I read somewhere, probably the book on Dagmars life, that before the wedding of Nicky and Alix, everyone was in black for mourning, and once the ceremony was concluded, everyone, changed again to black.
Not a very happy time for any of them.. Alix had been called to the Crimea, and was there when AlexIII died, and because Nicky was then the new Tsar, the wedding was hurried forward.
So would this mean, that Alix might not have had a proper wedding dress?
Only putting forward a thought.
Signed HRH
It's so sad and eerie-that's almost exactly how her parents' wedding was-because Alice's father, Prince Albert, had died recently.
I remember seeing an exhibit of clothing that belonged to Empress Elisabeth of Austria. One mourning dress was magnificent and the waist was so small that it seemed hard to believe anyone could wear it.
Well, keep in mind too that the Empress of Austria had anorexia. Also, I would imagine, to be perfectly blunt, for whatever reason, I think people nowadays are well, heavier than they were in the past. I know there were overweight people in the past, but I think on average, we've gotten bigger.
Oh, and don't believe the whole "fourteen-inch-waist" garbage you read. Most of those old corsets do indeed go all the way down to nineteen inches, BUT, that's only when they're laced as tight as they can go. Most women left a few inches open in the back lacings. And nineteen inches is tiny enough to be nearly grotesque. I saw a picture once of an old gown with an 18 inch waist and it looked extremely odd to me.
Nor did women have their ribs broken by corsets, let alone surgery to have some removed. (Just heading off the corset rumors at the pass!)
