I remember it well, the moment that I started thinking about the Bennet sisters a little different. I was knee deep into my first regency-set historical romance manuscript, and I’d come to that scene. Things were about to get all third basey real fast. His hand making its way up her leg and I suddenly realized that I had no idea what he would find up there.
Yeah, of course I knew what he would find there. I didn’t need an anatomy lesson. I needed a fashion lesson. The chemise, the stays, I knew about them, but the regency panties, the drawers. What about those?
I looked all over for pictures, drawings or patterns. I couldn’t find anything. Then I read that the reason that I couldn’t find any was because they didn’t wear any. Really. The regency was a panty-free era. Anne Elliot of Persuasion went commando.
Seriously, Anne Elliot went commando. Makes you kind of understand Wentworth’s longing glances a little better, doesn’t it.
So my heroine wore nothing underneath that chemise. Breezy and fancy free. Sure, it made the love scene easier to write, but I’ve never looked at an Austen heroine the same way again.
5 comments:
wow! I had no idea!! i might have to start reading me some regencies more often. juliet scared me bad with those corsets of hers yesterday and had me all thankful for being 21st century...but now i'm intrigued again...
HAHAHAHA.
I had no idea. :)
*Rrroowwwrrr* Those Austen girls...I always knew they had some sort of magical powers over the menfolk...;-)
Speaking as a dude, I can safely say this is the very first thing that has made Jane Austen interesting to me.
Brad - Glad I could help :-)
Sophie, Rach, & Julie - I have to tell you, "Anne Elliot went commando," might be the greatest sentence that I've ever written. It would be right at home in some mash-up fan fic ;-)
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