. . . man only can be aware of the insensibility of man towards a new gown. . . . Woman is fine for her satisfaction alone. No man will admire her the more, no woman will like her the better for it.
Northanger Abbey, volume 1, chapter 10
Category Archives: Fashion
A mother’s taste
“I like the Gown very much & my Mother thinks it very ugly.”
letter to Cassandra
October 27, 1800 [23]
What daughter cannot relate?
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Filed under Austen family, Fashion, Letters, mother Cassandra
Some prevailing wish
“I am quite pleased with Martha & Mrs. Lefroy for wanting the pattern of our Caps, but I am not so well pleased with Your giving it to them-. Some wish, some prevailing Wish is necessary to the animation of everybody’s Mind, & in gratifying this, You leave them to form some other which will not probably be half so innocent.”
letter to Cassandra
June 2, 1799 [20]
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Filed under Fashion, Humor, Letters, Martha Lloyd, Morality, Mrs. Lefroy
More fashion headaches
“I cannot determine what to do about my new Gown; I wish such things were to be bought ready made.”
letter to Cassandra
December 25, 1798 [15]
In Jane’s day (it seems, I’m not entirely clear on this) fabric had to be purchased and then someone else hired to make up the dress, and I think the client had to provide a good deal of direction in some cases. Is anyone out there an expert on 18th century fashion?
On having nothing to wear
“I am determined to buy a handsome [muslin Gown] whenever I can, & am so tired & ashamed of half my present stock that I even blush at the sight of the wardrobe that contains them.”
letter to Cassandra
December 25, 1798 [15]
Indian summer
“What dreadful Hot weather we have!-It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance.”
letter to Cassandra
September 18, 1796 [7]
I suppose I should not post this one in the middle of winter, but I am craving hot weather. It was in the seventies here in D.C. on Saturday; now winter is creeping back. Oh to be somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean!
The importance of fashion
“I rather expect to receive an offer from my friend in the course of the evening. I shall refuse him, however, unless he promises to give away his white Coat.”
Jane writing to Cassandra re: a ball the following evening, joking about expecting an offer from Tom Lefroy
January 14, 1796 [2]
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Filed under Engagement, Fashion, Jane Austen's love interests, Letters, Men, Tom Lefroy
The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman (May, 2012)
A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith