Jane Austen’s novels often mention the way people dressed. The clothes people wore, their attitude to dress, and what they said about it, are subtally used to convey their characters. Jane herself liked clothes, her letters mention shopping trips, visits to the dressmakers, and plans for altering dresses to keep up with the fashions, which she followed with interest and amusement. She was an excellent needlewoman herself, and samples of her work can still be seen today.
Penelope Byrde, an expert in costume of the period, explains all, from corsets to topcoats: how clothes were made, what they cost, and what was worn when and by whom.
Colour illustraions of fashion plates throughout. Jane Austen Fashion by Penelope Byrde is available at Amazon.
Jane Austen Society of North America - New Jersey Region 