Vogue Runway Archive Traces Regency Style From Jane Austen to Contemporary Designers

Key facts

• Vogue Runway published a feature of 61 Regency-inspired runway looks tied to the October release of a new Sense and Sensibility film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones.
• The feature is presented by Estée Lauder and draws from the Vogue Runway archive.
• Regency style is characterized by light, straight-lined garments with empire waists and open necklines that emphasize the décolleté or 'Regency' shelf.
• Designers included in the selection are Chloé, Commission, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano for Givenchy, Vera Wang, and Erdem.
• The feature juxtaposes contemporary runway pieces with historical artworks by François Gérard, Jacques-Louis David, and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, as well as film costumes.
• Notable film and celebrity looks include Keira Knightley in Pride & Prejudice (2005), Eva Mendes in Dolce & Gabbana at the 2006 Met Gala, and Anya Taylor-Joy in Bob Mackie at the 2020 Emma premiere.
• The feature is organized into sections: White Neoclassical Dresses, Empresses and Empire Lines, Incroyables et Merveilleuses, and The All-Important Accessory.
• It closes with a quote from Pride and Prejudice and an 1833 engraving.