Image of Jane Austen's pelisse coat
Isn’t Jane Austen’s pelisse coat pretty? It has an oak pattern on a beige and brown ground. The pelisse was donated to the Hamphire Museum in 1993 and can be viewed in this link. View close ups of the coat here.
According to Fashion-Era: “Both the late 18th century and the early 19th century pelisse were three quarter length coat. Later versions had a shoulder cape or capes. It was often trimmed with fur, ruched silk trimmings or satin along its edges.” Pelisses can be without sleeves or with sleeves and vary in length.
1819 Walking Dress, Ackermann's Repository
Lara Corsets and Gowns reproduced a pelisse coat from an 1819 Ackermann fashion plate. The following is Catherine Decker’s description of this coat: “Walking Dress, featuring Pelisse. This grey pelisse is trimmed with ruby velvet and has a matching ruby velvet bonnet, with ostrich feathers dyed to match. The huge fur muff would stay popular for the next few years, but muffs in the late 1820s were generally of a more reasonable size.”
- Click here to see the modern reproduction and for ordering information.
- Click here for my other post about the Pelisse Coat.
Jane Austen's World 
Interesting article Vic, but some things mentioned don’t quite set right. Besides the ify provenance, the use of silk fabric, the use of the garmet as an evening coat, and the mention that Cassandra and Jane had their clothes made in London and Bath sends up red flags. Given that both of their financial situations were limited, to spend the funds on a garment like this seems extravagance, though it could have been a gift. The garmet is dated about 1813 and I find it unlikely that Jane and her sister had their garmets made in London and Bath by that time or ever! Never-the-less, it is beautiful and in pristine condition. What a treasure for the Hampshire Museum. I want to think that it is Jane’s pelisse though, so I shall.
The coat is beautiful, isn’t it, Laurel Ann? And in great condition. It has value simply as an historical object. Though it is true that Jane and Cassandra were always watching their pennies, and I agree that the provenance doesn’t trace the pelisse directly back to Jane’s closet, Jane could have been its owner. Then again, it would have been an extremely extravagant garment for our Jane.
Any way you cut it, clothes were expensive back in those days. Women would choose the cloth and then have a garment made up by a seamstress or mantua maker, or they would make it themselves. An article on the JASA website mentions how much a garment would cost. In A Frivolous Distinction, Penelope Byrde describes Jane as altering or trimming her own gowns and bonnets, but she apparently did not make her clothes from scratch, employing dress makers instead. This pelisse with its beautiful trim might have been a gift. Who knows? I like to think that Jane, who wrote in her letters about the long sleeves that were coming into fashion for evening wear, might have worn a fancy silk coat like this.