After a late breakfast, the ladies took leave of Mr. Darcy, and approached their task with some energy. The most enjoyable visits were those to Madame Leroy, the celebrated milliner, and Nourtier’s, which housed the finest French figured silks and satins, and Florentine and Lyonnaise silks, from which the dress-makers created the most beautiful gowns. Both ladies admired the fashion for light colours that had accompanied the return of the Bourbons to the throne, but neither lady approved the suggested row upon row of trimmings, flounces, and hems adorned with fine silk braids, flowers, and other ornaments. Georgiana chose a canzou of a pale blue silk with a small ruffle and plait at the hem and sleeves in white tulle. Elizabeth chose a plain gown of a rose-colour satin with blonde lace, shewing Elizabeth’s more petite form to advantage. The deletion of so much of the expensive trimmings and finery—as well as the insistence upon a somewhat more substantial bodice—did not suit the dressmakers, requiring Georgiana to be more puissant than usual. The dress-makers were at last prepared to admit that Parisian fashion, modified by an English aversion to superabundant decoration and trop de déecolleté, looked very pretty upon these two English ladies; Georgiana and Elizabeth found that the French fashions pleased themselves as well.

The Darcy women next purchased delicate white cashmere scarves, whose popularity were due to the fact that they shewed a lady’s shoulders so well, and planned to dress their hair simply with a few flowers. Their labours completed, Georgiana and Elizabeth met Mr. Darcy at tea, and then went for a walk in the Jardin des Tuileries. As it was yet cool of an evening, the Parisian women wore large muffs of fur, and boas knotted about the neck, as well as swan’s down mittens and tippets. With the Darcys’ visit so soon after the fall of Buonaparte, a distinction was soon evident between those ladies who yet preferred the sumptuous splendour that had characterised the fashion of the Empire, and those who favoured the simplicity of dress now fashionable amongst the younger ladies. Elizabeth reflected to herself that she and Georgiana might have spared themselves the effort and expense of new gowns for the ball, given the vast array of different stiles, materials, colours, and trimmings to be seen. However, it is not the most abhorrent of duties for a lady to bespeak a new gown, and certainly even less so when under the express instructions of her husband, so Elizabeth decided simply to be pleased.