The Busy Student's Guide to Creating a Regency Costume

GENTLEMEN

Gentlemen, you have it easy.  Simply dust off your dinner jacket, comb your hair, tie your bowtie, put on your dancing shoes, and you're ready. If you wish to be slightly more authentic, tails are better than a regular DJ, and click here to see how to tie a proper cravat.  Tip from Musical Director of Pemberley Players - if you haven't a real cravat, try a length of old bed linen - that's what he uses! If you wish to be even MORE authentic, hire yourself a pair of breeches and a high-cut waistcoat from a fancy-dress shop. Theatre companies often offer costumes for hire; the Royal National Theatre in London certainly does.   Don't forget the watch-fob!

LADIES

As might be expected, Regency costume is a bit more complicated for those of us who do not happen to have a dress from the 1810s already hanging in our closet. Here's a quick guide to fudging it when exams are looming and you just HAVE to get that Elizabeth Bennet look.

THE DRESS:

The basics-- empire-waist, long skirt, low neckline, short sleves (although Mrs. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice is very glad to hear what her sister Mrs. Gardiner has to say about the new fashion for long sleeves).  For the purposes of the Jane Austen Regency Dance, all you need is something swirly that will make you smile when you dance.  The whole point is to have fun, not to be obsessively authentic!

ACCESSORIES:

Certain accessories can make your plain, high-waisted dress more "Regency", however. Long Gloves-- a must for those most fashionable ladies, easily obtained from Debenhams or Accessorize. Shawl-- hard to dance with, admittedly, but a long, rectangular gauzy shawl hanging from one's elbows is oh-so-Regency. Slippers-- NO HIGH HEELS!  Bad to dance in, bad for you, bad for the floor. The best shoes for a Regency Dance are ballet slippers or ballet flats.  At the very least go with a soft, low- or no-heel shoe.

HAIRSTYLE:

(Jessamyn has wonderful tips on this, too.)

Don't worry if you lack long, flowing tresses. There are Regency styles for every hair length. Regency hairstyles were often inspired by Ancient Greece & Rome, and so if you model yourself after a statue in the Ashmolean, you can't go far wrong.  Here are a few more ideas: Short-- just pin in a bow or a bit of ribbon and dance the night away! Medium-- put up in a high ponytail, curl into ringlets, and trim with flowers, ribbons, fancy combs, an ostrich feather, etc. Alternatively, you can have the curls all dangling to one side, or pull a few curls in front of each ear, or even put it all up under a chic turban. A simple bun is always elegant. Long-- same as medium, OR plait into several strands, twist a few up into a bun and drape the remaining plaits around your head in a decorative fashion. Trim with flowers, ribbons, etc.