How Historically Accurate are the Costumes in Pride & Prejudice 2005? | A Fashion History Analysis

Alright, let's actually talk about it - how accurate (or inaccurate) are the costumes in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFayden? Are they actually...dare I say it...good...or smoking hot garbage? It's common for historical costumers and dress historians to be overly critical and judgmental towards movie costumes, I mean, after all, we spend years and years studying different eras, historical construction techniques, and even sewing our own historical costumes. But a costume designer's job isn't always to be historically accurate, but to help tell a story through their costume designs. Additionally, the pursuit of "historical accuracy" is a bit of a weird one, because our understanding and knowledge of historic dress change constantly. New research is being published and shared regularly, old myths and ideas debunked, and sources becoming easier to find. The 2005 Pride and Prejudice has had a bit of popularity spike right now, thanks in part to Youtube and Tumblr (holy memes, batman) and it got me to thinking about the costumes. I was quick to dismiss them when the movie first came out, but now, looking back on the film, and rewatching it several times since March (mmm escapism...) I've developed a slightly different opinion. It's not that the costumes are perfect, they're definitely flawed, but that doesn't mean a lot of research into 18th century and regency clothing wasn't done, in fact, when watching the movie, it's clear that