JANE.AUSTEN

22 August 2009

Pride and Prejudice was written by Jane Austen between 1776 & 1777, and published January 28, 1813. Elizabeth Bennet narrates throughout the novel, as she deals with matters of upbringing, marriage, moral rightness and education in her aristocratic society. Though the book's setting is uniquely turn of the [19th] century, it remains a fascination among modern readership, continuing to remain at the top of the "most loved books of all time" list. The movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was released in 2005, with Kiera Knightly playing the coveted role of Ms. Elizabeth Bennet.
I thought it would be interesting to research how 18th and 19th century fashion has influenced today's designers. After a few hours on style.com I came to the conclusion that the designers must have been more in-tune with the regal corsets and petticoats of the nobility, than the almost peasant-like fashions pertaining to Elizabeth Bennet. Most of this evidence was found within the depths of 21st century haute couture, most notably Christian Lacroix's '02 & '03 collections. Lacroix immersed the spectators in a glorious world of mid-1700 European aristocracy. I found the headpieces in the '02 runway to be particularly demiurgic [vocab lesson- it's another world for creative].


Christian Lacroix Haute Couture o2 & o3 (style.com)
A second designer who embraced the fashions of the Elizabeth Bennet era - with a heavier emphasis on the 1800's than Lacroix- is Alexander McQueen. Once again the Victorian influence is omnipresent in the garments of haute couture. In this case it was Mr. McQueen's 2007 collection, with high collars and strong shoulders abound.
McQueen Haute Couture '07 (style.com)
I would continue with the plethora of images I collected for this post, but I'm afraid your patience would wear thin as the page loaded. I hope you're all doing well. I feel fantastic, just so you know. Many of you have asked me about my MCAT and wished me luck in the weeks leading to it, and I thank you! I am so glad to have that off my plate. I can finally enjoy 2 weeks of stress free vacation, out of the 4 months I've had off school. A bit sad I couldn't enjoy it more, but sacrifice is always necessary when striving for your goals. I hope you all enjoyed this petit article!

À plus,
Chantelle

3 comments

  1. I like the McQueen couture the best. It seems more "authentic" to a certain degree. Lacroix is much more whimsical. I think I personally am drawn to more authentic references to 18th and 19th century fashion.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Honest to god, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Look it up.

    ReplyDelete
  3. haha i heard that was good! I always see it at urban outfitters.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. À plus mes belles!

Latest Instagrams

© Belle Chantelle. Design by FCD.