Trimming Regency hats and bonnets

 

Of course, one of the most interesting and fun parts of the Regency Period is the clothes! We love to watch videos about what the people back then might have worn and how they would have gotten dressed. There was quite a wide range of fashion in the wider time period (1796-1831) and it's interesting to see the silhouettes of clothing change, and to learn why they changed! The political events of the era (and the social changes taking place!) are surprisingly entertwined with the fashions of the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W36w-PT9ic Jane Austen gets dressed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUmO7rBMdoU working woman’s clothes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpnwWP3fOSA&t=2s getting dressed 18th century

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpS4B5oMhgo 18th century men

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT-ZGzhzS0o pride and prejudice getting dressed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOxlt5E3QgE Mr Darcy gets dressed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91sRADqHQlM Mary Shelley gets dressed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiXrDzk4gAE regency style

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SHcqpSVCwc&t=67s pockets

We spent one VERY fun day "trimming" some straw bonnets and top hats I bought (from this website) to suit our tastes. Haven't you always wanted to go to the shops and buy a length of ribbon and some silk flowers to trim your bonnet according to the season's fashion? We have!

While we were working, of course the children (having been inspired by all the "getting dressed" videos we'd watched) wanted to dress up in their best Regency finery as well! Gus put together a dashing outfit:

As did Clementine! (She thinks that the more layers she is wearing, the prettier she is! And, to be fair, they did wear a lot of layers during the Regency!) She was also quite proud of how her skirt belled out here over the air conditioning vent:

I didn't get Gus a hat, so I helped him make a paper one.

Ziggy wanted to be a Regency Era policeman, and though they didn't have actual police forces yet back then, he made a good Parish Constable or a Night Watchman (which they did have).

A stolen hat!

Teddy made this handsome ribbon rosette to adorn his top hat.

It went very nicely with his suit and cravat!

Daisy made her clothing as accurate as possible (including the undershift and stockings held up with garters!).

Here she is wearing the bonnet Junie trimmed—with pink roses and cornflower, set off by a turquoise satin ribbon.

Here's Junie wearing her bonnet (I love her gloves!). She must have put curl papers in her hair last night!

Daisy trimmed her poke bonnet with pink cherry blossoms, yellow roses, and small white dogwood, with a wide pale-pink chiffon ribbon and a thin pink satin ribbon for balance.

Daisy in her second outfit of the day. Perhaps the other was day dress and this is evening dress!

Goldie's bonnet was also lovely, with its striking royal blue satin ribbon to contrast with her fair hair, and light indigo rose-of-sharon set off with dogwood blossom.

(Slight pause for us to admire the flowers in my hanging pots)

Three serious young ladies, surely dressed well enough to visit Almack's Assembly Rooms!

Ah, the young ladies have been joined by an eligible young gentleman! Not enough to make up the numbers at dinner, perhaps, but still a welcome addition to the party.

The pretty sight of three new bonnets hanging on the coatrack that evening!