*PRIDE & PREJUDICE* (clockwise) BBC 1995, Netflix TBA, Focus Features 2005

The director and the designer have a point of view about what they want things to look like, and what the tone is…and so they’re going to make choices both within accuracy and outside of accuracy.
Alden O’Brien, Curator of Costume and Textiles, DAR Museum

In episode 81, the Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) continue their conversation with costume historian and curator Alden O’Brien (the 2nd in a 3-part mini series, JANE AUSTEN ADAPTED). The conversation explores how costumes, on screen, bring to life iconic characters in 3 adaptations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice:

1995 (BBC/Arts & Entertainment) series, directed by Simon Langton, script by Andrew Davies, costume design by Dinah Collin

2005 (Focus Features, Universal Pictures) feature film, directed by Joe Wright, script by Deborah Moggach, costume design by Jacqueline Durran

Upcoming Netflix adaptation (release date TBA) based on a first look photo. Directed by Euros Lyn, script by Dolly Alderton, costumes design by Charlotte Walter

The Bennet women in *PRIDE AND PREJUDICE* Photo by Ludovic Robert

Emma Woodhouse (EMMA 2020), possibly Austen’s most stylish heroine, also gets some shine. EMMA is directed by Autumn de Wilde, script by Eleanor Catton, costume design by Alexandra Byrne. Trailer.

And Alden O’Brien shares resources and tips for achieving your own Regency look/cosplay for any upcoming Jane Austen events and Regency socials. (See links below O’Brien’s bio)

Listen to part 1 of our conversation with Alden O’Brien - “Regency Style/Federal Fashion” (Episode 80)

GUEST
Alden O’Brien

Alden O'Brien is the curator of costume and textiles at the **DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution Museum)** in downtown Washington, DC. She earned her Bachelor's in Art History from Barnard College and a master's in museum studies focused on costume and textiles from the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC.

After a year with the First Ladies Collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Alden O’Brien found her home at the DAR Museum, curating its remarkable costume collection.

O’Brien has curated ten exhibitions on costume, quilts, childhood, toys, and needlework, and has collaborated on many more. She plans to retire in January 2026 to delve into her own research projects that center around the Regency and Federal eras, as well as, of course, Jane Austen.

Connect with Alden O’Brien: LinkedIn

Find Regency and Federal costume patterns and resources mentioned in this podcast (links): Fig Leaf Patterns | Past Patterns | Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild

Download a Transcript for Episode 81

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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)

2025 marks the 250th anniversary year of English author Jane Austen’s birth (December 16, 1775). Jane Austen is beloved for her novels that capture English country life, societal norms, and romances that hinge on the quest for a financially advantageous marriage.

Jane Austen completed the manuscript for her timeless classic, in 1797 under the working title “First Impressions.” She revised the manuscript in 1811-1812, gave it a new title and Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813.

Pride and Prejudice explores themes of love, social class, and the high stakes for young women to marry advantageously to avoid financial hardship (when a property is entailed ONLY to male heirs by law) in Austen’s time. Elizabeth Bennet, the intelligent and spirited second daughter of the five Bennet sisters (no brothers), navigates societal pressures, romantic entanglements, and the influence of her anxious mother.

When word spreads that Mr. Bingley, a rich young bachelor from London, has purchased the distinguished Netherfield country estate, not too far from the Bennet home in Hertfordshire, Mrs. Bennet springs into action. She urges her husband, Mr. Bennet, to call on the new owner with the intention that Mr. Bingley will fall in love and marry their eldest daughter, Jane.

Aware there are women in search of husbands for “want of fortune,” Mr. Bingley is protected by his sisters and his best friend, Mr. Darcy, a wealthy, proud and aloof landowner. Mr. Darcy’s snobbish, standoffish, and haughty personality clashes with the more sociable country society, especially Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s initial misunderstandings of each other set the stage for Austen’s social commentary on moral growth, and the complexities of human relationships.

Visit the JASNA (Jane Austen Society of North America) for more information about Jane Austen and the history of Pride and Prejudice https://jasna.org/austen/works/pride-prejudice/