8 thoughts on “Regency fashion

  1. Very cool and educational! I have always had a very firm believe that Regency dresses were wide and floaty and bell shapes. Straight dresses are boring. So, I suppose I will still incorrectly dream of my dresses, despite being otherwise educated!

    • [Chuckle]. I quite agree about the straight dresses. I was always far too curvy for them to make me look anything but fat.

  2. Very interesting. I think the Cunningtons have a little different view of drawers. I like to differentiate between drawers and pantalettes though I agree it is possible the people of the time didn’t yet make the distinction. What Princess Charlotte wore and what the lady lost were more what we would call pantalettes, I think.They did have the garment with a closed back from which it would be impossible to lose one leg. The History of Children’s clothes shows little girls wearing pantalettes and some fashion pictures, especially of seaside outfits, show women wearing them. They were meant to be seen. Real drawers weren’t meant to be seen. It is a subject that often gets contentious. I think that is mainly because the people of the time didn’t know what to call the things.

    • Yes, when different people refer to the same thing by different names, or different things by the same name, it confuses the written records. The volatility of language today and the sheer volume of recorded information is going to make historic research into our era something of a minefield.

      • Today thongs and briefs are both underwear. Even in briefs there are several classifications between bikini briefs and granny briefs. There is a big difference between what is published in Vogue Magazine and what gets sold in WalMart and JC Penney. I believe it was the same then with only a few going in for the newest fashions and every one else always a step or two behind. Some fashions would never be worn by the middle class or by Methodists or Evangelicals.

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