From towering, feather-topped wigs and embroidered frock-coats to ribbon-tied bonnets and empire-line gowns, the Georgian age arguably boasts some of the most iconic fashion trends in British history. Familiar right around the world thanks to globe-trotting portraits and block-busting period dramas, they make conjuring up a mental picture of the men and women of the era of Hogarth and Austen easy enough. But as two London exhibitions are set to show this spring, rifling through Georgian wardrobes can tell us so much more about this colourful period and its people than simply what they looked like: the changing fashions provide us with a fascinating insight into everything from technological innovation and trade, to social change and current affairs.
Dress – and the fashionable silhouette – did, of course, change substantially
