MELBOURNE, Australia— Ms. Austen lived and wrote in a time when everything, including fashion, was changing in England. But fashion is not on our mind as we read her novels.
Think empire line, white muslin and those silly funnel-shaped bonnets designed with the singular purpose of ensuring that the wearer does not benefit from the least bit of peripheral vision.
“France was the arbiter of all things to do with luxury,” says Roger Leong, Curator of the Persuasion-Fashion in the age of Jane Austen exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. The exhibit explores one of the most dynamic periods of fashion—from the 1770s to 1830—with dresses and compelling images on display.
Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are firmly cemented in the psyche of the English-speaking world, regardless of the fact that only a minority of the English-speaking world would have taken the time to actually read the book.
Jane Austen, like no other writer of her generation, chronicled the minutiae of daily life and social norms of the late 18th and early 19th centuries while allowing her characters to tell it like it is. Women, whether they be of the “emancipated” boardroom species or more traditional homemaker variety, can equally relate to Ms. Austen’s paradoxical characters.
A French queen chose to pose wearing a muslin dress and the result was her portrait Marie Antoinette en chemise. Marie Antoinette started the fashion craze for sheer white muslin gowns which women all over Europe copied between 1790 and 1810.
But the muslin gown was more than just a fashion fad—it symbolized a movement. “There was a reaction in society in Europe, particularly in England, against the ostentation and extravagance of the 18th century. There was a spirit of liberty democracy, a mood for change in England, although there wasn’t any political change during Jane Austen’s time. So those formal silk court gowns with the big panniers and tight corsets became unfashionable,” said Leong.
Think empire line, white muslin and those silly funnel-shaped bonnets designed with the singular purpose of ensuring that the wearer does not benefit from the least bit of peripheral vision.
“France was the arbiter of all things to do with luxury,” says Roger Leong, Curator of the Persuasion-Fashion in the age of Jane Austen exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. The exhibit explores one of the most dynamic periods of fashion—from the 1770s to 1830—with dresses and compelling images on display.
Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are firmly cemented in the psyche of the English-speaking world, regardless of the fact that only a minority of the English-speaking world would have taken the time to actually read the book.
Jane Austen, like no other writer of her generation, chronicled the minutiae of daily life and social norms of the late 18th and early 19th centuries while allowing her characters to tell it like it is. Women, whether they be of the “emancipated” boardroom species or more traditional homemaker variety, can equally relate to Ms. Austen’s paradoxical characters.
A French queen chose to pose wearing a muslin dress and the result was her portrait Marie Antoinette en chemise. Marie Antoinette started the fashion craze for sheer white muslin gowns which women all over Europe copied between 1790 and 1810.
But the muslin gown was more than just a fashion fad—it symbolized a movement. “There was a reaction in society in Europe, particularly in England, against the ostentation and extravagance of the 18th century. There was a spirit of liberty democracy, a mood for change in England, although there wasn’t any political change during Jane Austen’s time. So those formal silk court gowns with the big panniers and tight corsets became unfashionable,” said Leong.
Those of us read the book know that our Lizzie Bennet was quite fond of walking, which turns out to be more than just a quirky plot twist. Historically, people did walk more at the time.
“At some point in the 1790s, you read about fashionable people going for walks in the parks. It coincides with in the late 18th century in Britain with the building of great country estates and beautiful parks, which were made to look natural and wild, but were actually incredibly manicured.
“It was all about admiring the wealth represented by one’s grand country estate. It became fashionable to walk through these country estates,” says Leong.
“It is at the same time, in the late 18th century, when women discard their panniers, which were impossible to walk in. And at some point during the 19th century it becomes acceptable for women to go shopping or promenading on their own, without a male escort.”
But this still doesn’t explain our enduring obsession with Jane Austen’s writings. Perhaps a word from Lizzie herself would best enlighten us.
So here she is: exasperated, trying to reiterate her refusal of the marriage proposal generously extended her by the unctuous Mr. Collins—who refuses to take no for an answer: “I thank you again and again for the honor you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it. Can I speak plainer? Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart.” (Pride and Prejudice, Chapter XIX)
One cannot help but imagine the sound of a similarly intended refusal in our current lingo. It may or may not have two syllables.
Jane Austen elegantly walks the tightrope between propriety and brutal honesty that we cannot help but go along for the ride. And although we women are so often reminded that we owe everything to women’s liberation, the gain is sometimes obscured by the almost total obliteration of gallantry.
Of course, our manners—meaning those of both men and women—are also a product of modern society. Let’s face it: elegance is nearly extinct. Does it only rear its head at the Melbourne Cup just before the final race? Or does television have a monopoly on it when depicting past eras?
Surely elegance includes some refinement in thought and speech as well as observing reasonable etiquette. There seems to be a revival of sorts in etiquette, it is but a mere shard of the whole package.
Jane Austen’s writings remind us that distance between the sexes prior to being married is not just some old-fashioned ploy designed to frustrate, but a space where romance and mystery can blossom. It is this distance where the imaginings of a promising future together can be entertained just a little longer, savoring the blissful ignorance of its encroaching earthly hardships.
Perhaps it reminds us of the many shades of black and white, not all to be consumed within the space of one night.
Persuasion-Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen is currently showing at the National Gallery of Victoria until November 8, 2009. Visit www.ngv.vic.gov.au for further information.
“At some point in the 1790s, you read about fashionable people going for walks in the parks. It coincides with in the late 18th century in Britain with the building of great country estates and beautiful parks, which were made to look natural and wild, but were actually incredibly manicured.
“It was all about admiring the wealth represented by one’s grand country estate. It became fashionable to walk through these country estates,” says Leong.
“It is at the same time, in the late 18th century, when women discard their panniers, which were impossible to walk in. And at some point during the 19th century it becomes acceptable for women to go shopping or promenading on their own, without a male escort.”
But this still doesn’t explain our enduring obsession with Jane Austen’s writings. Perhaps a word from Lizzie herself would best enlighten us.
So here she is: exasperated, trying to reiterate her refusal of the marriage proposal generously extended her by the unctuous Mr. Collins—who refuses to take no for an answer: “I thank you again and again for the honor you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. My feelings in every respect forbid it. Can I speak plainer? Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart.” (Pride and Prejudice, Chapter XIX)
One cannot help but imagine the sound of a similarly intended refusal in our current lingo. It may or may not have two syllables.
Jane Austen elegantly walks the tightrope between propriety and brutal honesty that we cannot help but go along for the ride. And although we women are so often reminded that we owe everything to women’s liberation, the gain is sometimes obscured by the almost total obliteration of gallantry.
Of course, our manners—meaning those of both men and women—are also a product of modern society. Let’s face it: elegance is nearly extinct. Does it only rear its head at the Melbourne Cup just before the final race? Or does television have a monopoly on it when depicting past eras?
Surely elegance includes some refinement in thought and speech as well as observing reasonable etiquette. There seems to be a revival of sorts in etiquette, it is but a mere shard of the whole package.
Jane Austen’s writings remind us that distance between the sexes prior to being married is not just some old-fashioned ploy designed to frustrate, but a space where romance and mystery can blossom. It is this distance where the imaginings of a promising future together can be entertained just a little longer, savoring the blissful ignorance of its encroaching earthly hardships.
Perhaps it reminds us of the many shades of black and white, not all to be consumed within the space of one night.
Persuasion-Fashion in the Age of Jane Austen is currently showing at the National Gallery of Victoria until November 8, 2009. Visit www.ngv.vic.gov.au for further information.
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