If you chose to take a stroll along the breakwater on Sunday morning (June 15), you may have noticed a crowd of folks in some very vintage outfits – if Regency-era costumes can be considered such.
The Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) took to Ogden Point for a costumed promenade, part of a weekend-long celebration of Jane Austen, the famed English novelist known for works like Sense and Sensibility, Emma and Pride and Prejudice.
“We’re Janeites,” said Robin Brumley, a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, who participated in the Sunday promenade hosted by the Victoria branch of JASNA. It was one of several events taking place throughout the city to mark the 250th anniversary of the author’s birth.
Brumley, who belongs to the Puget Sound region branch, travelled from Seattle to take part in the weekend festivities.
“There are other people who came over from Saskatoon and other places like that – other JASNA branches. We all kind of converge for this,” she said.
She explained that JASNA is part of an international network of Jane Austen societies, with others in the U.K., Australia and other countries around the world.
In Victoria, the local branch hosted Wit & Wisdom, a weekend-long event from June 13 to 15 featuring talks, improv performances in the style of Jane Austen, a Regency ball and, of course, the costumed promenade. But it wasn’t just about dressing up.
“It’s academic as well,” Brumley said, explaining that costumes are not mandatory for Janeites.
“It’s a combination of historical costuming and intellectual stuff about the life of Jane Austen and her times. Someone might do a presentation on the fashions of the time, or on cultural expectations for women during that era.”
Following the promenade, the group of Janeites headed to a Regency-style public breakfast for a spread of cakes, buns, butter, jam and drinking chocolate.
Many of the Janeites said they fell in love with Austen’s work because of her wit and humour.
“Sometimes I think people assume great literature isn’t going to be funny – but she had quite the edge to her,” said one participant.
That was certainly the case for Brumley.
“I first fell in love with Jane Austen because of the wit of the novels, the verbal sparring,” she said.
“Like Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice – it’s kind of like this under-the-radar catfight between the two of them.”
As for the costuming, Brumley said there’s a fascination with the Regency era, which came before the industrial age. It was a slower-paced time, and everything was different.
Brumley said it’s fun – and there’s a certain romance to it, one that has clearly captured and shaped many Janeites around the world.
