Russian and European Court Dresses

[grandduchessella]

I love that photo from 1908 (the rather circular one). I have a Life magazine cover from the 1960s when the whole Anna Anderson issue was raging. I put it in a nice frame but now it's in storage until the military ships us out again.    I don't know what it is about that particular pose out of all the ones taken--maybe the grouping or the fact that you can see more of the girls and the outfits than in the closer shots, but it's always been a favorite.

I agree, I hope some restoration can be done. I'm hopeful that more can be done with old artifacts and residences as it becomes more apparent that the initial outlay of money will be more than made up by tourist/exhibition money.

[Lanie]

I always thought the photographs were 1910, not 1908... though it's hard to really tell!  Alexei sure doesn't look 4...

[Lisa]

Yes, it's difficult to say. ..I think it may be 1908 beause of this photo of Maria (spring 1908 ):


But I can make a mistake... And even, what official event could it be? :-/ Do you have an idea?

[Lanie]

I was thinking they were just formal photographs... you know, like the ones in the lace dresses 1910 -- just to show off, so to speak.  It looks like the spring 1908 photo you posted has a shorter skirt than in the photos of all the girls andAlexei but maybe that's just me.

[Lisa]

I'm not sure that the dress is shorter... But that's not whant I want to say.  
I'm a little sceptical about a photo in "full court dress" just like that... What does other people think about it?

[Michelle]

I have to agree with Lanie.  I thought I saw somewhere that the group shot was from 1910.  So no, Lanie, it's not just you LOL

[Genevieve]

You can see the picture in Album 6 in the Yale library.  
Sorry I do not remember the number of the picture.

[grandduchessella]

Here's a close-up of Ella's dress:



The fabrics just look so gorgeous and intricate.

[Lisa]

In 1834 Nicholas I written an ukase about the court dress:
 maiden of honor to the Empress: red velvet embroidered in golden (unmarried women)
 ladies in waiting to the State: green velvet embroidered in golden (married women)
 ladies in waiting to the grand duchesses : blue velvet embroidered in silver

[Sarai_Porretta]

I was actually thinking of something related to this  topic recently, so I'm glad to have re-discovered this thread. The particular thing that I was thinking about was the fact that each Grand Duchess had a color reserved for her exclusive use. Now, I assume
this was mostly for state occasions, as I can't imagine one person (except, perhaps, the Empress) having a monopoly on a particular colour that everyone else is prohibited to wear. I also believe there were many different shades within a particular colour to choose from, otherwise of course the choices would quickly run out, especially if this was a colour assigned for life.

So I would like to know more about this tradition, for instance: At what age did the lady choose her colour? Did she choose it herself or was it chosen for her? Did she always have to dress in that colour for state occasions? Could she ever change her colour, or were colours "retired" after the death of its user? And finally, who "owned" what colour? We know that Olga wore a pink gown for her first official "coming out" ball and then again is pictured in a pink gown in the painting by Dmitri Kardovsky of the Ball at the Assembly Hall of the Nobility, which took place in 1913. I wonder whether she was assigned to that particular pink colour? Her sister Maria attended her coming out ball in a powder blue dress.

I saw on the thread entitled "Romanovs' costume" a post by Nick Nicholson explaining the following with regards to this:

"The Empresses wore cloth of silver or cloth of gold (according to her preference) for high state occasions, or colored silk embridered with gold or silver for lesser state occasions.  The Empress' favorite color was
reserved for her personal use; Alexandra's was an intense rose pink, Marie's a deep cerise.  

Each Grand-Duchess also had a color reserved for her exclusive use; Xenia's was peacock blue, Maria Pavlovna the elder's was a siennese orange, etc."

So do we know who else wore what colours? Incidentally, Maria Pavlovna's "siennese orange" reminds me of a letter that Lord Carrington wrote to Queen Victoria during the coronation, where he wrote "[...] the other Grand Duchesses have other colours - one is reported to be a particularly hideous shade of orange." I wonder who he was talking about - perhaps it was MP's orange (even though I have never seen this particular shade)?

[DOMOVOII]

But I imagine the Sienna orange, which looking at costume reference material, was I'm sure far nicer than it sounds,(I'd describe it as a tawny shade of deep apricot) to have complemented those famous emeralds spectacularly.

[olga]

Is the siennese orange dress this one?

http://www.koshka-the-cat.com/court_dress.html

[Merrique]

Here's a beautiful court dress that belonged to one of OTMA when they were little.I just love the gold material they used to make it.

[Martyn]

Hmm I suppose that could be it... I happened to be looking though some pattern/source books with swatches etc. But you found the dress, You win the sixpence!! Well done you!

One things for certain, who ever wore that frock would have turned heads!

I agree, that dress is stunning.  Well done Olya for turning it up!  Is the embroiderry silver or gold?  When DOMOVOII first described the dress as being 'Sienna orange' I wasn't sure waht it would look like.  If this is indeed the dress, it is lovely.  I should think that virtually every one of MP's splendid parures would have looked just fine with htis court gown, particularly emeralds and sapphires......

[DOMOVOII]

Looking again, I bet it would look even more sumptuous by candle light, though it'd have to be Amethysts for me , real big ones.

Any more glorious pictures Olga? (You have the technology, and ability....I'm sat here with all pistons and valves spluttering away!!It's retro I tell myself!)

How about some of the mens costumes, the Chamberlain of the Courts Official Court Costume is fantastic, encrusted in braid, fringe, sequins, with two door-keys at the back! Just as exotic, and  the Senator's Ceremonial costume looks like some Ruritarian Emperor's (Think Stewart Grainger) garb, not that of his servant.

Go on, Olga!!!.... you can do it!!!

D