be downplayed. So, if you are one of those people wondering about real life Regency fashion, these Regency fashion books are perfect for you!
If you are looking for more behind the scenes on Bridgerton, you can find my post here on the best Bridgerton filming locations to visit! And my Bridgerton review (with spoilers)!
Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen, Sarah Jane Downing
The broader Regency period 1795-1820 stands alone as an incredible moment in fashion history unlike anything that went before or after. It was the most naked period since Ancient Greece and before the 1960s, and for the first time England became a fashion influence, especially for menswear, and became the toast of Paris. With the ancient regime deposed, court dress became secondary and the season by season flux of fashion as we know it came into being, aided and abetted by the proliferation of new ladies’ magazines.
Such an age of revolution and innovation inspired a flood of fashions taking influence from everything including the newly discovered treasures of the ancient world, to radical new ideas like democracy. It was an era of contradiction immortalized by Jane Austen, who adeptly used the newfound diversity of fashion to enliven her characters, Wickham’s military splendor, Mr. Darcy’s understated elegance, and Miss Tilney’s romantic fixation with white muslin.
This was a last minute purchase from the Fashion Museum in Bath, and I’m so happy that I thought to grab it. This is part of the Shire Library series- I’m now a big fan of these! Fashion in the Time of Jane Austen is a quick and fast introduction to the fashion of the wider Regency period. (With the technical Regency period 1810-1820, not 1795.) Downing wrote this series in layman’s terms, which I think is fantastic- fashion and dress history can get very overwhelming when technical terms come in. If you are entirely new to fashion history and the Regency, Fashion is a wonderful place to start! It’s also a very affordable book, another plus.
Beauty and Cosmetics 1550-1950, Sarah Jane Downing*
*“Beauty and Blackmail” Chapter
Exhibiting enormous power or inspiring incredible devotion, throughout history beauty has been women’s chief asset. Each age has required its own standard – a gleaming white brow during the Renaissance, the black eyebrows considered charming in the early 18th century, or the thin lips thought desirable to the Victorians. For those naturally blessed, their beauty could ensure a good marriage, offer social mobility, fame or notoriety whereas those without such obvious gifts would resort to any ends to achieve an illusion of beauty.
Ours is not the only age when beauty is celebrated but also judged and quantified. From the color of the ear to the transparency of the teeth the benchmark for every aspect of beauty has been set and women – and some men – have applied themselves wholeheartedly risking their lives using poisonous chemicals, their fortunes at the risk of blackmail, or the wrath of God, to reach the desired targets.
From Queen Elizabeth I who used dangerous quantities of white lead to give her complexion the illusion of a youthful lustre, to Marilyn Monroe who blended 4 shades of lipstick to emphasise her perfect pout this book will examine some of the more unusual cosmetic practices contemplated in beauty’s name.
Beauty and Cosmetics is also from the Shire Library series, and is another “entry level” book (in the best way). As the title implies, this book covers makeup from the first Elizabethan era to the second. The first half of the “Beauty and Blackmail” chapter covers makeup and beauty in the Regency period. It is a shorter section in the book, but given that makeup during the period was natural and minimal, it makes sense. Again, this is a very affordable book, and I would recommend reading the whole book!
Regency Women’s Dress: Techniques and Patterns 1800-1830, Cassidy Percoco
The distinctive style of the Regency period is a source of endless fascination for fashion academics and historians, living historians, re-enactors and costume designers for stage and screen. Author and fashion historian Cassidy Percoco has delved into little-known museum hoards to create a stunning collection of 26 garments, many with clear provenance tied to a specific location, which have never before been published and never – or very rarely – displayed. Most of the garments have an aspect in their construction that has not been previously documented, from a style of skirt trim to the method of gown closure. This practical guide begins with a general history of the early 19th-century women’s dress. This is followed by 26 patterns of gowns, spencers, chemises, and corsets, each with an illustration of the finished piece and description of its construction. This must-have guide is an essential reference for anyone interested in the fashions or the history of the period, or for anyone wishing to recreate their own beautiful Regency clothing.
Regency Women’s Dress is quite an interesting read! I would recommend having a general understanding of dress construction and terms before starting this. (Something like How to Read a Dress would give you enough background!) This book looks comparatively at Regency fashion in Britain, the Continent, and America, which I found particularly interesting. I flipped through the patterns after reading the first portion to get a better idea of how these gowns would have actually been made, but given that my sewing skills are largely limited to sewing buttons on and fixing seams, I won’t be using them myself. I would consider this to be more of an academic book- more expensive than a general interest book, but very affordable for an academic history monograph. (If you aren’t following Cassidy on Twitter, you must!)
Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion, Hilary Davidson
This lively book reveals the clothing and fashion of the world depicted in Jane Austen’s beloved books, focusing on the long Regency between the years 1795 and 1825. During this period, accelerated change saw Britain’s turbulent entry into the modern age, and clothing reflected these transformations. Starting with the intimate perspective of clothing the self, Dress in the Age of Jane Austen moves outward through the social and cultural spheres of home, village, countryside, and cities, and into the wider national and global realms, exploring the varied ways people dressed to inhabit these environments. Jane Austen’s famously observant fictional writings, as well as her letters, provide the entry point for examining the Regency age’s rich complexity of fashion, dress, and textiles for men and women in their contemporary contexts.
Lavishly illustrated with paintings, drawings, historic garments, and fashion plates—including many previously unpublished images—this authoritative yet accessible book will help readers visualize the external selves of Austen’s immortal characters as clearly as she wrote of their internal ones. The result is an enhanced understanding of Austen’s work and time, and also of the history of one of Britain’s most distinctive fashion eras.
I haven’t had a chance to read this yet, but it comes highly recommended. (Hopefully for my birthday in the summer!) From the description, I like that it seems to provide context as well as technical descriptions of the garments. This book would fall between general interest and academic, but it is quite expensive for a general interest book.
Do you have any favourite Regency fashion books?
Cheers,
The Historian
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