Saturday, November 08, 2008

The Ultimate Regency Dress Adventure



What do two girls who love Jane Austen do? They go to England and retrace her footsteps of course!




We should have posted about this long ago, but life seems to have gotten away from me this year.



The first things we packed were the Regency gowns I had made us, and our underpinnings. Sadly I didn't get around to making my stays, but Mel did!



After picking up the car, the first place we went was Chawton. We stayed at a lovely B&B called Shepherd's Court, which I would recommend to anyone! We managed to find Steventon, the village where Jane Austen was born and grew up.



Finally the day to visit Chawton arrived! We got dressed up, and set off across the fields to Chawton after breakfast. No mud, but our petticoats were six inches deep in dew! We arrived early and had time to sit in the sun and dry out a little before Jane Austen's House opened.



It was so much fun spending the day in Jane Austen Land, wearing clothes inspired by her time.



As well as Jane Austen's House, we also visited Chawton House Library, which was once owned by Jane's brother Edward Austen Knight. The grounds are slowly being restored to their Georgian glory, so once again our gowns were very fitting.



Our whole trip was an amazing experience, but the Jane Austen parts were really special. Especially the days we wore our dresses!

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