Dress historian Dr Melissa Shiels will showcase the clothing changes that a Regency lady of the early 19th century undertook for her various activities on any given day. This talk will highlight the hair/beauty regime of a Regency lady, the underpinnings she wore, her active wear for exercise, for visiting and dining, and for the most opulent of occasions - going to the ball. The various activities and crafts with which a lady filled her day will be explored and the talk will finish with a demonstration of early 19th-century tea etiquette.

Dr Melissa Shiels is a dress historian based in West Limerick who has created clothing from a 1,000 year period of history: from Viking to Victorian! She specialises in hand-sewing recreations from the early modern period, using said recreations in her talks in university lectures, museums, libraries, and public festivals. Dr Shiels uses clothing as a jumping-off point to discuss historic attitudes to gender, ethnicity, social practices and economic realities. Follow her Instagram account to see the wide range of clothing she has made: @dr.melissashiels