Most women know the romantic films based on the books by Jane Austen, like „Sense and Sensibility“ or “Emma”, where the (surprisingly emancipated) ladies of the British gentry are looking for their Mr Right (and quite fortunately also always find him two hours later). Fashion-conscious ladies however, don’t just remember the tricky skirmishes before the film reaches its happy ending, but also the special dresses the fictional figures – e.g. the young Dashwood ladies or the Bennet girls – are wearing at balls and in their daily lives. – Fictional figures? – Indeed, because the cuts of the fashion in the early 19th century used to be quite figure-flattering while being highly elegant and of the highest quality. The so-called empire dress used to be the most important piece of clothing for the society ladies back then. The main characteristic of
the empire cut is a very high waistline and being separated from the lower chest, the fabric would widely fall in an
A-shape. Thus, problem areas around the tummy, hips and thighs were perfectly covered up, while the cleavage played the part of the eye-catcher.