Jane Austen’s Wardrobe brings together for the first time all the surviving dress and jewellery objects of Jane Austen (1775-1817), and imaginatively explores the missing pieces. Alongside the real garments and accessories, Hilary Davidson delves into Austen’s 161 known letters to assemble the wardrobe of one of the world’s great authors. These letters, rich with commentary on clothes, shopping and taste, are peppered with Austen’s renowned irony and wit. Austen is often perceived as dowdy and unfashionable but the woman revealed here is alert to fashion and eager to keep pace with changes in style. The book expands upon and complements the author’s previous critically acclaimed publication Dress in the Age of Jane Austen: Regency Fashion (Yale University Press, 2019).

Looking at the gowns, pelisses, shoes, caps, bonnets, jewellery and accessories that this perpetually fascinating writer owned helps us understand Austen’s material world and offers an intimate insight into clothing as a crucial aspect of her life and times. Jane Austen’s Wardrobe gives people the pleasure of poking their nose into the closet of one of the most famous authors who ever lived.