Free The Jane Austen Handbook by Margaret C. Sullivan Page A

cloud, I mean to buy in Bath
. — LETTER FROM J ANE A USTEN TO C ASSANDRA A USTEN , J ANUARY 25, 1801
    It pays to be thoroughly prepared when shopping for clothes. Fashions change quickly, and one will always want to be up on the latest look. But one can only buy ready-made gowns secondhand, and who wants to wear some other person’s castoffs? Therefore, here is some guidance for how you might spend your pin money wisely.
    1. Take inventory. Go through your existing wardrobe and determine what you need for the coming season.
    2. Research. Study
Ackermann’s Repository, The Gallery of Fashion
, or other stylish publications to see what is being worn. Consult with friends and relatives who live in London or have spent time there recently. They will be able to tell you the latest cuts of sleeves and bodices and how gowns and bonnets are being trimmed.
    3. Acquire patterns. If a friend or acquaintance has a gown that you particularly admire, ask if you can make a pattern from it. Cut out fabric in the shapes of the gown’s pieces, baste the fabric pieces together so they can be taken aparteasily, and reserve it as your “pattern gown.” Reciprocate this favor not just for gowns, but for baby clothes, caps, and other items.
    4. Purchase fabric. Go to the local linen draper and choose fabric. You’ll need seven to ten yards of fabric to make a gown. Leftover fabric can be used to make over old gowns or for handkerchiefs, caps, and other accessories; muslin can never be said to be wasted. Choose trimming to dress up the gown if desired. You may ask a friend or relative who is living in a larger town or city to pick up something particular for you, but only if you trust her taste.
    5. Consult the professionals. Visit your mantua-maker (dressmaker) and give her your pattern gown or show her the fashion plates you like so she can sketch out a style. Leave the fabric and trimming with her. Your new gown should be ready within a week—less if she has seamstresses on staff.
    6. Renew and recycle. To further extend your wardrobe, go over what you already have that is still in good shape. Make it over, add a flounce, dye it, or add new trimming to freshen it up and bring it into the latest style.
    7. Accessorize. New outerwear will give life to a wardrobe—purchase a new pelisse or reline one that you already have.
    INFLUENCES ON EARLY NINETEENTH-CENTURY CLOTHING
    Neoclassicism: Architecture and interior design reflected society’s interest in ancient Greece and Rome, and ladies’ fashion followed; waistlines rose, gowns became more diaphanous and clinging, and hair was piled high on the crown with ringlets around the face in imitation of classical statuary. The Greek key motif was often used on trimmings.
    TheFrench Revolution: Once King Louis and Marie Antoinette lost their heads, society threw off their elaborate brocades and high wigs for dress that imitated the simpler clothing of the revolutionaries. English patriotism also directed a change away from the clothing worn by the French enemy to simpler homegrown styles, such as the outfits men wore for hunting, or informal women’s morning gowns.
    George “Beau” Brummell: A crony of the Prince Regent, Brummell was one of the main arbiters of style until debt and a falling-out with the Regent forced himto retire to France in 1816. “The Beau” preferred simple styles perfectly cut and made up in quality fabrics, and society copied his example. He hated the filthiness of the elaborate eighteenth-century costumes and hairstyles. He bathed daily and kept his clothing scrupulously clean, and fortunately for everyone, society copied that practice as well. He was also meticulous in his personal presentation—he often discarded a dozen clean, ironed cravats each day as he tied and retied the knot until he considered the knot to be perfect.
    Britain in the world: As merchants explored and the army and navy fought in the far corners of the earth, they brought back fabrics