Yesterday I read a very frustrating #Bridgerton interview that Said Some Things about corsets, and since today's pretty quiet (big snowstorm up here!) I thought I would do a thread on corsets of the late 18th-early 19th centuries. Through most of the 18thc, the fashionable and respectable shape was one that could only be achieved with a foundation garment. As the latest Patterns of Fashion book shows us, there was a lot of craft that went into making a pair that truly fit an individual body.

As a break from your doom-scrolling, a thread on embroidery in historical and historically-inspired fantasy fiction. Something I really hate is the way it's often used in these genres to show that a female character is or isn't interesting. Every heroine knows instinctively that sewing is boring, difficult, mindless, and pointless. Disliking it shows that she's an independent woman whose values align with the modern reader; characters who like/tolerate it are sheeplike and either minor or oppressive.

So, my thoughts on the Bridgerton costumes. When you get down to it, I'm actually a really big fan of using flashy modern fabrics and hairstyles - it can create a lot of cool visuals and a look that's distinct to a particular production. What I find irritating, though, is when this is done out of a belief that we're being Not Like Other Girls, because the "average ... period drama" is "restrained" and nobody has ever shifted the period aesthetic to be "scandalous and modern". (Quotes from the Vogue interview)

Lately I've been thinking a heck of a lot about Regency hairstyles. (This will be a thread. And probably a blog post eventually ...) We all know what it looks like. A high bun, with curls around the face. But is that what we're seeing in all those portraits?