dispatches
bath, england
“You see, that is
not
Regency,”mutters an elderly lady
in amarigold bonnet andmatching
frock,wagginga lace-gloved finger at
a similarly dressedwoman. “That is
lateVictorian!”
The Jane Austen Festival, held
annually in theEnglish city of Bath,
tends to provoke this sort of quibble.
The festival spans 10 days, involves
activities ranging from seminars
(“RummagingThrough theReticule”)
to masked balls, and draws visitors
from across the world. One man
wearing amonocle says he came all
the way from Japan. “I can’t stay for
thewhole thing, though,”he adds in
a stagewhisper. “I’ve got theAgatha
ChristieFestival next.”
Though ostensibly a literary
festival meant to celebrate the work
of the esteemed novelist, the occa-
sion really adds up to a big costume
Dressing to impress at the world’s
premier Jane Austen festival
Pride andParasols
party.Themain event is the prom-
enade,which allows participants to
show off their Regency duds and
to pass judgment on those worn
by others—a fate unlikely to befall
historically precise regulars Helen
StokesandEstherHarvey.“Someone
on the train asked if we were going
to a wedding,” Stokes says as she
rearranges the feathers onher hat.
For the two visitors, both in their
40s,the festival’sappeal is simple.“It’s
achancetohaveadayout fromnormal
life, time out from the kids,”Harvey
says,curtseyingatagroupofbemused
exchange students.Amoment later,
they swivel their heads to watch a
womanwithanelegant lace fananda
swishy silkdresspassby.Harvey,who
made her duck-egg-colored dress
this year using curtain fabric, puffs
her cheeks.“You get dreadful parasol
envydoing this.”
—HANNAH STUART-LEACH
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