This post will take you to the beginnings of the Regency era…only to show you an example through the lens of modern fashion! Historical garments are often just too pretty to be relegated to living history or “dress up” events. However, I want to incorporate styles of the past into my wardrobe in a way that learns of their source as well as finds a way to individually express what wearing them today means to me. I am throwing the approach from my previous post (seen here) in reverse (literally, as I used the opposite side of the fabric). I put an updated spin on a historic pattern this time, starting with one of the most quintessential and easily recognizable garments of the Regency era – the Spencer jacket.
This is an odd name for a piece of clothing that is probably visually recognizable in some manner for many people. A Spencer jacket is a piece of outwear that ends at the high waistline (sometimes as high as under the bust for women) and closes across the chest. It paired well with the above normal waistlines to the dresses for women and knee breeches (or pantaloons) for men. As a jacket, a Spencer would normally have long sleeves and some sort of collar, but purely decorative Spencers were often sleeveless with a wide open neckline, intended to add an element of both color and complexity to a garment. (This is a hint for the following post!).
Wikipedia says that such a garment was originally named after the English Earl George Spencer (1758–1834), who is reported to have had his coat jacket adapted after its tails were burned by coals from a fire. Not only did this garment evolve to be enjoyed by both men and women, but it also was a product of the style seen on current military uniforms, often to the point of sporting tassels, corded trim, and button placement reminiscent of detailing on campaign jackets of the time. These short jackets of the early 19th century seem to be ancestors of the modern women’s shrug, bolero, and capelet, or the men’s mess jacket, all of which have been in and out of fashionable style at some point over the last 90 years but are still a consistent part of wardrobes of today.
I know I said I was putting a modern spin on the Spencer. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but see how far I could go with mashing up the references back and forth…and so I added one of my favorite Regency reproduction bonnets! My dad bought this for me years ago from a booth at a re-enactment. I never have a chance to wear this hat, as I don’t have a historic gown to match it at the moment. The golden silk, which covers the straw bonnet underneath, is not only too pretty to stay hidden in storage, but matched my dress all too well not to include it for these pictures. For my jewelry, I chose the traditional Regency necklace for young ladies of a golden cross necklace, a special gift from my parents when I turned 13, and vintage pearl drops from my Grandmother’s collection. A curated ornamental garden was the perfect setting for a healthy stroll about in wistful reflection, as every Jane Austen heroine was want to do in every novel!
THE FACTS:
FABRIC: A rayon blend jacquard, with the bodice fully lined in a flesh-toned polyester which had been microfiber bed sheets (also used to line this 1990s sundress, posted here)
PATTERN: Simplicity #8941, a historical sewing pattern by American Duchess
NOTIONS NEEDED: thread and two hooks-and-eyes
TIME TO COMPLETE: This was made in about 10 hours and finished in May 2021.
THE INSIDES: The entire main body is fully lined, while the sleeves have bias bound edges.
TOTAL COST: As everything was a second-hand find, bought for pittance, this jacket only cost me a few dollars!!
This is not my first attempt at a Spencer, only my first historically patterned one. Technically, this vintage year 1962 “over blouse” that I sewed for a Christmas party in 2022 (see the post for it here) has the design lines and wearable intent of a Spencer. It features an open neckline, a raised empire waist, and sleeves, as well as adding both interest and complexity to my plainer dress underneath. This fact justifies the way I was pointing out (in my previous post) that the 1964 dress worn under this Spencer is clearly part of the Mod movement’s Regency revival. Making that 1962 “over blouse” helped me know how to properly fit this historical Spencer on my body, and it prepared me for the silhouette. Historical revivals are helpful like that. Authentic reproductions can feel daunting to sew for the first time, but their modern imitations may just be the trial run that a sewist needs to feel comfortable with a particular style or method of construction.
There was a useful multi-purpose intent behind making this post’s Spencer jacket. Not only was it to complete my 1960s-does-Regency dress and give me a modern twist on something historical. It was to be my “wearable muslin”, a preliminary test for the pattern. This was my first “American Duchess” pattern. I had no idea what to expect, especially when it came to sizing, especially since it was released through Simplicity Company. I planned on making the pattern’s dress for a historical event and thus felt that this Spencer jacket, made using a fabric I had plenty extra of, would be a low-risk test run. Both the dress and the jacket share most of the same pattern pieces, after all.
The sizing seemed to run true to Simplicity’s charts, and I found the fit good, but slightly wonky. The many seams made the fit easy to fix, especially across that trademark Regency diamond grid around the back of the shoulders. As-is, out of the envelope, the pattern seemed to have very droopy, rounded shoulders that did not stay on my body, and be catered to women more endowed by nature than I am. Firstly, I brought in most all of the seams by an extra 3/8 to 1/2 inch, since I went up a size (to be on the safe side) and the jacket needed a snug fit. Then, I tapered some seams across the shoulders and my front chest. These adjustments gave me slightly more gathers across the sleeve head. Yet, I do not mind an even puffier sleeve when the 1930s over-sized shoulders work so well on me. I made notes of my adjustments to the pattern so as to transfer it to the forthcoming Regency dress I would make from this same pattern.
The waistline (aka, bottom hemline) to this jacket runs extremely high, even for me who is shorter than the average torso. Beware, most who attempt this design will probably need to add in a few inches the bottom in order to make this pattern extend to a true under bust length. I found out the hard way. I didn’t add any more than an extra seam allowance to the pattern’s hem, and ended up sewing in a scant ¼ inch hem just to salvage this Spencer. I do still have a few more yards of all materials, so theoretically, if I want to cut a new front panel that has a lower hemline, I can do so. The beginnings of the Regency period’s fashions (1790s) had the highest waistlines of the era, and as this pattern is from that same early transitional decade, I should have known such a fit may have been the case. The 1960s dress under my Spencer has an empire waistline that is akin to later in the Regency era. These two garments do not exactly correspond flawlessly, but this experiment is still a success to me. It’s so odd how such 20 years apart in the Regency can be different in their distinguishing characteristics.
The tight fit I achieved helps the Spencer stay in place on my body, but the front still has the tendency to ride up on me, way above the waistline of my dress. I think it almost looks like a design feature, and it only disturbs me because I feel that I should have known better. I love this jacket nonetheless, and enjoy how it completes and alters the overall ‘historic’ appearance of my dress. This way I can have both sides of my set’s lovely jacquard be seen together, as well! As weird as such a short jacket is to my modern sensibilities, it was just what I needed for the day of these pictures. The sunshine was warm yet the air was chilly and my jacket kept me perfectly comfortable, without the heaviness of a full coat. I could still show off most of my dress.
At the time of making this Spencer, I was researching what a historical closure for a Spencer would’ve looked like, but ended up only stitching down a modern hook and eye. I was feeling non-committal to the permanency of buttonholes. What if I want the option of adjusting the front closure in the future? Historical pattern or not, this is a modern rendition so I am not letting myself feel ‘bad’ using new notions. I have found proof that hook and eyes are a closure method that had been in use for over 300 years before the Regency era already, but I used the modern version of sliding waistband-style hooks that lock to stay securely closed. I had briefly been considering making this jacket’s front closure double-breasted, with buttonholes and self-fabric buttons that use the orange side of the fabric for a contrast. Ah, all the ideas in my head are overwhelming sometimes! Perhaps I will come back to this piece at some point to put my button idea into action. My wardrobe – and my personal style – is always a work in progress.
Consider this post the preliminary part of what will be a recurring theme to be shared here on my blog for the extended future. Over my lifetime of sewing and years of posting on my blog, I have been tracking and studying examples of Historicism and various historical revivals of past styles for fashion. For the last several years, I have then been creating some examples of such for myself to wear. Only now have I been ready to share some of this work on my blog, with a recent academic presentation related to this topic successfully in my arsenal of experiences. I find it odd how Historicism and fashion revivals have recently been making their way into the spotlight. Fashion of today continues to resuscitate and re-interpret what was worn in our distant past. We need to be able to consider, and therefore recognize, the sources for such re-workings in order to place the events of history in their correct perspective. Fashion is an influence upon as well as a product of the culture that surrounds it. Our current approach to fashion says a lot about us just the same as reading the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind something as specific as Regency fashions (for one relevant example) can give away information which explains its own times.
“We only redefine what’s been done before. Nothing is revolutionary in clothing…” the American designer Eleanor Brenner mused in 1990 to The Morning Call. Yet, the fourth creative director to the design house of Dior, John Galliano, pointed out in a 2001 interview, “I think reinterpreting things with today’s influences, today’s fabric and technology is what (a historic take on fashion) is all about.” Hopefully my little Spencer jacket can help add an element of fun to figuring out a bit of fashion history.
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