FASHIONING REGULATION REGULATING FASHION

The second part of an investigation into the clothing orders of the late-Georgian British Army, combined and contrasted with an analysis of fashion in the same army - comparing the regulated dress with the 'modes of the army' as revealed by contemporary writing and illustrations.

The first quarter of the nineteenth century witnessed a refinement of fashionable masculine dress that has not since been surpassed. Military tailoring inspired a flowering of uniform splendor that continued into the 1830s and sparked an enduring fascination with military costume that still rages today. The army that operated in these cumbersome uniforms managed to achieve fame as one of the most effective British fighting forces ever recognized, and is still remembered and honored for its achievements. These three strands: the flowering of late Georgian civilian tailoring; of its martial equivalent; and of military excellence on campaign, have gripped the interest and the imagination of the public, and are endlessly revived and recycled through popular culture, on television, film, through books and all of the other new media.

The reader then might properly ask why another book on uniforms of this period is necessary. Quite simply, it is because the amount of material available to the researcher has increased exponentially since the advent of the internet, especially in regard to the now widely available digital archive files of institutional collections. The huge amount of accessible material makes the task of assembling accurate information much longer and much harder, but the results are consequentially more satisfying and accurate than hitherto. This, the second of two books on the topic, pays particular attention to the ’Prince’s Regulations,’ of 1812, which exhibit the full extent of the Prince Regent’s excursions into military taste.

Ben Townsend holds a BA in history from the University of Wales and is a writer and historical consultant for TV, radio, and film, with a particular interest in the Napoleonic and Georgian periods. Previous books on Napoleonic subjects include Regulations of the Rifle Corps, and Serjeant Weddeburne of the 95th Rifle Regiment.