Jun. 21, 2009 - Fashion Through Movies- Part One- Pride and Prejudice (2005)
The Movie Pride and Prejudice takes us back to Regency England, and to the lovely costumes of that era. I am now going to discuss the costumes... :0)
Kiera Knightly (AKA Elizabeth Bennett) here models a jumper-like house dress. I think this dress is so cute, and it looks very comfortable! A lot of times, when people think of Regency Costume, they think only of empire-waisted dresses, when the reality is people did wear other types of clothing than just empire-waisted dresses.
Kitty and Lydia again wearing house dresses, that are not empire-waisted.
Let us pause for a moment to discuss bonnets. Regency bonnets were usually large, with large brims
.
Here's Kitty in a slightly fancier bonnet...
And here's a bit of a side view....
Now, I really adored Lizzy's ball gown/hairstyle (It was the only time she didn't look like she had just rolled out of bed...) Anyway, I think the pearls were such a lovely touch in her hair.
And she and all of her sisters looked lovely in white ball gowns (Now there's your empire waist!)
Regency Under-clothes... (like we really wanted to see that...)
I want a regency coat! I love these floor-length coats that the sisters wore, and I positivly drool over Jane's blue coat. LOVELY!
And One last Picture, just cause it has Mr. Darcy in it....
Making pincurls is an easy way to get a “permed” look even if your hair is straight to begin with. The resulting sausage curls can either be left as-is for Civil War era ringlets or loosely combed out for a head full of soft, loose curls you can use in any updo (those work especially well in Regency styles, as you will see). What is really nice is that, if you pin your curls carefully and artistically, you can wear them all day, and no one will know you are curling your hair! At the end of these steps, you’ll see what the pincurl “updo” looks like. To create the pincurls, follow these steps.
Begin with very damp to wet hair (do not let the ends dry out at all). If you have straight hair, I recommend using a light styling gel before you begin making the pincurls.
Now, you can put up the pincurls in a couple of ways. If you prefer, you can gather your hair into a high ponytail and secure it with a tie, then section out the hair from there.
I prefer to leave my hair down and just start piling pincurls atop my head as I go. You begin by taking a small section of hair and pulling it straight up or out to the side. (Note: If you are trying to get the multiple ringlet look, separate your hair into lots of small sections. If you are just going for the all-over curls, make fewer sections — about ten to
Take the section of hair and twirl it until it is a tightly twisted rope of hair.
Coil the section into a small “cinnamon bun” on top of your head, making sure that you coil the ends into the center of the “bun.”
Use two or three bobby pins to secure the little swirled bun to your head (concealing the bobby pins as best you can beneath the swirl).
Continue twisting, coiling and pinning sections of hair over the top of your head (you can overlap pincurls).
You now have a lovely hairstyle that will do the hard work of curling your hair for you! Here you can see the front, back and side of this “style.” Leave the pincurls in until your hair is completely dry. You can wear them all day before an evening event or sleep in them overnight (using a satin hair covering if possible to keep the curls from pulling out).
When the curls are dry and ready to be taken down, simply remove the bobby pins and let the ringlets fall down.
If you don’t plan to use the ringlets, carefully “comb” through the pincurls with your fingers.
Now that you have a head full of beautiful curls, you can have fun trying out a vintage style!
BONUS REGENCY STYLE: Here is my simple Regency updo done with all those lovely, loose curls made earlier from my pincurls!
This regency hairstyle is from In Timely Fashion.com. I have done this before, and it turned out beautifully!
~~Allison ♥
This style is a variation on the basic Regency upsweep that I demonstrated first. To create this hairstyle, you will part the front section of your hair (over your ears) in the center and “reserve” the sections of hair on either side of your face while you are fixing the rest of the style. I find that this style works best on damp hair (not wringing wet, but nearly dry). If you have fine or flyaway hair, I recommend scrunching it with some lightweight styling gel. If your hair is not naturally curly, you can curl it first or sleep in pincurls. Here we go!
Part the front section of your hair in the center. You are not creating a part that goes all the way to the back of your scalp — just through the section of hair over your ears.
Leave the parted sections of hair hanging on either side of your face, and gather the remaining hair into one hand, as if you were going to make a low ponytail on the back of your head.
Twist the ponytail up the back of your head, just like you are going to make a French twist. Secure the twist all the way up with bobby pins.
Take the “leftover” hair at the end of the twist and arrange the curls artfully on top of your head, securing the mass with bobby pins, as shown below.
OPTIONAL: Tie a wide ribbon around your head, knotting it or making a bow at the base of the skull in the back. Also secure the ribbon on each side of the head with a bobby pin (the bobby pin will be covered by hair in a moment and will not show).
Pull the remaining hair back around the side of the head (over the optional ribbon if you’re using it). Cross the section of hair over the center twist on the back of the head and secure it with a bobby pin or two beneath the mass of curls on top. Pin the “leftover” curls from the end of the strand into the mass of curls. Repeat for the hair on the other side of the face.
Ta-da! Now you have a beautiful Regency updo! This style is really very easy to do. I can do my hair in under three minutes this way. With a little practice, you’ll be able to do the same!
In My last entry, I showed a Regency Hairstyle that had a bit of a modern twist. Well, that inspired me to do an article about how to get a regency-Jane Austen-Inspired outfit that you can wear today!
Ok, So first of all, here is a regency dress for you to look at.
Notice the empire waist... very popular in the Regency era. Also, using fabrics that are very femminine will enhance that "Just back from Pride and Prejudice" look.
Below is a shirt that I found when searching for "Empire Waist Short Sleeved Shirt". The color of the shirt is very pretty, and the lace adds a nice touch. The style (especially the empire waist) really reminds me of a Regency look. Puffed, short sleeves were also fashionable.
On the bottom, you could pair jeans, or if you're like me, and you don't wear pants, a pretty white peasent skirt would work, or any other full skirt.
When you are finished with that, you could try a pretty white shawl or wrap, or just leave it as-is.
Add a pretty (small) cross neckace... very popular in the Regency Time. Elizabeth Bennet in BBC's Pride and Prejudice (above) wears a cross necklace throughout most of the movie.
Paired with a regency hairstyle ( I have plenty on here!) you will look just like a charactor out of one of Jane Austen's books. Enjoy your new look!
How's this for a modern twist on Regency Hair? I got this cool picture from Lorajean's blog.
1. Curl Your hair (You can skip tis part if you were blessed with naturally curly hair!)
2. Part your hair down the middle in the front.
3. If your hair is short enough, do a twist (somewhat like this.... ) and secure with bobby pins or a claw clip OR if you have long hair you can just do a messy bun or a pull through bun. You want to have some curls sticking out.
4. Now, add a ribbon, some fake flowers, or a pretty headband.
Voila'! It is finished. Thanks again to Lorajean for the photo, the instructions were by moi.
This style is a variation on the basic Regency upsweep that I demonstrated first. To create this hairstyle, you will part the front section of your hair (over your ears) in the center and “reserve” the sections of hair on either side of your face while you are fixing the rest of the style. I find that this style works best on damp hair (not wringing wet, but nearly dry). If you have fine or flyaway hair, I recommend scrunching it with some lightweight styling gel. If your hair is not naturally curly, you can curl it first or sleep in pincurls. Here we go!
