Replies

1. 
   Ghillie_C | Feb 09, 1999 09:31pm | #1

   *
   I am not expert - but as no one else has responded I asked a friend.

   Day dresses of this period were made of muslin: a very light cotton fabric often decorated with 'spriggs' - small woven in motifs. These were worn over linen petticoats. The bodice was made of the same fabric, except for a strip above the bust which could be separate. The bodice could be embellished in all sorts of ways and sometimes a sort of muslin scarf (a fichu) was worn.

   Evening dresses would be similar, but made of silk and though very light, would not be shear and probably also worn over a linen petticoat. Young ladies liked to get their dresses wet "accidentally"!

   Of course how much you want to cheat with modern materials is between you and your sewing machine!

   Hope this helps a bit.

   Ghillie C.

1. 
   firefly | Feb 22, 1999 09:51am | #2

   *There are any number of websites that can help you make the choice...I suggest Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion page--she has alot of practical suggestions on how to get the styling correct.http://www.songsmyth.com/costumerscompanion.htmlThe burnt velvet would probably be a bit exotic for most folks in Jane Austen novels (remember, most of her characters were country gentry). Nevertheless, I recently saw a painting by Poole from 1801 of his daughter and she was wearing a burgundy vevet dress in the regency style--so it wouldn't have been unheard of. Still, the dress you describe sounds more "Titanic" than "Sense and Sensibility." Indeed, the styles of the two eras do have similarities, but when compared, they are also very different one another.