This elaborately decorated dress with a vast bustle will be among the items on display at a new exhibition of Georgian fashions
FASHION MUSEUM BATH
Plush velvet breeches, high waisted dresses, impossibly large bustles and powdered wigs piled to cloudlike mountains – these are the fashions depicted in countless Jane Austen adaptations and, of course, Bridgerton. They tell only part of the story, though, representing specific moments in the Georgian era and sections of its society. A new exhibition in Buckingham Palace brings together textiles, jewellery, accessories, paintings, prints and drawings, which include not just the styles favoured at the royal court, but also the workaday garments of servants and merchants. The displays contrast the need to balance expressions of power and wealth with the practical requirements of everyday life.