GimletBlog

Web server problems can’t keep us completely down:  the September wallpaper is ready for download from Solitary Elegance.

This month we’re examining fashions for special occasions:  a mourning dress from September 1809 on the left, and the stunning Glengarry riding habit from September 1817 on the right.  The background is derived from an Ackermann’s Repository embroidery pattern from 1816, and the quotation from Persuasion sets the autumn mood.  Enjoy!

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The August wallpaper is available for download from Solitary Elegance.  We continue to stroll through summer with two walking dresses from 1809 (on the right) and 1811 (on the left).  This month we’ve brought the children out of the nursery for a look at the fashions well-to-do boys and girls may have worn in Jane Austen’s day.  The little rascal from 1811 has made off with mamma’s parasol.  As this month’s tableau is rather crowded, one hopes he doesn’t wave that parasol around too much, or he’s likely to poke one of the other models with it.

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The July wallpaper is available for download from Solitary Elegance. This month shows off two promenade dresses from 1809 (on the right) and 1811 (on the left). Both ladies are employing parasols and veils to protect themselves from the summer sunshine.  Not a bad idea!

Does the background look familiar? It’s one of my favorite embroidery patterns, found in an 1813 edition of Ackermann’s Repository.  It has been decorating my crafty blog for some time, and finally has made its way into the wallpaper gallery.

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The June wallpaper is available for download from Solitary Elegance. This month’s fashions are an 1809 walking dress (on the left) and an 1815 ball dress (on the right). This month’s background comes from part of an embroidery pattern for muslin found in an 1817 edition of Ackermann’s Repository.  I don’t have any juicy fashion gossip this time, so enjoy instead a lovely assortment of head dresses from 1811.

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May’s wallpaper is available for download from Solitary Elegance.  This month’s fashions are an 1809 ball dress (on the left) and an 1810 promenade dress (on the right).  The elaborate background is derived from an embroidery pattern featured in an 1812 edition of Ackermann’s Repository.

Last month you may recall that the General Observations essay took issue with the abundance of green in spring fashions; not only is our May wallpaper green, but the Arbiter Elegantiarum is also forced to reconsider his position in this month’s General Observations.

The ball dress may look a little familiar:  yes, this is the plate on which my JASNA ball dress is based!  I didn’t have it when the dress was finished, but was able to buy one about a year later.  This is the plate that started my interest in collecting fashion plates:  I thought it would be fun to have a gown based on an actual Regency design, and after looking through several on-line image galleries, the May 1809 ball dress from Ackermann’s Repository was a favorite.  Then it seemed like a good idea to have the matching fashion plate to go with the dress.  While I looked through print shops and online auctions, I saw other interesting and lovely fashion plates, and the collection has grown little by little ever since.

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April’s wallpaper is now available for download from Solitary Elegance.  I’ve also been able to add a little more information to January and February; it’s exciting to finally have the text describing the first Ackermann fashion plate.

Back to April:  most of the ladies have had to stand up since January, so this month’s pair is taking a seat for a well-earned rest.  The 1809 gown, on the right, is a full dress, while the gorgeous pink gown on the left is a ball dress from April 1812.  (Yes, it’s my favorite of the pair, as well as one of my all-around favorites.)   This month’s “General Observations on Fashion” article is a snarky delight, bringing to mind Dame Maggie Smith’s perfectly devastating “Difficult color, green.” Enjoy!

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March’s wallpaper is now available for download on Solitary Elegance.  These two opera dresses, dating from 1809 (on the right) and 1811 (on the left), seem to be sizing each other up!

I like to share the descriptions of the fashions when I have them, and luckily there is a wealth of information available for March:  not only are both gowns’ descriptions available this month, but I’m also able to include a complete General Observations article and a description of gentlemen’s fashions for March 1809.  Anybody interested in the minute details of gentlemen’s dress from this era will learn plenty about the fashionable cuff lengths, number and types of buttons, and much more.  The General Observations article provides all the colors and fabrics a well-dressed lady would have worn.

A little trivia:  the floral background on this month’s wallpaper is derived from an embroidery pattern featured in an 1813 edition of Ackermann’s Repository.

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February’s wallpaper is now available on Solitary Elegance!  A few people have asked about a widescreen version of the wallpaper, so I’ve added a 1280 x 800 pixel option to the available sizes.

Aren’t these ladies fun?  Miss 1809 (on the left) is labeled a “Dancing Dress” instead of the usual Ball Dress found on other fashion plates, and she certainly is getting into the spirit of the evening.  The plate on the right is a “Walking Dress or Carriage Costume” (how versatile!) from February 1811.  Both models’ poses are so lively in their own way, and  I love the rich gold color of the 1811 plate — still vivid after 200 years.

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