Building a Dream Regency Wardrobe

1817 La Belle Assemblee plate

1817 La Belle Assemblee plate
1817 La Belle Assemblee plate – Full Regency wear with accessories

 

Have you ever dreamed of opening up your closet and it’s packed with dresses from another time?

Of course you have or you wouldn’t be here reading!

Isn’t it fun to dream of silk dresses, wool coats and bonnets? To think of afternoon tea and reading Pride & Prejudice as a contemporary novel?

So let’s take a look at what that “closet full of shelves” would hold in the Regency/early 1800s time.

Note: Items listed are based on existing originals in museums and gathered from many of our fans on our popular Facebook page. Since we’re dreaming here, quantities are based on historical wardrobe lists as well as the imagination. πŸ™‚ Β 

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Undergarments

1820s Corded Corset from Meg Andrews Auctions
1820s Corded Corset from Meg Andrews Auctions

 

Where else to start a fashionable silhouette but with the undergarments! These basic items are necessities, get washed frequently as they are worn regularly, and are entirely plain and functional.

Shift/Chemise – 12

Long line corset (stays)

Short stays

Stockings – 12 pair

Petticoats – 3

Nightgowns – 2

Back bustle pad

Caps – 4, for house wear and sleeping

Chemisette – 2, plain and ruffled collar

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I did not include pantalets (drawers) as they were generally not worn until later in the 1820s and 30s,

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Main Garments

4-Stephanie from Napoleon & Empire Exhibit
Evening gown of embroidered muslin with shawl, fan and turban wrap from the Napoleon & Empire Exhibit

 

Now, we’re looking at a Regency wardrobe with a 21st C. costumer perspective. So you’ll notice this list is not class specific. The poorer classes will naturally not have an opera gown or even one silk dress. If you are building a wardrobe to a particular class level, adjust accordingly (and to your creativity).

Working dress – 2 everyday functional ones

Day dress – 5

Riding habit – skirt and bodice

Dinner/Evening dress – 2

Opera Gown

Ball Gown

OverdressΒ 

For fitting tips when making your main garments, check out the sewing handbook.

1814 January Red Evening Dress
1814 January Red Evening Dress

 

Outerwear

For protection from the cold over those thin gowns. And besides… one can never have too many spencer jackets. πŸ˜‰

Alexandrine-and-Aglae from the Napoleon & Empire Exhibit
Cotton pelisse and wool redingote coat: Alexandrine-and-Aglae from the Napoleon & Empire Exhibit

 

Spencer jackets – 5, wool and silk

Pelisse

Coat or Redingote

Cape

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Accessories

This is the bread & butter of our dream wardrobe. It’s not complete until you have adorned the proper accessories.

Boots

House/everyday slippers

Dancing slippers

Handkerchief – 6 or 12

Fichu – 3

Apron

Capote hat

Bonnets – 3

Turban – 2, fabric strips to wrap or sewn one

Reticules – 3, plain/everyday and one for balls

Gloves – 6, everyday kid and fancy colored ones, very long ones and short functional ones

Shawls – 2

Fans – 2, sandalwood and painted paper

Ribbons for belts and sashes

Feathers for hair and hats

Earrings – 3 pair

Necklaces – 2, simple cross and amber beads

Tiara

Hairpieces – buns and face curls

Mr. Darcy – for elegant town events

Mr. Ferris – for quiet country walks

Mr. Willoughby – a rake for ???

Parasol

Oversized muff

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What would you add to this list in your dream Regency wardrobe? (Check the Pinterest board for more inspiration!)

22 thoughts on “Building a Dream Regency Wardrobe

  1. Geraldine Mitchell says:

    I do have a very fair amount of regency clothing and wish that I had the nerve to wear it whenever I wanted.

    Oh and you need Colonel Fitzwilliam to walk with.

  2. Maureen Mezzo says:

    I have absolutely none of this except a stack of handkerchiefs. I do have a couple of patterns, fabric for at least one dress, materials for a bonnet, and a busk. Stays are well beyond my meager sewing skills; I need to find someone who can make some for me so I can make the dress. (I ordered a set online; never again! Money and hope wasted, unless I can sell them.) I even have someplace local to wear Regency clothing, if only I could get a set of stays that actually fit. So frustrating!

  3. LadyD says:

    So Far I have
    2 petticoats 1 waist/strapped and one full (that really needs redoing coz I made it from a bedsheet in a hurry)
    1 Shift (I need to make at least 2 more)
    1 Chemise (well it a shirt I modified and it has sleeves handy for a cold day)
    1 floral print day dress (which is sooo not accurate so needs replacing) – 1 striped sleeveless ‘jumper’ dress – 1 plain white dress with removable long sleeves.
    1 Open Robe 1 Fichu
    2 Caps – 1 bonnet – 3
    1 Spencer – 3 shawls – 1 cloak

    I also have one half of a dress I need to make the half robe to go with….need one more day dress and a ball gown really.

  4. Amy says:

    Oh, I love this! My interests have grown to include this time period as well as the 1860’s. The linesman styles of the regency/ federalist dresses appeal to me greatly, so I have decided to make myself a simpler and slightly earlier (1806 ish) day dress.
    Thank you so much for this post.
    Amy

  5. Nina says:

    Hi, I noticed you mentioned an “amber bead” necklace in your accessories section…but I’ve never seen a Regency example. Do you have a reference pic that made you inspired to include that piece?

    Anyway, I love this list, it is giving me so many ideas. πŸ™‚

  6. Ann says:

    If you have a tiara, you MUST have a whole parure, or set of jewelry–tiara, necklace, bracelets, earrings, and maybe a comb or belt buckle. Let’s see, coral or cameos would probably be my first choice, but pearls or colored faceted stones would be nice, too.

  7. Paccana says:

    I often dream of opening my wardrobe and having a nice set of 19th century attire to don. This is nice early stuff, but some Victorian clothes would be even better! That era was the height of class.

  8. Mandy N says:

    I own the January 1824 ball dress. I don’t suppose you have it’s escriptive text from the journal, La Belle Assembleee ? πŸ™‚ I’d be happy to give you a text in exchange. Best wishes, Mandy N.

  9. Kiyoshi says:

    This is great, and hey, while we’re at it, can we make lists like this for other eras too?
    Because I’d love to see lists from the bustle eras, and it would also be interesting to compare the different decades.
    Can you imagine how much longer/shorter it would get from one period to the next?

    • Jennifer Rosbrugh says:

      I’d love to put other lists together! Regency seemed easiest to begin with. I agree that the list would be much longer as the century progressed. That’s of course if you’re going for the dream closet and not necessarily what the general, middle class Victorian woman would own. But it’s fun to come up with *everything* one could possibly have for a historical wardrobe. πŸ˜€

  10. Heather says:

    An excellent and comprehensive list! I should have my Regency wardrobe complete in about 10 years. πŸ˜‰ For now my goal is to complete one outfit with all the accessories by the spring. I’m about half-way there!

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