Russian Court Dress

The first attempts to officially regulate the ladies' court dress date back to the end of the 18th century, during the reign of Paul I.

Women during the coronation celebrations were ordered to wear robes (Pannier dresses in Pre-Empire styles) made of black velvet with a train of the same material.

"[2] The first mentions of 'Russian dress' date back to the 1700s, meaning an outfit that borrowed the cut and some features from traditional Russial folk costume, and looked like a Sarafan.

Russian dresses were presented by Alexander I to Prussian women who arrived in Saint Petersburg for the betrothal of Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna to Duke George of Oldenburg in 1809.

At the coronation of Nikolai I in 1826, according to the French writer Jacques-François Ancelot: Women were supposed to appear in national costume, and only a few disobeyed this order.

The national attire, coquettishly modified and luxuriously decorated, imparted a piquant originality to ladies' costumes.

A corset adorned with sapphires and emeralds encased her chest in sparkling armor, and from under a short skirt, legs in silk stocking and embroidered shoes were visible.

A single court attire consisted of a velvet top dress with long folding sleeves and a train.

For underage Grand Duchesses, Nikolai considered adult formal dress too immodest; girls were not supposed to wear a train, neckline, or too much jewelry.

The luxury of court attire amazed guests and foreigners, as evidenced in numerous memoirs and letters of the era.

First, in 1855, here was an attempt to introduce 'French caftans' at the court, but the following year, in the decree of 20 February 1856 'On the new form of clothing for court officials', all the dress and uniforms were replaced by single-breasted semi-caftans with floors above the knees, nine buttons, a stand-up collar bevelled at the front, with straight split cuffs, and vertical pocket flaps at the back.