Research Resource - Victoria and Albert Museum

Gone are the days when you had to live in New York, Paris, or London to research historical fashion firsthand. With the wonder of the internet at our fingertips, we can browse through collections from thousands of miles away. One of my favorite long-distance research relationship is with the Victoria and Albert Museum.

photo by wallyg

The Victoria and Albert has a significant number of pieces from their collections digitally available and searchable online. And their collection of fashion, jewelery and accessories is astounding. They have textile fragments from the fourth century, Victorian ball gowns, and everything in between.

1. Stays and Busk (1660-70) in pink silk, linen, silk thread, whalebone.
2. Side Hoop (1778) in pink linen, cane or whalebone.
3. Evening Dress (1818) in silk net, satin decoration, wired epaulettes.

Their online collections are searchable by date range, materials, and place of origin, making the quest for a Regency evening gown as simple as searching for "gown" between the years 1811 and 1820. What a wonderfully useful (and free) resource.

Romantically Modern Lizzie

A modern, yet romantic interpretation of the wedding of Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy at the end of Pride and Prejudice. (Based on the 1995 BBC mini-series.) Were Lizzie to be adapted as a romantic girl in the modern world, I'd like to think her wedding would look something like this.

Ivory silk cut in a simple, empire waist gown. A clever, low-cut vest. A heart-shaped locket with the Union Jack as an homage to her home country. Elegant Calla lilies in her bouquet. And a trendy ivory fedora with a black band, just to remind everyone she doesn't play by all the rules.

Lizzie Bennet's Wardrobe - BBC - Wedding

Pride and Prejudice has been my favorite book since I first read the romantic tale during my freshman year of college. The headstrong, witty Elizabeth Bennet going head-to-head with the proud, handsome Fitzwilliam Darcy. A story full of conflict and tension and, of course, romance. What's not to love?

Over the years there have been a number of screen adaptations, beginning with a 1938 television series and most recently the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley. But my adaptation of choice will always be the 1995 TV mini-series starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. So it should come as no surprise that my first post for La Mode should look at my favorite adaptation of my favorite character from my favorite book.

There are so many wonderful costumes in this BBC and A&E production. I could start anywhere, but I choose to start at the end of Lizzie's on-screen adventure. With the double wedding between Lizzie and Darcy and Jane and Bingley.

For her wedding, Lizzie wears an ivory gown with a square-cut neck and pleating detail on the bodice and, you can just see in the close-up of the first picture, down the front of the gown. There are four small buttons down the center of the bodice.

Her overdress is in a matching ivory (possibly satin) with long, gathered puff sleeves and lace trim detail along the hems, which buttons beneath the bodice.

On her head, she wears a sheer, lace-trimmed tulle bonnet, with a lace-trimmed veil off the back and a branch of white berries at the band.

Screen captures from: FanPop