Regency Era

Jump to Comments

I’ve had a request for more info on Regency-era clothes. Now, I’m no expert, but I do know some of the basic stylistic principles behind the Regency style movement. Plus, I love Jane Austen.

The Regency (sometimes called Empire) movement in fashion began in France with Empress Josephine (wife of Napoleon), who took to wearing high-waisted, flowing gowns with short sleeves and low necks. At this time throughout Europe, there was a revival in interest of all things Greek and the Regency silhouette (for women, at least) mirrored this. The new style quickly moved to England, where it was called Regency, after the Regent who was ruling England at the time.

Winter dresses ususally had longer sleeves, either to the elbow or the wrist, and summer dresses had short sleeves. All dresses had low-cut necklines that were disguised with sheer or lace shawls and kercheifs draped over the neck and tucked under the neckline during the day. For a poorer woman, dressing for evening meant simply removing the kercheif that disguised her bosom. Necklines were square-cut or scoop-neck and were cut to display the cleavage pushed up by tight corsets.

All dresses had high waists with seaming just under the bosom and long, drapey skirts that fell to the floor in a graceful column. Many dresses had a small train that began at the middle of the back and fell to the floor. When a woman walked, this created a trailing, triangular silhouette behind her.

Regency era dresses revealed a lot more of a woman’s body than previous and following styles. Soft fabrics clung to the legs and the half-exposed bosom provided eye candy for the dandy gentlemen of the era. “Fast” women of the upper classes who “went” with the more scandalous sets (think Lord Byron) would wet or dampen their skirts to recreate the draped, clingy, revealing effect of Greek and Roman statuary. Some women even went so far as to wear semi-sheer skirts.

Other accessories of the Regency era were long-sleeved, bolero-type jackets called Spencer Jackets (after the Earl of Spencer), straw scoop bonnets and fancy hats, gloves (wrist-length for day, elbow length for evening), drawstring bag reticules (aka purses), and low-heeled shoes and slippers.

Women’s hairstyles were worn up, at a low bun or gather of curls at the back of the head. Curls were in and women often curled small pieces of hair surrounding the face for the softer look. Double ribbons or headbands were worn over curls to emulate the Grecian hairstyles of Classical statuary.

The desired effect of most of the Regency era clothing for women was to recreate the lithe, willowy, free appearance of the gentle maidens of Greek and Roman statuary.

Regency era men wore clothing highly influenced by military looks (Napoleon at work, again) with very high, stiff collars, tailed jackets worn open, loose cotton shirts tucked into tight vests with high-waisted pants and finished up with tall, highly polished boots. Waistlines rose for men as well, vests and coat fronts ending above the belly button. The more dandified the man, the tighter the pants. Knickers were worn with white stockings and low-heeled, buckled shoes for formal events (or if one was a wealthy dandy). Haircuts were “Caesar” style, cut short at the base of the neck and combed forward to cover the forehead. Gloves were standard issue for men, as were top hats or military hats and associated regalia.

The Regency era in fashion lasted from 1804 (with Napoleon’s rise to power) until approximately 1825. However, the high-waisted style in women’s clothing reached its peak in 1816-17 and continued to fall thereafter until it reached previous levels in 1825.

If you’d like a more complete history of Regency fashion, please visit the Fashion-Era website, particularly their Regency section, from which I gleaned some of the above information, particularly the dates.

1 Comment

Filed under Regency, history