The empire waist reshaped fashion in the early 19th century. It borrowed from classical antiquity and rejected the ridgid styles of the 18th century. While the fashion looked more relaxed, the 19th Century Empire Dress in Solid Cotton Townsends Regency Dress Empire Napoleonic Gown Jane Austen Inspired Ballwear Etsy Today's #ootd is an 1817 silk and wool gauze evening dress. It's an interesting example of a transition dress from the Regency period to the 1820s. It has the empire waist but