Women's Fashion

Needlework: Stitching the gap between Jane Austen and now

With fast fashion taking all of the hard graft out of our hands, needlework skills are in decline.

Halloween Costumes, Jane Austen Style!

Halloween is fast approaching, it's time to get your Jane Austen Halloween Costumes together

A stitch of Austenian inspiration

On finding fashion inspiration in the pages of Austen.

Meet the online community bringing period dress to a new generation

Who is going to teach Gen Z how to really dress? Meet the online personalities bringing period dress to a new generation.    

Why Do We Have No Pockets? The Regency Removed Them

How frustrating is it having no pockets? Very. Just need to take your keys and a phone out with you that day? Don't want the inconvenience of having to take a bag with you? Too bad, you'll still ne...

Jane Austen's Bracelet

Create your own bracelet like the one on display at Chawton Cottage

The Jane Austen Topaz Cross

Along with her turquoise ring, the topaz cross must be the most iconic jewellery item associated with Jane, and it's of especial relevance to us here at the Jane Austen Centre, because she was livi...

How To Make a Reticule

Instructions from an early women's magazine

Let's Give Jane a Hand: The Austen Silhouette Manicure

The perfect look for your next book discussion or Festival

A Ballgown for April, 1812

Fashion plates were one way of keeping Au Courant with the latest styles

Mad about Mob Caps

Caps of all shapes and sizes had long been in use by men and women as fashion accessories and protection from the elements. There was an added benefit to the Regency miss, which Jane Austen wrote a...

Parasols

The exquisite creamy complexion of the Regency maid, though a far cry from the powdered beauties of the previous century, required much care, if one wished to avoid a sunburn or freckles. One n...