Jane Austen's Wardrobe

Hilary Davidson, an acclaimed dress historian, explores Jane Austen's clothing, revealing her as stylish and thrifty, with a keen sense of fashion and irony. The book assembles examples of Austen's garments and accessories, providing a unique insight into her everyday life and material world.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 12 September 2023
Publisher: Yale University Press

Dress historian Hilary Davidson delves into the clothing of one of the world's great authors, providing unique and intimate insight into her everyday life and material world. Despite her acknowledged brilliance on the page, Jane Austen has all too often been accused of dowdiness in her appearance. Drawing on Austen's 161 known letters, as well as her own surviving garments and accessories, this book assembles examples of the variety of clothes she would have possessed—from gowns and coats to shoes and undergarments—to tell a very different story.

The Jane Austen that Hilary Davidson discovers is alert to fashion trends but thrifty and eager to reuse and repurpose clothing. Her renowned irony and wit pepper her letters, which describe clothes, shopping, and taste.

Jane Austen's Wardrobe offers the rare pleasure of a glimpse inside the closet of a stylish dresser and perpetually fascinating writer.

Weight: 970g
Dimension: 200 x 263 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300263602