Reading the Regency

Fashion - Glossary part 2

Jonquille - Yellow; named after a wild daffodil. Pre-1800.

London Smoke - a "full bodied grey brown...the colour of smoke ascending from chimneys when coals are burnt." 1817

Morone - An older form of Maroon. Dark red leaning towards brown. 1804

Nakara - A bright orangey-red, this word was previously used in French fashion magazines and copied in England. Pre-1800

Pomona - sometimes called Pomona Green. A dark apple green. Named after the Greek Goddess of the apple orchard. 1811

Ponceau - Another French word meaning poppy-coloured. A dark scarlet red. 1820

Puce - a purpleish red, the colour of a flea after feeding. Puce was French for flea. 1806

Spanish Fly - Named after an emerald green flying beetle. 1808

Straw - Pale Yellow. Pre-1800

Turkish Red - Also known as Turkey Red. Closer to a modern magenta colour. 1804

York Tan - Today, items of York Tan leather are commonly a light orange-brown. However, during the Regency period the fashion plates of the time were also coloured to suggest that gloves of this colour could be a mustard yellow too. pre-1800

Decorations and trimmings

"I do not mean to provide another trimming for my pelisse, for I am determined to spend no more money; so I shall wear it as it is, longer than I ought, and then—I do not know. My head-dress was a bugle-band like the border to my gown, and a flower of Mrs. Tilson's."
[Jane Austen, in a letter to her sister Cassandra, Tuesday, 30th April 1811]

Women's clothing could be refreshed or made more fashionable by replacing one piece of decoration or trimming with something that was the current trend or colour.

This list covers both the recognisable and the more unfamiliar trimmings and decorations you might come across that were available in the Regency era. A lot of French words were used in descriptions from Fashion plates, and they are included here, with a translation.

Blond was a specific type of lace that was so common it was simply known as Blond. The name comes from the natural creamy colour of the silk that made the thread. It usually had a floral pattern, and being a soft lace it gathered easily.

Bouilloné, meaning "bubble" in French, was a strip or shape that was sewn in place and stuffed slightly to raise it up from the main garment. "Bouilloné in bias" meant the strip was set on an angle from the edge or hem. Later in the period usage of this word was dropped in favour of Puffs/Puffings.

Bows of satin or silk were often added as trimming for dresses. Sometimes made from ribbon, but also created from the dress material. When a full bow with trailing ends was used it was described as a "bow and ends".

Braiding was used for a number of different decorations. Braid could be applied to the front of a spencer or pelisse to give the appearance of military uniform. Braid and tassels were also used to secure a mantle or form a belt.

Brandenburghs were a method of closing a spencer or pelisse or sometimes used as decoration down the front of a dress. They were copied from military uniforms and were formed from sections of horizontal braiding, one side formed into a loop, while the other side had some kind of toggle, bead or button that the loop went over. In one example, I counted twenty-three brandenburgs down the front of a pelisse, while the much shorter spencer might have three or four.