5 Regency Halloween Costumes (and the Jewellery to Match)
This Halloween, skip the plastic fangs and polyester capes. Instead, step into the candlelit ballrooms and windswept moors of literature's most beloved heroines. Regency costumes are wonderfully easy to put together: an empire-waist dress, a ribbon or two, a pair of gloves and an elegant updo will do most of the work. The finishing touch? The right piece of jewellery.
Here are five Regency-style Halloween costumes, each paired with an Antiqueish piece she might have worn herself.
1. Daphne Bridgerton: The Diamond of the Season
The Queen herself declared her flawless, and Daphne has spent the season living up to it. To channel the eldest Bridgerton daughter, choose a flowing empire-line gown in powder blue or ivory, add long white gloves and pin your hair up with a few soft curls framing your face. A pearl hair comb or a sprig of tiny flowers will make it ballroom-ready.
The jewellery: Daphne is all soft blues and pearls, so our Blue Skies Earrings could have been made for her. Emerald cut blue topaz framed in silver and pearls catches the candlelight with every turn on the dance floor, without ever outshining the girl wearing them. Just as a debutante should.
2. Elizabeth Bennet: Fine Eyes and Muddy Hems
Lizzy would rather walk three miles across the fields than wait for a carriage, and she will not apologise for the six inches of mud on her petticoat. Her costume is a simple, practical day dress in a warm cream or sprigged muslin, a short spencer jacket, a straw bonnet tied with ribbon and a well-thumbed novel tucked under one arm. Confidence and a raised eyebrow are essential accessories, especially if a certain proud gentleman is at the party.
The jewellery: Elizabeth is never one for showy ornament, which is why we picture her in the Daisy Chain Ring. A simple row of seed pearls on a slender band, it carries the symbolism of true love and new beginnings, and is as at home on a country ramble as it is at the Netherfield ball.
3. Mary Bennet: The Accomplished Sister
Jane has the beauty, Lizzy has the wit, and Kitty and Lydia have eyes only for the officers. That leaves Mary, the middle Bennet sister, with her books, her moral extracts and her very determined performances at the pianoforte. Much to the family's dismay, she was always happy to play one more song. Dress as Mary in a high-necked gown in a sensible grey or deep green, hair pulled back neatly, and carry a volume of sermons or a book of sheet music. Bonus points if you offer to perform for the party and refuse to stop.
The jewellery: Mary would never dream of anything frivolous, but she would appreciate the Emerald Gaze Ring. Eternity bands of seed pearls were a quiet sign of good taste in the Regency period, and its repeating pattern of emerald and pearl symbolises wisdom and dedication. Mary would no doubt have something improving to say about both.
4. Elinor & Marianne Dashwood: Sense and Sensibility
The perfect costume for sisters or best friends. Elinor is all sense: calm, composed and quietly keeping the family together, so dress her in a modest gown of soft blue or dove grey with a shawl and neatly pinned hair. Marianne is pure sensibility: passionate, romantic and liable to recite poetry at a moment's notice. Give her a gown in a richer shade, loose curls, a volume of verse and perhaps a slightly windswept look, as if she has just been caught in the rain on the hills above Barton Cottage.
The jewellery: Our Cosmos Pendants come in two variants, and they could have been designed for the Dashwood sisters. Give Elinor the blue topaz, with its cool and steady elegance, and Marianne the red garnet, with all its intense passion. Worn together, the pair makes the perfect matching set for two very different hearts.
5. Mina Harker: A Gothic Twist
We are bending the rules a little for our final costume. Dracula was published in 1897, well after the Regency, but no Halloween list would be complete without Mina. Clever, resourceful and handy with a typewriter, Mina is the true heroine of Bram Stoker's novel, and the one the Count set his sights on. Dress as Mina in a high-collared white blouse and a long dark skirt, with your hair swept up. For the full Halloween effect, add two small marks at the side of your neck and a slightly haunted expression.
The jewellery: Our Drops of Wine Earrings were made for a night like this. Deep red garnet teardrops hang from gold-plated chains like drops of something rather darker than wine. They are elegant enough for a society dinner, and perfectly at home in a vampire's lair.
Shop the Drops of Wine Earrings
Which Heroine Will You Be?
Whether you are a diamond of the season, a sharp-witted second daughter or a gothic heroine with a secret, the right jewellery turns a costume into a character. And unlike your bonnet, these pieces will not be packed away on the first of November: every Antiqueish design is made with real gemstones on 925 sterling silver, ready to be worn long after Halloween.
Tag us in your Regency Halloween looks on social media. We would love to see them. And join our Scandal Sheet for more stories from the past.