It Was a Novel Weekend

This weekend, I was invited to talk about Regency era millinery with a focus on Jane Austen’s Emma. As it turns out, Austen does not talk about millinery much in Emma. Given this, I decided to try to pull from the various Emma movies while showing a sampling of pieces from the era. If you don’t know, the Regency era had a wide variety of millinery.

This bonnet was inspired by Miss Smith’s bonnet in the latest 2020 *Emma.* She wears a black straw bonnet edged with a decorative brown edge on the brim. I inverted the colors, opting for a walnut brown crown and brim with a black edge. As I worked, I decided to step it up a little by adding the

I used this event as an excuse to make a soft crown style. This is a style we often see in Jane Austen and other Regency period movies. It is fairly easy to make, and, more importantly, easy to fit and wear for actresses. My soft crown bonnet has a natural wheat brim and a yellow plaid silk taffeta crown. It is trimmed in cream silk ribbon and velvet pansies. This bonnet is available in my shop as of Sunday night. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1064689945/regency-era-bonnet-hand-sewn-by-anna

I find making the head hugging capote de pailles fun and challenging. I love the curves in the straw that developes into the shape. This is a shallow crowned capote with a curved brim for framing the face. It is trimmed with a vine of pink silk lilies entwined in a silk ribbon. This bonnet is available in my Etsy shop as of Sunday evening. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1064688391/regency-era-bonnet-hand-sewn-by-anna

I worked on a taped crown hat based on an 1805 fashion plate. It has a medium tall taped crown and a narrow brim. This piece is currently drying and will be available Monday in my Etsy shop.

The event itself felt relaxed. Visitors were able to stay and chat, asking a wide variety of questions without being hurried. I found I was off my game between being on day 4 of a migraine Saturday morning and not being ready for the heat. I felt like I was tripping over my words and stumbling though much of that I was saying Saturday morning. I recorded this little video Sunday midday. Afterwards, I started thinking “Wow. I used to do this five and seven days a week like it was nothing.” Now, a day is tiring. Two days kicks my butt. I feel so very out of shape with myself.