Regency Party

The Regency theme lends itself to many gentile ideas for society pleasures:

• Regency Fancy Dress Party - if you have enough friends who like dressing up (or can be persuaded into doing so) then this is definitely the most fun idea. The Regency period was well known for it's grand balls and parties.
• Regency Tea Party: Take out your best China, use loose leaf tea and bake up some lovely afternoon treats. What could be more lady like?
  
• Regency Book Club: Start with Jane Austen, of course, and then try Samuel Richardson (very popular at the time).
• Regency Card Party: Learn some authentic card games and substitute money with chocolate coins.
  
• Regency Picnic - this is perfect for summer. The added benefit of having a picnic is that it is much easier to pretend you were back in Jane Austen's time, all you need find is a pretty little park or even a quiet beach.

I've collected a number of resources to help you dress, eat and act the part!

For women, the style was a long empire line dress. Empire line means that the dress has no waist and instead falls to the floor from around the bottom of the bustline.These dresses could be short sleeved in the summer and long sleeved in the winter. Short empire line jackets or longer coats and capes would also be worn outside.

Hair was often up and usually curled into ringlets. Bonnets were popular for outdoor wear.

Shoes were simple and soft (remember they were all hand made back then). Ballet slippers can make good substitutes or any soft flat shoes. Boots were worn for country walking.

The style leader of the day was Beau Brumell but there were also strong military influences as this was the time of regular warfare. There is a very enticing understated elegance to Regency menswear. While keeping some of the svelte lines of the 18th Century, acceptable colours tended towards whites, creams, browns, dark blues and black with a bit of light blue, yellow, pink and red.

Men wore high collared linen or cotton shirts with cravats or ruffled fronts, waistcoats, high waisted coats with tails, breeches that ended just below the knees with white stockings. Shoes were boots or slippers.

Regency dresses are generally pretty simple to make, here are some patterns:

• Sense and Sensibility Patterns
• La Mode Bagatelle Regency Wardrobe
• Selection from Old Time Patterns
  
• Butterick (look for 4890)
• Folkwear