Hello darlings!
Have you ever looked at a Regency dress and wondered how the hell did we go from this...
...to this...
in just 20 short years!
The sack dress was still fashionable in the 1780s, but the columnar Regency dress was widely worn by 1810.(1) So how did this happen?
Let's start with the basics of Georgian dress.
The mantua was in fashion at the turn of the century, and it remained a popular in some form or another (the open robe, robe a l'anglaise, Italian gown, even the polonaise) for a remarkably long time. This style of dress was worn until 1780, meaning it stayed en vogue for over 80 years! (2)
However, throughout the time it was in fashion, the shape of the skirts themselves varied widely. At the beginning of the century there was the hoop (similar to the 17th Century farthingale), then there were various bum paddings (see Rowlandson's print 'The Bum Shop') and, of course, the iconic pannier that reached its zenith in the 1740s.(3)
It was quite normal for the fashionable silhouette to fluctuate back and forth in this manner. As Norah Waugh writes in her book 'Corsets and Crinolines':
‘A long slender silhouette gradually begins to widen at the base, emphasis shifts from length to breadth, and when the greatest circumference has been reached, there is a collapse, a folding up, and a return to the long straight line.’
So in response to these wide skirts there came the rebellion:
The Chemise à la Reine.
Named after Marie Antoinette (the current 'Reine'- queen), it was a pastorally-inspired, 'simplistic' dress without elaborate skirt padding.(4)
Notice the waistline has risen slightly. At the beginning of the century, the waist could actually sit lower than the waistline in order to emphasise the long, conical-shaped bodices. For the rest of the century, bodices sat at the natural waist level, with tabs included on the bottom of corsets to help anchor petticoats and skirt supports to the right point.(5
With the Chemise à la Reine, the waistline sits at about the diaphragm level, highlighted by a broad sash.
Underneath the dress, the corset is also rising to match this waistline. The tabs on the bottom of corsets start to disappear, although many corsets in this transitional phase still have tabs even though they have risen above the hip-line.
'Corsets and Crinolines', p.38.
Concurrently in time with this 'anti-fashion', the round gown was also worn.(6)
This has a noticeably higher waist but is still made in the rich, luxurious fabrics synonymous with the 18th century.
During this transitional period when the waist is rising there are many examples of gowns in the 'old' style where the skirt has simply been unpicked and stitched higher, the bodice remaining intact under this raised skirt.(7)
Clothing was starting to be influenced by the classical lines of Ancient Greece, leading to the full-blown worship of the Ancient world in the Regency era.
At the turn of the century, both the Chemise à la Reine and the round gown had combined to create the neoclassical shape of the Regency era.
The waistline starts directly under the bust and clever uses of gathers and pleats fit this entirely new style to the body. Remember that clothing had been made in the same way for almost a century, and this extreme change in shape required a lot of ingenuity from clothing makers.
Corsets are softer with minimal bones, the emphasis being on lifting and separating the bust instead of compressing it. Some even opted to wear 'short stays', covering only the bust area and giving freedom of movement to the torso which hadn't been an option in women's fashion for centuries (and wouldn't be an option again for a couple of centuries more afterwards). Lots of women would have felt uncomfortable wearing short stays after being so tightly corseted for their entire lives, but some women relished in the freedom.
Now that we've completed the transition from the Regency to the Georgian era, as a little addition do you mind if I go on a brief tangent about how this transition affected Court Dress at the time?
Attending Court in the 18th Century was the most formal occasion around. Since the invention of the saque dress and its accompanying massive pannier, it had been worn for Court Dress and formal occasions. After it went out of fashion in broader society, it was still worn for Court Dress. As the clothing transitioned to the empire-line style, ladies wanted to appear fashionable while still retaining that 'formal' pannier shape, leading to this ridiculous style of dress that was reserved exclusively for Court Dress in the Regency era:
The high waist is worn in conjunction with a pannier, hitched up to the correct height using straps, leading to a very dumpling-like silhouette that couldn't have been flattering for any figure.(8)
Luckily, in 1820 George IV disregarded panniers for Court Dress and thereafter Court Dress was influenced by contemporary fashions at the time, though it was still a very formal occasion.(9)
~
Would you like me to do any more clothing transitions? I find fashion history so fascinating, if there's anything you would like to learn about please let me know!
Until next time,
Aisha x
References:
1. I am greatly simplifying for dramatic effect.
2. ‘18th Century Dressmaking’ by Lauren Stowell and Abby Cox, p.15
3. ‘The Cut of Women’s Clothes’ by Norah Waugh
4. ‘Aristocrats- The Illustrated Companion to the Television Series’ by Stella Tillyard
5. ‘Corsets and Crinolines’ by Norah Waugh, p.31
6. ‘Period Costume for Stage and Screen’ by Jean Hunnisett, p.131
7. ‘How to Read a Dress’ by Lydia Edwards, 66
8. 'Corsets and Crinolines', p.129
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