One of Jane Austen’s earliest pieces of juvenilia is a story about a young heroine called Cassandra who steals a bonnet from her milliner mother and proceeds to enjoy a series of misadventures in London, relishing her independence by taking long rides in a coach, devouring ices and blithely ignoring the eligible bachelors that cross her path. It is significant that, even in her earliest works, Austen displayed a lively sartorial interest and used articles of clothing to add to her commentary about the world in which she lived. In her six most famous novels, Austen shared subtle details of dress to point to the social status and moral compass of her characters, and the novelist was deeply concerned with the practicalities and fripperies of clothing in her everyday life as well: letters between Jane and her sister Cassandra Austen are filled with accounts of new or repurposed dresses, bonnets, caps and ribbons.

In Dress in the Age of Jane Austen, Hilary Davidson uses the life and works of Jane Austen to centre her research on the clothing and fashion of the long Regency period between 1795 and 1825. Davidson argues that a greater awareness of what Jane Austen and her characters would have worn adds a depth of understanding, not only to Austen’s novels, but also to the time in which she lived. Just as Austen predominately dealt with the minutiae of the lives of the country gentry, so too has Davidson focused her research primarily on the middle class or ‘pseudo gentry’ of Georgian British society. She writes that: the two threads of this book are the clothes the Regency middling sorts wore, and the influences on their wearing, woven into a pattern determined by Austen’s gaze.

In this impressive work, Davidson unpicks the sartorial history of a time that underwent sweeping change and reveals the intimacies of the physical self in examining what Regency women and men wore throughout the day and night, from stays and starched collars to nightcaps, morning dresses, walking shoes and evening gowns. Dress in the Age of Jane Austen then broadens its scope, examining the culture of village and city life and the clothing choices that each necessitated. How the Regency middle class purchased their fabrics and garments is examined in interesting detail, and I enjoyed learning how technological advances meant that lace and netting could be manufactured much more cheaply, thus enabling the middle-class to emulate the upper echelons of society. Davidson clarifies favourite Regency legends: the average lady would not have dampened her muslin gowns to make them cling to her curves, nor would she have cast aside her stays. Indeed, the most daring fashion statements were almost invariably sported by those within the elite class of London’s beau monde, providing ample inspiration for satirical sketches. Finally, Davidson considers the global implications of her topic, tracing the ways in which Britain’s vast maritime networks, its long period of war with France and its colonies influenced fashion trends and the availability of textiles back at home.

Dress in the Age of Jane Austen is a delightful read for any Janeite or fashion and textile enthusiast. The ample, full colour illustrations and photographs provide a beautiful reference for the reader, making the book a temptation to pick up and browse at odd moments. I was especially touched by examples provided of Jane Austen’s own needlework: a handkerchief she embroidered for Cassandra shows off her exceptional satin stitch. Davidson’s book is an excellent addition to the literature on the wider significance of Jane Austen’s domestic sphere and provides fascinating insights to the quotidian preoccupations involved in dressing and undressing in Regency Britain. 

A condensed version of my review of Dress in the Age of Jane Austen first appeared in Selvedge Magazine, Issue 95.