I’m not quite sure where the idea originally came from – it was probably just a few influences that all came together. First, I bought a maxi dress from Amazon to wear over the summer, and thought it looked a bit Pride and Prejudice. Then we happened to need to go to Bath for Chris to have his computer fixed at the Apple shop; and then I think I was inspired by the bookstagrammers of Instagram to borrow a copy of Northanger Abbey. And lo and behold, we have this fashion blog photo shoot….
If you didn’t already know, Northanger Abbey is mainly set in Bath where Jane Austen spent much of her time. So that’s why I chose that particular book to casually read whilst leaning against the Georgian iron railings by the beautiful honey-coloured Bath stone buildings.
This dress is definitely one of my more successful clothing purchases from Amazon, and it just as well because it wasn’t one of the cheapest either. However I thought it fit really nicely; the elastic shirring of the bodice wasn’t restrictive, and also came down almost to my waist. (Upon ordering, I had been worried it would only cover my boobs and the rest of the fabric hang from there, but that didn’t happen!) So, despite the ‘Does my bum look big in this?’ question that all Regency ladies notoriously asked their mothers when this design of dress came into fashion; I thought it was actually quite flattering.
The maxi length is a bit of an issue to be honest. Not because it makes me look short (which one kind YouTube viewer pointed out to me recently), but because I always have my hands full. Which makes the negotiating of stairs difficult. Without a free hand to lift the skirt, one has no choice but to step on the fabric until you find yourself on your knees a quarter of the way up the stairs. I just doesn’t work. So yes, I tend to avoid maxi dresses for that reason, but I was seduced by the prettiness of this particular dress.
I love the dusky shade of pink. I love the lace frill at the hem. And I love the cute cap sleeves. So what if I have to take my glass of water up to bed and then come all the way back down to fetch my book?
The only pair of shoes I own that I thought would work for this Georgian look, is a pair of silver satin flats. They’re from New Look and I’ve owned them forever. The material round the lace-up bit on the right one is tearing, so I don’t think they’re going to last much longer. For this particular day though, they were perfect.
By the way, the label on the dress is Anna-Kaci and if pink isn’t for you, Amazon had several colours to choose from.
Shop the look:
(Similar:)
Tell me in the comments which is your favourite Jane Austen book? And look out on my YouTube channel for the look-book including this dress, coming soon.
Linking with #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed as Lamb #chic&stylish at MummaBStylish and #visibleMonday at Not Dead Yet Style.
