Jane Austen's 250th Birthday: The Novelist Who Made Regency Fashion Immortal

Jane Austen is one of the most famous novelists throughout history, and this year marks her 250^th birthday. More than two centuries later, her writing remains ever iconic, leaving a legacy in literature, cinema, and fashion. When you think of Jane Austen, your brain immediately conjures up the image of empire waistlines, puffed sleeves, bonnets and Mr Darcy. Although Austen didn’t invent the fashion of the Regency era, her writing has preserved the memory of this iconic period. Helping curate the legacy of Regency fashion through a narrative of romance, irony and independence. 

Using fashion as identity

Like all novels, what isn’t being said is just as—if not more—important than what is being said. Austen subtexts strut through fashion. Whether it was class, ambition, or “how I want you to see me” versus “who I really am,” fashion was her secret storytelling weapon. A simple dress wasn’t just fabric; it was a character analysis. Take Elizabeth Bennet’s muddy hem. Sure, it says she’s been stomping through fields. But really? It’s Austen’s shouting she’s bold, independent, and totally unbothered if the neighbours clutch their pearls.

And let’s not forget, Austen was bold enough to call out the marriage market for what it was: a runway where the wrong dress could ruin your prospects and the right one might land you a proposal. 

Lights, Camera, Empire Waist

Jane Austen’s writing isn’t limiting, and that’s why it has led to so many Regency period adaptations that, though set in the same era, all feel profoundly different. The BBC’s Pride and Prejudice gave us Colin Firth in a wet shirt (need we say more?). Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice (2005) was moody and romantic, its muted palettes evoking a heightened sense of longing. In contrast, Autumn de Wilde’s Emma. (2020) cranked the pastels up to eleven — complete with cap-sleeve detailing to die for — a stylised ode to Regency glamour. It just goes to show how much freedom there is for artistic expression when working with Austen’s text. And makes us all ask the question, can we bring back the bonnet?

Modern Adaptations

Let’s not forget that without Austen, we wouldn’t have had Clueless (based on Emma) or Bridget Jones’s Diary (inspired by Pride and Prejudice). Without the timeless stories of Austen, Mona May wouldn’t have had the opportunity to create Cher’s iconic preppy looks made up of plaid skirts and Alaïa, and English girls everywhere wouldn’t have Bridget as their messy-but-relatable patron saint. Austen gave us not just bonnets, but bucket hats and bunny costumes.

Jane Austen wasn’t a designer. Yet, she remains one of fashion’s most unexpected influencers. The original influencer didn’t need Instagram—just irony, romance, and a bonnet.