Imperial Women's, Men's and Children's Clothing & Accessories #1

[grandduchess_42]

Ceremonial Court Costume of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
late 19th - early 20th centuries

i havn't seen alix in a photo whens shes wearing this dress.

[grandduchess_42]

[grandduchess_sofia]

GD_42 were did u find them all?
sopsxx

[Shvibzik]

GD Sofia: If I'm not mistaken, they are on a link on this website.  I looked at it once, and it was quite neat.  I'll try to find it.

[grandduchess_42]

GD_42 were did u find them all?
sopsxx

i found them here!

http://www.nicholasandalexandra.com/index.html

[grandduchess_sofia]

thank you!!  
sopsxx

[Ortino]

In Toys of the Tsar's Children, they have two pictures of shoes belonging to the Grand Duchesses, but I'm not sure who they individually belonged to or when they wore them since the text is all in Russian. I believe though they were from their very earlier childhoods, since they have the pom poms seen in several earlier photos of the first three girls. I would post them, but I can't.  :-/

[Martyn]

I think that it is safe to say that court gowns with trains were not worn on occasions when dancing was required.

However, dresses in the second half of the nineteenth century and in the early part of the the twentieth, did have trains, including ball dresses.

I don't know if anyone has seen the 1997 film of Anna Karenina (which stars Sophie Marceau) which features an elaborate ball sequence; here it is clearly demonstrated how these women handled their complicated 1880's dresses with long trains, whilst performing waltzes, mazurkas and czardas with consummate skill and elegance.  A marvellous detail was included in which as each lady entered the ballroom, a footman swiftly scooped up their train and looped it over the lady's extended wrist.......thus permitting the train to be clear of the feet.

[ChristineM]

Do you know where that was shot, Martyn?   It looks to me like the 'Big Hall' at the Catherine Palace.   It is the floor which persuades me of this.

The bride at the wedding we were at on Saturday last wore a dress with a long train.   When the dancing began, she removed her veil and looped the train over her wrist as Martyn describes.   She was free to dance - not just sedate waltzes, but the Gay Gordons and Eightsome Reel and etc. - some of the many Scottish country dances so enjoyed by Queen Victoria and, I think, without exception, all her descendants.

tsaria

[Martyn]

I am afraid that I don't know where the sequence was shot, Tsaria.

I think that it is a wonderful film and very well designed; sadly I have seen it only once and my memory of it is a bit faded.

As you rightly suggest, trains have never been too much of an impediment to ladies.  For those who wrer to be presented at court, lessons in deportment and the handling of their lengthy and cumbersome trains wrer usually provided, sometimes by dancing masters.

Most well brought up young women would be instructed on how to walk, dance and sit with elegance, so that management of the crinoline, bustle, train or any other article of dress was effected with the minimum of fuss.

[ChristineM]

I have had the privilege of touching the small court gowns and kokoshniki which belonged to the young Grand Duchesses, photographed above.

There are more kokoshniki.   These require restoration.   The pearls are definitely false.   The gowns were made of thread of silver.   It seems that the thread could only be of a certain length and it was woven through organza.   The dresses are more friable than fragile because the silver thread breaks so easily.   They must have been uncomfortable and itchy to wear.  They are also colour desaturated.   They appear to be pale grey instead of pale pink.  

Given the circumstances surrounding the removal of the Imperial Family, I do not think preservation of their clothing was uppermost in the minds of the revolutionaries.   We are very fortunate anything survived.

Of all the clothes which remained in the wardrobes of the Alexander Palace, many were used to wrap priceless objects during the evacuation of the Palace in anticipation of the Nazi occupation.  

You will notice that of all Nicholas IIs uniforms, it is the jackets, hats and caps which have survived.   The trousers were cut up and used as cleaning clothes after the Nazis were repelled.   Sadly this included the trousers he wore with his Hussar uniform to his wedding (the jacket and boots have survived).   The only trousers which belonged to Nicholas I, I know to have survived are the trousers, black and  beautifully detailed with black braid, which were part of his Royal Scots Greys uniform.

tsaria

[Martyn]

Tsaria that is really amazing!  To have had the opportunity to touch these articles is a privilege indeed, as this is not afforded to just anyone.

I think that you ought to start a separate discussion to talk about these garments and how they have survived; clearly a fascinating story, the facts of which seem to be known to you in some detail.  Please tell us some more of your experiences in relation to this clothing........

[ChristineM]

Martyn kindly suggested I open a thread on the above topic, but I doubt I have sufficient material to sustain such a thread.

I have had to the good fortune of being in contact with clothes which belonged to Nicholas, Alexandra, the children as well as other members of the Romanov family.

Most of Alexandra's gowns are now either in the Hermitage, the Armoury or at Pavlovsk.  The only item of clothing which belonged to Alexandra which I have handled is a cream linen dressing gown - it is too structured to be described as a peignoir.   It is decorated with an abstract, lilac, floral motif and is quite Japanese in influence.

Other clothing, I have 'met', is, I think wrongly, described as having belonged to Alexandra.   This is a nurse's uniform - without the head scarf.   The long dress is a denim grey and the apron is made from a very fine grey and blue gingham check.  

The reason I think it has been misidentifed is because it would have been too small to fit Alexandra at that stage of her life.   I think it was Tatiana's because it belonged to someone very, very slim and tall.

tsaria

PS:  Anyone who has the book 'Nicholas & Alexandra - the family albums', could look at the photograph of Grand Duchess Marie on P.193.   Marie is wearing a gown very similar to the Empress' described above, but the fabric has a much 'busier' pattern.

[ChristineM]

Many of Nicholas' uniforms have survived.   But, as I explained on the other thread, usually only jackets and headgear - with the exception of the 27 peices which were gifted to him when Queen Victoria - as a marriage present - made Nicholas Honourary Colonel in Chief of the Royal Scots Greys.

He was measured for this uniform when he visited Alexandra in England shortly after their betrothal.   It did not arrive in St Petersburg until after their wedding.   Of course, their marriage was advanced due to the sudden death of Alexander III.  

Nicholas and Alexandra were still living in the Anitchkov Palace when a deputation from the Royal Scots Greys travelled to St Petersburg to present Nicholas with the extensive wardrobe which comprised his uniform of the regiment.  

While he was in England, Nicholas attended a military parade at Aldershot.   Queen Victoria commissioned a painting of Nicholas, wearing his uniform of the Ataman Cossack,   receiving the salute at the parade.   This, very large, oil painting was also delivered to the newly-married couple by the Royal Scots delegation.   Sadly, so far as I am aware, this painting is missing.

tsaria

[ChristineM]

I have been looking at photographs of the Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana in their nurses'

uniforms.    Of the ones I have looked at so far, they seem to be wearing white.   In photographs taken indoors, they appear to be wearing white gowns over their uniforms.   But even out of doors, their uniforms do look white.  

I wonder if they had summer uniforms and winter uniforms?

In a photograph on P.273 of 'The Romanovs - love, power and tragedy', you can see the Empress wearing her nurse's uniform.   It is possible to see quite clearly the texture of the fabric of the cape which I think is integral to the gown.   It is also possible to see the very fine check of the apron and the red cross on the bodice - which I forgot to mention.   The uniform which Alexandra is wearing is very definitely much larger than the one I refer to above.

I am sorry I cannot post this or other photographs.   Perhaps someone who has the facility would kindly do so.

tsaria