Going Back to the Regency Era

     A crucial aspect of any period piece is costume design. I need to analyze color and the costume itself within my main character's costume design. 

    Tracking fashion trends of 1795-1825, I'll review the history, styles, and trends.

History

    During the French Revolution, the textile market plummeted dramatically. To prevent it from further plunging, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte banned the import of foreign textiles, brought back older Valenciennes lace dresses, and mass-produced local textiles as much as possible. To maintain the market on the rise, Napoleon stated that women must not wear the same dress on more than one occasion when courting. He also had fireplaces blocked off at the popular Tuileries Garden so that ladies were forced to layer up on clothing when going out. Men weren't left out of the equation either since it became policy for male military officials to wear exclusively white satin breeches when at a formal event. These practices might've all seemed extreme, but Bonaparte was simply following past tactics of boosting France's economy through clothing and fashion. Additionally, Empress Josephine was a huge image in fashion in France at the time, and she aided in the influence of purchasing increasingly more fabrics. 

"[Empress] Josephine in full regalia gold" (Thomas 2009)

Styles

    In the late 18th century, nearing the early 1800s, the Empire Style became one of the more well-established looks. Women were adorned with full, flowy skirts and waistlines sitting directly under the chest. Necklines went from square to round to V-shaped with age and being hardly able to move their arms from their tight puffed short sleeves was considered the daintiest in a girl. Also, EVERYTHING was laced. Everything. Obviously, that directly stems from the production of the Valenciennes bobbin lace, but still! There were three mainly used fabrics that each played to the girl's social status and usage which were muslin, white lawn, or batiste. Muslin seemed to be the most affordable and easy to take care of while still having an array of embroidery designs and pristine quality, showing signs of wealth. White was the most expensive color to wear since it gets dirty more easily than every other color. Because of this, they were most often worn in the evening and pastels during the day.

       Square neckline        V-shaped neckline     Round neckline      

Trends

    During the English Regency Era and the French Regency Era, different trends in clothing came in and out of fashion portraying different social groups and displaying different levels of wealth. In 1815, French skirts started much higher than English ones, and English skirts were "wider, more A-line, padded, and decorated" (Thomas 2009). Waistline trends also fluctuated between 1815 and 1825, reaching their peak height in 1816 and lowering ever since. Anglomania, defined as excessive admiration of English customs, swept France when lowering the waist and adding fillers like horsehair to widen the shoulders and skirt, giving ladies a more hourglass-like silhouette. At this time, the waist was finally at its most natural point. The Spencer is a short, tight, long-sleeved accessory that gained popularity in 1817. There are a few different versions that all essentially work as a cute, layer-able jacket whether extremely short or reaching down to the waist. It seems as though even then, fashion trends were quick and the ladies of the past were influenced just as easily.

    Regency Spencer Styles                           Lowest vs Highest waistlines

Weston Thomas, P. (2009, February 24). Regency Fashion History 1800-1825 | Beautiful Pictures Empire Line Dresses. Fashion-Era. https://fashion-era.com/fashion-history/regency/regency-fashion