Undress, Half Dress or Full Dress. What’s the difference and why did it matter?

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This month the focus is all about the Netherfield Ball. And what are a young lady’s first thoughts about when invited to a ball? What to wear of course!

Not surprisingly, the sort of ball being held would determine appropriate dress for the evening. An event like the Meryton Assembly, a public ball, might only call for ‘half dress’, nice by not terribly formal. On the other hand, a private ball like the Netherfield Ball, one expected to be the event of the season and quite possibly the whole year, called for formal, full dress.

But what exactly do the terms mean? Half dress, obviously doesn’t mean wearing only half the necessary clothing, or short clothing, just like full dress doesn’t mean wearing all the necessary pieces of clothing. Similarly, undress did not mean, well just what it sounds like. (Although the notion is pretty humorous if you give it a thought or two.) Someone in undress actually was wearing a good deal of clothing! So what does it all mean?

 Regency Era Categories of Dress

In the most technical sense, there were two main categories for Regency Era clothing, undress and full dress. Undress referred to pretty much anything that was not full dress—rather handy, that. So anything worn during a non-formal even qualifies as undress.

That mean the following garments technically fall under the category ‘undress’:

• Morning dress
• Walking-out dress
• Carriage dress
• Promenade dress
• Afternoon dress
• Riding Habit
• Half-dress

If there were only two categories, what does ‘half dress’ mean?  It functioned as a sort of catch-all category for garments more formal than every day ‘comfy clothes’ and less formal than ‘white tie.’ Think of it as the Regency equivalent of a suit and tie. It could include informal evening wear like dinner dress and opera dress; sometimes afternoon and promenade dresses fell into this category, too, depending on how ‘fancy’ they were.

How to tell Undress from Full Dress

Naturally fabrics and embellishments constituted major differences between undress and full dress. Silks, fine muslins and the like were found in formal wear, but not in daytime garments. Difference could also be found in the general shape of the garments.

Evening wear featured a lower (and in some years MUCH lower) bodice and often short sleeves. Skirts with heavy embellishments and long or short trains were also typical of full dress gowns. Evening accessories often included long gloves (to make up for the short sleeves, of course), fancy headdresses (as opposed to hats and bonnets) fans, jewelry, and delicate satin slippers not durable enough for outside wear.

Clothing made a (Wo)man

Theoretically, one wore Undress in the morning, Half-Dress in the afternoon, and Full Dress for (formal) evening events. If it sounds like a gentlewoman had to change clothes several times a day, you’d be right. To be active in society, a Regency era lady had to have the right garment for the right occasion, and that added up to a lot of gowns (and corresponding expense.)

Unfortunately wearing the wrong sort of gown at the wrong time could be a devastating social blunder. Ladies (and gentlemen) were judged by their dress. If you failed to dress properly, it was a sure statement about your fortune (or lack thereof) and your place in society. In a very real sense, a man or woman was often made by their appearance, for better or worse.

Thankfully for young women everywhere, there was a great deal of advice available on how to dress appropriately. Our next installment will look at the advice offered by ‘A Lady of Distinction’ in The Mirror of Graces (1811).

Read the rest of the series here: Part 1 ~ Part 2

~ Part 3~ Part 4

To read more about clothing and accessories  click here

To read more about ladies click here

To read more about balls click here