Goodreads Giveaway

Starts April 1

More Than a Lover

Will he unlace all of her secrets? 

Former captain Bladen Read knows respectable Caroline Falkner would never look twice at an illegitimate ruffian like him. But when he's suddenly thrown into the role of her protector he discovers the undercurrent of tension runs both ways… 

At first Caro tries to resist the pull of attraction, for Blade is a link to the scandalous past she buried long ago to protect her son. Although when the opportunity to explore this rake's expertise in the bedroom presents itself, temptation proves too much to resist!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

More Than a Lover

by Ann Lethbridge

April 1 April 18, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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Regency Fashion March 1816

Carriage Dress From Ackermanns From March 1816

To me this looks like a cross between a graduation outfit and a carpet.

Here is the official Description

A high body of jaconot muslin, with a lace frill, over which is a low one, formed of pink silk and trimmed with the same material; the upper part of the trimming is tastefully ornamented with bows of pink ribbon. 

Long loose sleeve, finished down the arm with bands and bows, to correspond with the trimming of the train; it is drawn tight at the wrist, and ornamented with a large pink bow. 

A superb French shawl is thrown carelessly over the shoulders. 

The hair is dressed very much off the forehead, and low on each side of the face. 

Head-dress, the Polish cap, which is uncommonly novel and pretty; it is composed of black velvet and ornamented with a silk tassel and gold band. 

Necklace, ear-rings, and cross, composed of gold and pearl. French watch, set with pearls. White kid gloves, and black Levantine sandals.

Mrs. Gill, of Cork-street, Burlington Gardens, has favoured us with the original and 
elegantly fancied dresses given in our prints this month.

Until next time.....

Brighton Revisited

I anticipated this post would be purely selfish. And yet after digging a bit deeper, perhaps it has some relevance to Regency-world lovers also.

As I have mentioned, Brighton has family associations for me. My dear mother in law, Kit, lived there as a girl, and it is where she met her husband Richard Samuel.  And it is not every family that can lay claim to a huge building in a major town - or at least a small part in its beginning.

This is the Burton Tailors building on the corner of North and West Streets in Brighton.

Richard Samuel and his brother Lawrence had a hand in its construction in 1926.  They were bricklayers.  And this is how Sam, as he was known, who originated in London's East End, met Kit, because just up the road from here lies Wyckham Terrace. Clearly whoever designed the building was trying to capture some of the Regency style of the town.

If you are wondering about the blob at the top of the picture. That is a rain drop. England, people! Raining!  Naturally, I could not resist investigating the building's history. Burtons occupied the store until the 1990's. But what a wonderful surprise, look the tailors are gone to smaller premises and now it hosts a lovely bookstore.  Waterstones.  Such a thrill to find such a neat connection.





Travelling back in time, courtesy of the regencysociety.org the corner was occupied by Geo. Bull, Grocer and Tea Dealer in 1875




http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_003.html

But here is the real treasure, North Street in 1851.  G. Bull occupies number 71 on the corner. Father or grandfather, perhaps. I think North Street might well have looked similar in the period of the Regency, don't you?

http://regencysociety-jamesgray.com/volume21/source/jg_21_001.html 


Until next time....................

Regency Fashion - the hush hush gown

Evening Dress, March 1817 the trimming of which is top secret---apparently....

From the March Ackermann's Repository 1816

EVENING DRESS.

WHITE satin slip trimmed with a deep flounce of blond lace, set on full and finished by a double heading.

The upper dress is a robe composed of striped French gauze, open in front: the waist is very short; and the body, which is made in a perfectly novel style, displays the contour of the shape to the utmost advantage.

For the form of the sleeve, which is peculiarly elegant, we refer our readers to the print; as we are also obliged to do for the beautiful trimming which goes round the robe: it is composed of novel materials, which we are not allowed to describe.

Hair dressed much off the forehead, and low at the sides. Head-dress Circassian turban composed of French gauze: the ends, which depend from each side, are so disposed as partly to shade the neck; they are extremely rich and beautiful.

The only ornament is a superb aigrette composed of pearls and rubies. This head-dress is well calculated for graceful and majestic belles, to whom it gives what the French term l’air imposant.

Necklace, earrings, bracelets, rubies intermixed with pearls. White satin slippers and white kid gloves.

................My excuses for the pallor of this plate.  I must say, the dress is pretty, both the robe and the petticoat beneath, but that the trimming is a secret, well curiosity killed the cat. I must visit this modiste immediately to see it for myself.


Until next time.

Needlework

From time to time I post a needlework project I have completed.  Here is a blackwork tray cloth I undertook after a class with Liz Almond. It took me ages to do.

You can imagine this on one of the ubiquitous tea trays that always make an appearance in many scenes. Er... not in my house though. No putting rings on my tray cloth, thank you very much.

As you may know, Blackwork is from an earlier era, and was simply something I wanted to try, along with the fancy edging that might well have been used in the Regency period for finishing a handkerchief. The style would have been known to our ladies of the ton, if only from the paintings in their galleries of ancestors. Not in this form though, which is a modern take on it. I can assure you, the back does not look exactly like the front.

I often read about Regency heroines who hate embroidery. Knowing how satisfying this form of creation is, to me hating embroidery or needlework, seems like us hating having new paint on the walls of our living space or even hating having a job.  Embroidery was an expression of a lady's skill in making her home a comfortable and beautiful place to live. A Lady (as against a woman) would have hours of time at her disposal, and since medieval times and before, embroidery was valued for its beauty and its purpose. It was a sign of being a lady, in my opinion.

All of my heroines have some embroidery on the go, just like me. While embroidery on a gown might be done by a seamstress, embroidery on underthings, monograms on handkerchiefs, decorative pillows, embroidery on slippers, would be the privilege and pride of a lady, who would sew while her hero read to her, or a sibling did so, or while merely sitting chatting of an afternoon or evening. She would consider it her work, her contribution to her home.

Until next time.............