#regency dress
This is not an update on my AWAE dress, but don’t worry, I’m working on it! I started university again this week so that’s why I took a break for a few days but uni shouldn’t really impact how often I post, it’s not like I was posting constantly anyways. I might just throw in some fashion history anecdotes here and there if I can’t find the time to sew, but we’ll see how that works out.
Anyways, speaking of fashion history anecdotes, as I don’t have a sewing update just yet I’ll get into some history info on Regency Fashion for now.
Regency fashion is so pretty. It has such an elegance to it, yet it is so drastically different from its predecessor, Georgian Fashion. And I’m gonna tell you why.
(Warning: oversimplification of historic events happening)
It all started in the mid 1790s after the French Revolution, when the French had revolted against the aristocracy and gotten the King and Queen beheaded. The people hated the rich and didn’t want to be associated with them at all, so they reinvented fashion. The contrast was purposefully done to distance themselves from the aristocracy. And truly, these dresses couldn’t be more different from one another.
(1790 Robe à l’Anglaise vs 1795 Regency gown)
I like to think of it as a second renaissance - the reinvention of the fashion ideal in such a drastic manner within a very short period of time is one of a kind, and I don’t know of any other time/period when something even remotely similar happened. People went from the excessive luxuries and incredibly intricately decorated gowns to very simple dresses that almost resemble the togas of Ancient Greece - which, by the way, was a major inspiration for the Regency era.
We also see this inspiration come out in Classicism paintings that almost look too antique to have been made in the 19th century.
Simplicity was everything, at least up to the 1820s, when people grew tired of the rather plain dresses and started decorating them more and more until the 1830s happened, and we know what… just see for yourself.
But let’s stay in the Regency era. The dresses started off very simple and flowy in 1795, the hair was still very Georgian but the waist rose up right beneath the chest to create that typical Regency silhouette. The skirts were still a little wider but they decreased in width as time passed. Contrary to popular belief women did NOT stop wearing stays! But the stays were now often just corded and not boned, so they were softer and they also changed in shape and became a lot shorter.
Let’s move on to the 1800s. Little puff sleeves were fashionable and it is important to note that the dresses, while being rather plain compared to the Georgian style, weren’t always white. Sure, it was a popular color but having a colorful dress wasn’t any less common. We see in this fashion plate how the hair is now decorated less and in an updo similar to what we associate with Ancient Greek or Roman styles. Also, trains. At least sometimes.
No more trains in the 1810s, but we’re getting a little bit more decoration now. And women loved their short jackets that were inspired by male fashion! I especially love the sleeves. This is a picture I took at a fashion museum last year of a gown that I think should be from the second half of the decade:
But anyways, the waist dropped lower again in the second half of the decade and started moving lower from there.
Now, the 1820s were once again a transitional period between that typical simple regency fashion and the crazy 1830s. People were tired of their simple garments and wanted to get crazy and creative with it, so they just started decorating their dresses more, and the results are honestly stunning. The sleeves grew bigger as did the skirts. After 1825, the sleeve started moving lower on the shoulder to create that round shoulder shape we know from the 1830s. The waistline was much lower now, but not quite at the natural waist yet.
There’s a lot more to say but I don’t think I could think of it all right now. Anyways, I particularly love this era not because I find the fashion to be particularly beautiful, don’t get me wrong, the Regency gowns are gorgeous, but you know I love the Edwardian aesthetic so I’m partial. But I love Regency because it fascinates me how fashion and art can change so much in such a short amount of time.
“What are you looking at?”
And that makes 4000 posts!
Just so you know, I’ll be posting at a slower pace from now on, but don’t worry, I’ll be coming back to post more stuff from time to time.
