Mrs. Bean
A humble milliner in 1806, Mrs. Bean rose to giddy heights in just a decade, building a clientele of blue-bloods. In 1816, working with another leading modiste, Mrs. Triaud, she created twenty-six dresses and pelisses for Princess Charlotte's wedding trousseau, some of which still survive today in museums. Mrs. Charlotte Bean nee Kennedy (ca.1785-1868) approx. 1806-08: Bean's Millinary Rooms 42 Oxford St. approx. 1809-18: Mrs Bean's Magazin des Modes 32 Albemarle St. Born Charlotte Kennedy, the daughter of haberdasher John Kennedy, Mrs. Bean was married very young to her husband Thomas in 1803, and almost [...]
Regency Waistlines Part Two 1811-1820
When George became Prince Regent in 1811, Great Britain had been at war with Napoleon for seven years. Decoupled from Paris trends, English fashions had gone rogue. Regency Waistlines Part Two - 1811-1820 Having started the 19th century with Empire styles inspired by classical Greece and Rome, by 1811 English fashions were increasingly influenced by the Romantic movement and by public sentiment about the war with Napoleon. Waistlines had taken their first dive in the hot summer of 1808 and demi-trains had now vanished in streetwear. Inch-by-inch, waistlines had lengthened since 1809 and bodices became more [...]
Other Interesting Posts
Outsiders Within – Romani in the Regency
By the time 'Gypsies' appeared on the pages of Jane Austen, Sir Walter Scott and Maria Edgeworth, Romani people had been in England for centuries. Sidebar: Believing the copper-skinned migrants to hail from Egypt, the Europeans had coined the term "Gypsies" for these migrants. Some consider [...]
