Dress in the Age of Jane Austen

A comprehensive and beautifully illustrated examination of dress, clothing, fashion, and sewing in the Regency seen through the lens of Jane Austens life and writings This lively book reveals the clothing and fashion of the world depicted in Jane Austens beloved books, focusing on the long Regency between the years 1795 and 1825. During this period, accelerated change saw Britains turbulent entry into the modern age, and clothing reflected these transformations. Starting with the intimate perspective of clothing the self, Dress in the Age of Jane Austen moves outward through the social and cultural spheres of home, village, countryside, and cities, and into the wider national and global realms, exploring the varied ways people dressed to inhabit these environments. Jane Austens famously observant fictional writings, as well as her letters, provide the entry point for examining the Regency ages rich complexity of fashion, dress, and textiles for men and women in their contemporary contexts. Lavishly illustrated with paintings, drawings, historic garments, and fashion platesincluding many previously unpublished imagesthis authoritative yet accessible book will help readers visualize the external selves of Austens immortal characters as clearly as she wrote of their internal ones. The result is an enhanced understanding of Austens work and time, and also of the history of one of Britains most distinctive fashion eras.