When the .ai produced costumes with a wonderful Spanish–South American feel that didn’t fit the Pride and Prejudicevision I was curating, I did what any editor might do—I shifted my perspective. Retrospective research into Spanish court fashion from the empire two centuries before Austen gave me just enough footing to create The Spanish House.

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I drew inspiration from Beatrice Knight’s findings, which highlighted that the designer Mrs Villiers had introduced Spanish-inspired millinery in La Belle Assemblée and in contemporary newspapers. Naturally, I imagined Mrs Villiers extending her creativity further, with extravagant Mediterranean-inspired designs for her more adventurous clients.