Negotiating Personal Needs and Authenticity

Abstract

Regency dress is worn today by members of historic groups such as the Jane Austen Society. The historic style of dress plays a major role in the activities of Regency groups. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to examine the design decisions related to the personal needs and the desire for authenticity of reenactors creating Regency gowns as a historic style of dress. Data were collected using a netnographic approach. Blogs discussing the creation of 19 Regency gowns made by reenactors were analyzed to determine how the designers balanced their personal needs with their desire for authenticity. The gowns discussed in these blogs were made to be both wearable and authentic; thus, three major categories emerged from the data: personal needs, authenticity, and limitations encountered when creating Regency gowns. Finally a model, Historic Styles of Dress Design Considerations Model, was developed. Keywords design process, FEA model, historic clothing Today, there are roughly 4,500 members in the Jane Austen Society of North America (1994-2016). The members of this society celebrate a time period in which Austen would have lived, often called the ''Regency'' period. Although the term Regency is appropriately used to describe the time period from 1811 to 1820, in which the Prince Regent was heir to the throne of England and acted on behalf of King George III (Staniland, 2000), the term is often used to refer to a larger time period from 1795 to 1820 by hobbyists. Aside from Jane Austen groups, there are many other societies worldwide that revere the Regency period, and members frequently meet together for reenactment events such as balls and teas. During reenactment events, female members are encouraged to wear Regency gowns that mimic the styles, fabrics, and colors that were fashionable from the historical time period past (see Figure 1). Throughout the period, gowns had a tubular silhouette with a long skirt; a round, low neckline; an empire waistline; short, puffed, or tubular sleeves; and a small amount of back fullness created by gathering at the waistline (

The Impact of Historical Knowledge, Skill, and Interpretive Attitude on the Authenticity of Female Reenactors' Regency-Style Gowns

“…The discrepancy highlights the collective agreement that authenticity is the reenactors’ “special responsibility” Gapps, 2009, p. 398), while revealing what reenactors could feasibly achieve often contrasted with what they wanted to achieve in terms of authenticity. This research resulted in the revision of The Historic Styles of Dress Design Considerations Model (2016) and its integration into the Authenticity Continuum (Strauss, 2001), creating the Updated Authenticity Continuum (Figure 1).…”

“…develop a historical "impression" or persona, in which dress, the assemblage of historic clothing styles, headwear, footwear, and other accouterments related to the time period they study is the most important component (Strauss, 2001, p. 149). For example, female Regency reenactors generally wear historic styles of gowns characteristic of the "Regency" period (1811 to 1817), which spans the years the Prince Regent, heir to the English throne, acted as ruler on behalf of King George III (Smith & Stannard, 2016). More accurately, these reenactors wear styles characteristic of the "long Regency," which dates between 1795 and 1825 (Davidson, 2019a, p. 11) while attending Regency-themed teas, balls, and festivals.…”

“…Regency-style gowns are characterized by high waistlines placed just beneath the bust, low necklines, tube-shaped or puffed sleeves, and columnar or tubular silhouettes with long skirts that are either pleated at the back of the waistline or gathered around the entire waistline (Davidson, 2019a). Reenactors often design gowns using fabrics and colors to emulate those popular during the long Regency period, including cotton and silk in plain white, light pastel, or bright colors (Smith & Stannard, 2016).…”

“…Also, the results may not be generalizable to other reenactment groups, which may differ in their standards for authenticity (Gapps, 2009;Lee, 2005). Despite the popularity of literature and film set in the Regency time period, few scholars have focused on the dress of Regency reenactors except for Smith and Stannard (2016), whose analysis of blogs and websites provided much-needed insight into female reenactment dress. By drawing from Strauss's (2001) work, the authors (Smith & Stannard, 2016) confirmed that several variables impact dress authenticity while also revealing that personal needs such as mobility, fit, and aesthetic preferences impacted the authenticity of the gowns.…”

“…Despite the popularity of literature and film set in the Regency time period, few scholars have focused on the dress of Regency reenactors except for Smith and Stannard (2016), whose analysis of blogs and websites provided much-needed insight into female reenactment dress. By drawing from Strauss's (2001) work, the authors (Smith & Stannard, 2016) confirmed that several variables impact dress authenticity while also revealing that personal needs such as mobility, fit, and aesthetic preferences impacted the authenticity of the gowns. Smith and Stannard (2016) also found that reenactors negotiated their desire for authenticity with personal needs and limitations, a process similar to what has been referred to as "informed compromise" that occurs when recreating extant garments (Davidson, 2019b, p. 342).…”