Feature Friday: The Bohemian Belle
In last month’s feature we highlighted a great source for Regency bonnets and related millinery, but what if you are looking for more accessories to complete your outfit? Or perhaps you want to commission a gown rather than make it yourself? The Bohemian Belle has just the thing, whether you are looking for something historically accurate or just something historically inspired!
Focusing mainly on the Regency era, Julia, also known as The Bohemian Belle, has all manner of costumes and accessories in her online shop, everything from gloves, to shawls, to reproduction tiaras, to antiques caps. She sources beautiful fabrics and embroidered shawls from India, and has even had custom embroidered fabric available in the past.
Some of our favorite pieces in her shop are her reproduction Empire diadems. These were a quintessential part of a wealthy Regency woman’s wardrobe, but if you’ve ever searched for a true antique Regency tiara, you know just how expensive and rare they are. Julia’s reproductions are based on extant diadems and cast in pewter for an affordable alternative. She offers them set with several different stones, including coral, turquoise, and pearl. They also have a hinged comb on the back so they can easily be worn with different hairstyles.
Another beautiful and hard to find accessory are her extra-large wool shawls. These are a great choice to mimic the long, wide styles seen so often in portraits and fashion plates of the period. She offers both embroidered and plain options, and they also come in a range of hand-dyed shades. Imagine this mustard yellow one as a pop of color in a spring outfit!
She sells a variety of other shawls, including a hand-embroidered sheer cotton shawl based on early 19th century designs! Julia also regularly lists unique and one-off embroidered saris and fabrics on her site. She usually posts them first to social media, so it pays to keep an eye on her Facebook or Instagram for regular inspiration.
Finally, Julia regularly takes commissions. If you are looking for a custom Regency or Bridgerton-inspired dress, she can make it happen. For example, her most recent commission was a beautiful embroidered gown inspired by an original in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
While she is based in Germany, Julia ships internationally, and in the before times, she was a regular vendor at the Louisville Jane Austen Festival.
You can find so many other accessories and products from The Bohemian Belle on her website: www.thebohemianbelle.com
And you can find her on social media at:
Instagram — @thebohemianbelle1800
And Facebook — www.facebook.com/TheBohemianbelle/