Mrs. Bell
Fond of declaring herself the inventress of this or that fashion, Mrs. Mary Ann Bell was not above purloining designs from other magazines and calling them her own. She was the great survivor of the Regency modistes. No slouch in self-promotion, she saw the rise of a wealthy middle class as an opportunity, and was never so exclusive in her clientele that she went broke waiting for impoverished aristocrats to pay their bills. Mrs. Mary Ann Bell nee Millard (1786-1835) 1813-14: 22 Upper King St. 1814-18: 26 Charlotte St. Bedford Square 1817-30: 52 St. James [...]
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 [...]
