Category Archives: fashion

What is the “Windsor Uniform”?

What is the “Windsor Uniform”? The Windsor uniform is a type of formal dress worn at Windsor Castle by male members of the British royal family (and some very senior courtiers). [“Windsor uniform”. Dress and insignia worn at His Majesty’s court (London: 1921).] Introduced in 1777 by George III, the … Continue reading

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Dressmaking During the Regency

Often in a Regency book, we find a situation where the woman requires a new day dress, gown, riding habit, etc. I was reading a book of late where the modiste finished several gowns in two days, but was that … Continue reading

Posted in British history, commerce, fashion, Georgian England, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Kilts and Tartans and the Wearing of the Plaid (as we say in the U.S.)

The idea of identification of one tartan to a clan is fairly recent in a historical perspective.  Those of us who write Regency era based stories have a more difficult time than others historical periods to discover an actual clan name and its supporting colors. Most of the tartans identified to a clan came about in Victorian times, so just had to be careful. They were created by tailors during that time period. Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, fashion, film, Georgian England, history, Living in the Regency, medieval, military, Regency era, research, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Color My World With . . .

I received another question recently from a follower of this blog regarding the use of color in the Regency era. The question dealt with the idea of young women in the Regency making their society debuts in white gowns and … Continue reading

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History of Shifts, Chemises, and Corsets Through the Regency Era

To protect their outer wear (gowns, day dresses, etc.) from sweat and body oils, women of the Regency era wore shifts or chemises. These were simple garments, much like a man of today might wear an undershirt to protect his … Continue reading

Posted in British history, fashion, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cost of a Woman’s Clothing in the Regency Era

Recently, I had someone ask me about the cost of such items as court gowns for presentation to the queen and dresses for the London season. Another question came only a week or so later asking about food stuffs, etc. … Continue reading

Posted in British currency, British history, business, customs and tradiitons, fashion, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Circulating Libraries in the Regency Era

Another author friend sent me these questions regarding the circulating libraries. I will provide the short answers to the questions first and then provide a longer explanations. Was there always a fee to check out a book? Was that paid … Continue reading

Posted in books, British history, fashion, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, poetry, reading habits, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Dressmakers and Fashion and What Jane Austen Said of Both

A woman’s dressmaker, or “mantua maker,” as they were often known during the late Georgian era, were essentially paid to know what was the latest fashion trends. Most of us who are obsessed with the era, know something of fashion … Continue reading

Posted in British history, England, fashion, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Balls in London During the Georgian Era

We often read in Regency romances of the hero and heroine meeting at a ball, but how often was that activity actually a reality? One thing we must keep in mind how large the actual house was depended upon the … Continue reading

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Of Lace and Finery: Coded Language in Austen’s Novels, a Guest Post from Diana J Oaks

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on July 26, 2021. Enjoy! Jane Austen continues to astonish me. We turn again toward her use of clothing to inform her characters, this time focusing on the handful of references to lace … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, fashion, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment