Ceremonial vestments of Russian emperors and empresses. Greatness and luxury: coronation dresses of Russian autocratic empresses

Hermitage Museum. Uniform dresses of Catherine II

Do you know what uniform dresses are? Do you love them the way I do? No, don't rush to answer. First, take a look at these masterpieces of tailoring art ...
Uniform dresses appeared in Russia during the time of Catherine the Great. Most likely, the Empress herself came up with them. Before her, royal ladies did well without paramilitary toilets. IN last resort they could use a man's suit, as Elizaveta Petrovna did with pleasure. And what did Catherine herself do, putting on the uniform of an officer of the Life Guards of the Semyonovsky regiment on the occasion of the coup d'état.

The Hermitage has a portrait by Vigilius Eriksen, in which the young Empress is depicted in this very uniform, with her hair tied with a ribbon, riding a horse. According to the artist (and Catherine's memoirs), she looked amazing that day.

Years passed, but the wise monarch did not forget how she ascended the throne and to whom she owed her triumph. She declared herself the chief of several guards and army regiments and strictly took part in all their holidays (this could be, for example, the birthday of a regiment or the anniversary of a memorable battle). Each time, Mother Empress personally congratulated the officers, personally pouring each a glass of vodka and a bowl of soup. Even being already not quite healthy, an elderly lady, she did not allow herself to miss these celebrations. And it was for them that she needed uniform dresses - female version military uniform. They were made of silk, not cloth. Their cut only vaguely resembled the cut of a men's suit, but the color exactly matched the regimental colors, and the decor repeated the trim of an officer's uniform.

Empress Catherine the Great in a naval uniform.

The Hermitage keeps several dozen uniform dresses of Catherine II - they belong to different military units and different times. Their abundance is explained both by the changes that took place with the figure of the empress (with age she became more and more stout), and by the fact that these dresses could not be washed or ironed. The dense silk from which they are sewn keeps its shape very well, looks amazing, but washing is contraindicated for it. Every time the toilet got dirty, a new one had to be ordered.

Actually in the arsenal Russian emperors there were even more uniform dresses of Catherine the Great, but in the 1920s they were redistributed between various museums in Leningrad and Moscow. The most annoying thing is that during the division, many sets turned out to be scattered. None of those who sorted out the Empress's wardrobe then took a closer look at their reverse side take a closer look. Only many years later, the curator of the Hermitage Tamara Timofeevna Korshunova discovered numbers written in black ink on the inside of corsages and skirts. These turned out to be the numbers under which the clothes were entered in the wardrobe inventory. And all the elements of one set (for example, the top and bottom dresses), of course, were labeled in the same way.

After checking, it turned out that there were not so many properly completed costumes left in the Hermitage. At one time, they were selected by the keepers by eye - by color and style. But to err is human! Therefore, the skirt, which was once attached to the top dress from the Hermitage collection, can now be found in Pavlovsk or Moscow.

Dress Ekaterina's uniform II in the form of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment

The uniform dress of Catherine II in the form of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, sewn in the late 1770s and presented at one of the evenings of the Hermitage Friends Club, also did not escape losses. His top part and the skirt belong to different sets and even barely noticeably differ in color. But even in this form, this toilet is unusually elegant.

It really brings to mind the officer's uniform - dark green, strict lines, gold galloons on the collar, sleeves and floors, uniform buttons. However, a wide skirt, which should have been worn on tanks, a small train and an unusually cut sleeve (with a small wing at the elbow) give the dress a feminine and even elegant look.

Another interesting detail is that the set consists of a skirt and a swing top dress, but it seems that this is a three-piece suit. The insert on the chest imitates either a vest or a uniform jacket, adding a little bit of masculinity to the image.
If you stand shoulder to shoulder with a mannequin dressed in dark green silk, it becomes clear that the enlightened monarch was neither too tall nor small. Her height was about 165 centimeters.

Uniform dress of Catherine the Great. . Life Guards Cavalry Regiment

An even more spectacular costume in the form of a regiment of the Horse Guards also consists of two elements - the lower (red, with ties on the back) and the upper (blue, oar) dresses. Such a combination probably allowed the empress to hide her fullness and gave her silhouette a special majesty.

It's funny that there are slits on the tails of the upper dress that imitate pockets (which were always present in the men's suit of that time), but do not carry any functional load. It is hard to imagine the Empress pulling a handkerchief from behind her back.

Uniform dresses of the Preobrazhensky (1763) and Horse (1773) regiments

The galloon in width and pattern exactly corresponds to the officer's uniform, but, unlike the men's uniform, the dress of Catherine II is also trimmed with it in front, to the very floor, and this slightly resembles a Russian sundress. Old Russian motifs are also noticeable in the cut of the sleeves of the upper dress - the armhole is not stitched, and the sleeve (the so-called folding one) hangs back from the shoulder. It must be assumed that the Russian Empress of German origin deliberately emphasized her connection with Russian antiquity. She even issued a decree according to which court costumes were to be sewn exclusively from Russian fabrics.

The lower (red) dress of the Empress' horse guards' dress is equipped with the usual sewn-in sleeve, which passes into the open armhole of the upper one. Its cut, normal for its time, today is surprising. The sleeve seems to be slightly bent at the elbow, which, if you think about it, corresponds to the natural position of the hand (especially if it is resting on a skirt with fijma).

Nina Ivanovna Tarasova, the keeper of the wardrobe of the founder of the Hermitage, says that, following Catherine II, almost all the ladies of the imperial family began to wear uniform dresses. Fashion changed, the cut of toilets changed, but the very idea of a female version of a military uniform remained relevant until 1917.

Ekaterina Gindina

As usual with great reformers, changes in the era of Catherine II affected not only politics, economics, science, but also fashion. The style of Catherine II can be considered democratic, in comparison with the “tyranny of fashion” of Elizabeth or the forced imposition of Western costumes by Peter I. Unlike the fashionista Elizabeth, who preferred French splendor, the dresses of Catherine the Great had a pronounced Russian flavor and a noticeable folk “zest”.

For almost half a century of radical innovations of Peter I and the "fashion tyranny" of Elizabeth, the nobility and boyars got used to ordering costumes in the French or German style, as well as bringing them directly from Europe, picking up fashion style and color. Men's and women's dresses under Catherine II in the 60s of the twentieth century began to be made only in Russia and contain traditional Russian elements.

The Russian empress with German blood, who ascended the throne, believed necessary education in subjects of national pride and a sense of self-sufficiency, including with the help of fashion, and therefore brought out of disgrace the previously banned national costume motifs.

Dresses of Catherine the Great - fashion in the service of the state

The style under Catherine II was a symbiosis of European style and national Russian elements. The courtiers and boyars were allowed to wear the costumes of the French, German or English style that were already familiar to them, while Catherine's fashion was introduced gradually. From the point of view of Catherine II, the dress served as one of the forms of national self-awareness. This is confirmed by the command of the empress to the boyars to wear the same outfit in order to demonstrate the “unity of the elite standing above the nation”, while the wives were supposed to sew dresses to match their husbands, corresponding to their position and position.

Jacques Veil. Portrait of foreman V.A. Zubov, 1791

Comparing the dresses of Catherine the Great from the photo of the paintings with the outfits of her predecessor, it is not difficult to conclude that the empress was striving to simplify her wardrobe, getting rid of the excessive pomposity to which Elizabeth was prone. The main details of the style of Catherine II include a short train of the dress and long hanging sleeves. However, it was not so easy to simplify the dresses of the nobles, then the Empress issued a decree, according to which "the width of gold and silver lace on caftans should not exceed 9 cm." As a result, the dresses of Catherine II in Europe were called the “Frenchized sundress”, and in Russia they formed the fashionable basis for many years to come.

Snuffbox - the main fashion accessory in the time of Catherine II

The court style of Catherine II implied the presence of many accessories: some were fixed in hairstyles, others clung to a corsage or belt, but the snuffbox was the main curiosity. Frankly, this item had several purposes, some of which are not entirely clear modern people. All receptions and balls implied dancing "until you drop", which occupied a fair amount of the time of the entire event. Introduced at the beginning of the century fragrant Eau de Toilette could no longer cope with its function, given that the court dances took place in rooms with tightly closed windows. Therefore, the snuffbox, in which tobacco leaf powder was by no means always stored, became a real “salvation”. This element of the dress of the time of Catherine II sometimes cost more than the rest of the outfit and served to attract the attention of others.

It was believed that snuff "disperses the blood" and prevents the spread of ailments, so it quickly became widespread at court. The snuffbox was a small box that fit comfortably in the hand, they kept the outlandish little thing with them. A fashionable accessory also served to determine the status of the owner - according to the material with the skill of making a snuff box, one could judge the wealth of its owner. The tobacco box was made of silver, gold, decorated precious stones and filigree, snuffboxes with a miniature of the Empress were considered of particular value. Such specimens were shown with particular pleasure: the owner of the snuffbox slowly took it out, turned it over in his hands for a long time, showing everyone the decoration and engraving inside, and only then took a pinch of tobacco.

It should be noted that the court fashion and dresses of Catherine the Great did not in any way affect the clothes of ordinary people: the peasants, as before, wore sundresses, shushuns and swing sweaters.

Men's fashion

Men's outfits, in contrast to women's dresses from the time of Catherine the Great, have undergone minor changes - they have become more elegant and lighter. The simplicity of the style, meanwhile, was more than offset by the brilliance of the jewels. Here, the favorites of the empress, who were prone to wastefulness and pompous display of jewelry and orders, “had a hand in it”. The Russian ambassador to France, Kurakin, was nicknamed the “diamond prince” in European society, he was nicknamed so for the brilliance of jewelry on his dress.

K.L. Khristinek. Portrait of Alexei Grigorievich Bobrinsky as a child, 1769

In the Catherine era, men still wore caftans (a somewhat narrower silhouette with a stand-up collar and sloping floors) and camisoles. The main elements of the wardrobe of the courtier also included a shirt with frills on the chest, sewn from linen fabric or cambric, which has a straight cut, pearl or gold buttons with inlay. A camisole, similar in cut to a caftan, relied on top of the shirt. Culottes (trousers) or pantaloons were sewn from the same fabric as the caftan, usually brocade, silk or velvet. Sometimes the caftan had a fur lining or was decorated with gold embroidery, and was always fastened with 2 buttons.

For the front door example men's dress nobleman of the era of Catherine the Great, you can see a photo of the portrait of the first director of the Academy of Arts Alexander Filippovich Kokorinov. The ceremonial attire was ordered on the occasion of Kokorinov's entry into office and was worth the architect's annual salary. A satin camisole with gold embroidery peeps under a rich knee-length gros detur caftan with sable lining.

D.G. Levitsky. Portrait of Alexander Filippovich Kokorinov, 1769

By the end of the century front men's suit, for the sake of the then french fashion, was replaced by a tailcoat. Initially, the tailcoat had floors different lengths, since it was originally intended for riding. However, in the future, the outfit was demilitarized and became the subject of a wardrobe for celebrations and balls, therefore it was sewn from velvet, silk or cloth, mostly black, blue, green or purple.

Shoe style of Catherine II has not changed much. The shoe last had an absolutely straight shape, without differentiation for the right and left legs, so you had to break in your shoes yourself. The thick sole of the shoe and high heels made it difficult to move around; to correct their gait, many men at the court took dance and proper walking lessons from foreign teachers. The rest resorted to the help of a decorative cane.

Men's dresses from the time of Catherine the Great were replenished with fashionable clothes for the home. The fashion for dressing gowns introduced by Peter I (variation bathrobe) under the Empress became widespread. Prokofy Demidov, one of the most noble and wealthy industrialists of the Urals, confirming his fame as an eccentric, ordered a portrait in a "neglizhe", as they said at the Russian court in the French manner, in other words, in a home suit. Demidov is wearing a juicy terracotta dressing gown, a waistcoat and soft slippers. The “nail” of the image was a green nightcap.

D.G. Levitsky. Portrait of Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov, 1773

Women's fashion

Distinctive feature women's dress the time of Catherine the Great was lace. If in the pre-Catherine era lace was imported from France, then under the Great Empress, Russian, monastic lace was in special demand. The skilful work of the monastery lace-makers was appreciated by the Russian nobility. The style of Catherine II implied the use of the so-called "blonde" lace - the thinnest openwork gossamer light colors. The most popular were laces of gold, silver and white flowers; often lace was decorated with glass beads or white silk.

You can appreciate the beauty of the women's dress of the era of Catherine the Great from the photo of the painting by D.G. Levitsky. The young lady in the portrait is Glafira Alymova, a pupil of the Smolny Institute. The empress showed the girl special patronage.

D.G. Levitsky. Portrait of Glafira Ivanovna Alymova, 1776

By the end of the century, the court was considered trendy fabrics light, soft colors, mostly without ornaments and patterns - plain. The most popular shades include: pink, lemon, blue, salad, mother-of-pearl and gray, brown. If the ladies chose fabrics with ornaments, they preferred floral motifs. Floral patterns were made as naturalistic as possible, across the entire width of the fabric, sometimes interspersed with stripes, ribbons or lace. fashionable dresses During the era of Catherine the Great, they were often made of fabric depicting lilacs, wild flowers, jasmine, cherry blossoms or apple trees.

The painting by K.L. Khristinek depicts the wife of Admiral Samuil Greig - Sara Alexandrovna. The woman is wearing a typical dress of the Catherine era - a tightly tightened corset-corsage with a pronounced neckline, rich lace and an elegant silver herbal damask.

K.L. Khristinek. Portrait of Sara Alexandrovna Greig, 1770s

V.L. Borovikovsky. Portrait of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, 1796

Women's dresses of the time of Catherine II were characterized by magnificent solemnity. It should be noted that in tailoring the outfits were quite laborious, they required considerable effort and a significant consumption of material. Other toilets took up to forty meters of fabric - a lot of bows, ribbons and other decorative elements spent a lot of matter, added trouble and a train, which was attached to the already magnificent dresses. He also increased the volume of bustles - a pillow placed under the skirt below the waist. Returning fashion to pre-Petrine folk costumes, the empress introduced layering into fashion: complex drapery of the sleeves, a through fastener in front, in the manner of a peasant sundress.

By the end of the century, the whalebone, from which the frame of the skirt was made, was replaced by wire fizhma, which allowed the ladies to compress the puffy skirt, bypassing the narrow doorways. The length of the dress mattered - to be considered decent and fashionable, the outfit had to reach the floor, hiding the ankles.

The magnificent style of Catherine II also touched on hairstyles - complex styling with the use of hairpieces and various decorative elements came into fashion: feathers, flowers, ribbons, etc. Most often, the hair was combed smoothly, showing the forehead, while the back was divided into curls, curling the ends. Often, hairstyles were supplemented with a headdress in the form of a kokoshnik with a veil. It is noteworthy that this attribute survived until the beginning of the 19th century and was traditionally used as the coronation vestments of empresses.

Unnamed artist after original by Stefano Torelli. Catherine II in Russian dress, second half of the 18th century

Empress' wardrobe

Ceremonial dresses of Catherine the Great were distinguished by their diversity. Guided by the idea of giving a national color to the outfit, the empress preferred the Russian style from the very beginning of her reign.

Bella Adzeeva, RIA Novosti.

The reforms in the field of clothing, which Tsar Peter I began in Russia, were continued by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna: her reign was remembered for magnificent balls and the so-called “tyranny of fashion”. But Catherine II, who replaced the demanding Elizabeth, allowed the boyars to be guided by their own taste and returned fashion to the Russian style.

Fashion dictate of Elizabeth Petrovna

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Peter I and Catherine I, turned fashion and Western manners almost into a dictatorship, in no way inferior to her father, who cut off the beards of the boyars with his own hands. But, if in the time of Peter the Great German costumes were preferred, then Elizaveta Petrovna, by her decrees, finally introduced the fashion for French dress and the Baroque style. It was in it that solemn meetings and balls of the times of her reign were arranged. Under Elizabeth, it became obligatory for noblewomen to change their clothes several times a day. Different dresses were intended for breakfast and morning reception of guests, daytime and evening outings.

The empress herself was a zealous fashionista and was invariably the first to meet merchants from French ships arriving in the port of St. Petersburg. The Russian diplomat in Paris, due to constant spending on stockings, fabrics, shoes and outfits for the Empress, was on the verge of ruin. Along with dresses and jewelry, Pandora's "fashion dolls" came to Russia on ships. Pandora became a European version of street scarecrows, which were exhibited in the city under Peter I as an example of the ideal appearance of subjects. Pandora prefaced the appearance fashion magazines who came to Russia towards the end of the 18th century.

Speaking about the fashion of the era of Elizabeth Petrovna, it is more appropriate to describe not the styles, but the personal preferences of the empress: the inconsistency of the costume to her taste and the inappropriate appearance of someone from the environment could turn into a real massacre. The splendor and pretentiousness of the empress's outfits can be judged from her portraits painted by painters of the 18th century.

Arranging a reception in a country palace, Elizaveta Petrovna demanded from the guests not only solemnity in appearance, but also the coincidence of outfits according to color scheme with palace and garden interiors. “In the Grand Peterhof Palace under Elizabeth, at solemn exits and balls, ladies and gentlemen had to wear special “Peterhof dresses” that were in harmony with the exterior color of the palace and the green and white flowers of the garden with fountains,” writes Academician Dmitry Likhachev. “The palace, in accordance with the dark greenery of the garden and the whiteness of the fountain jets, was also painted green and white under Elizabeth.”

However, the ingenuity of the "fashionable" empress was not limited to this. In 1744 she introduced new form entertainment: now at court masquerades, men were ordered to appear in women's dresses, and women in men's. The innovation, it is not difficult to guess, caused discontent among the boyars, but no one dared to disobey Elizaveta Petrovna. Such secular events were called "transformed kurtags". Catherine the Great recalled them in her notes: "... men in huge skirts with whalebones, dressed and combed exactly as ladies dressed on kurtags; and ladies in men's court costumes. Men did not like such metamorphoses at all, most of them appeared on the masquerade was in the worst mood, because they could not help feeling how ugly they were in ladies' attire.On the other hand, the ladies seemed to be pitiful boys; those who were older were ugly by fat short legs; and of all of them, the men's suit went to only one empress. With his tall and for some dozens she was wonderfully good in men's attire. " Catherine II, who ascended the throne after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, also noted that with the help of the "correct" outfit, one could easily earn Elizabeth's favor, which the future ruler herself successfully used.

"Frenchized sundress" of Catherine the Great

For half a century, the Russian nobility finally got used to European styles and to the fact that all clothes were either brought from Europe or sewn to order in the manner of a French or German dress. But in the sixties of the eighteenth century, traditionally Russian elements of the costume suddenly not only got out of the ban, but also became fashionable. It is interesting that this happened with the accession to the throne of Catherine II, who did not have a drop of Russian blood: the new empress believed that it was necessary to instill national pride and a sense of self-sufficiency in Russian subjects.

The European attire did not fall into disgrace, like the Russian one under Peter, but from the very beginning of her reign, Catherine began to dress in Russian dress, setting an example for court ladies. "The empress was in a Russian outfit - a light green silk dress with a short train and a corsage of gold brocade, with long sleeves. She seemed heavily rouged, her hair was combed low and lightly sprinkled with powder; the headdress is all studded with diamonds," wrote an Englishman who visited the Russian court.

Russian elements were introduced unobtrusively into the costume, serving as a form of national self-identification, while the subjects were allowed to follow the pan-European fashion. The main details brought by Catherine were long hanging sleeves and a short train. Often, dresses from the time of Catherine II were called "Frenchized sundress". The empress sought to get rid of the excessive luxury of the times of her predecessor. She ordered the court boyars to wear the same costumes to demonstrate "the unity of the elite standing above the nation", and for women now they began to sew outfits in accordance with the positions of their husbands. In general, the requirements and regulations for clothing under Catherine II were much freer than at the beginning and middle of the 18th century.

Figma, snuffbox and "frigate" on the head

In the second half of the 18th century, the basis men's wardrobe consisted of a shirt, caftan, camisole, pantaloons, stockings and shoes. The shirt was usually sewn from linen or cambric, with a straight cut and frills. Buttons were pearl or gold, adorned with precious stones. A camisole was put on over the shirt, which repeated the cut of the caftan and was visible from under it. Pantaloons and caftan were usually sewn from the same fabric - most often it was silk, velvet or brocade. The caftan was also often lined with fur. It fastened with two buttons.

Toward the end of the century, the caftan replaced the tailcoat - a new fashion clothes originally from France. Initially, the tailcoat was intended for riding, therefore, for reasons of convenience, its floors were of different lengths. However, later non-military people began to wear a tailcoat, they began to put it on ceremonial receptions. Usually tailcoats were sewn from velvet, cloth or silk, the most common colors were green, black, blue and purple.

Shoes were not designed for the right and left foot: the last of the shoes was made straight, and everyone was forced to break them in on their own. Because of the thick sole and high heel it was quite difficult to walk in such shoes, and in the 18th century many men took lessons in the correct gait from foreign teachers.

hallmark women's fashion that time became a solemnity. A train was attached to puffy dresses, and a bustle (pillow) was tied under the skirt below the waist, which, coupled with the tight lacing of the corset, greatly changed female figure. Dresses at that time were so bulky and lush that one outfit sometimes took up to 40 meters of fabric (a lot of material went to ribbons, bows and other decorations). At the beginning of the century, the frame of the skirt was made of whalebone and was strong enough, but later more comfortable wire fizhma appeared, which allowed women to elegant dresses pass through narrow doors, squeezing a voluminous skirt. Figma became the forerunner of crinolines, which were used until the 60s of the XIX century. The length of the dress had to reach the floor, completely covering the ankles, which were considered indecent to show.

During the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, the clothes of the boyars were strictly regulated. Fashionable decrees of Elizabeth were perceived as an order. "Ladies - white taffeta caftans, cuffs, edgings and skirts are green, with a thin lace on the side, have an ordinary papillon on their heads, and green ribbons, their hair is smoothly pulled up; gentlemen - white caftans, camisoles, and caftans have small cuffs, split and green collars ... with a lace laying near the loops, and, moreover, those loops have silver tassels, small ones, "the empress punished. With the accession of Catherine II, the boyars got the opportunity to be guided by their own preferences and fashion, and not by the preferences of the empress.

Together with french dresses many accessories came into fashion, which became a necessity for the court boyars. One of these household details is a snuffbox, which had both practical and decorative significance.

Eau de toilette, which appeared in Russia at the beginning of the century, did not save during numerous balls with dancing until you drop in rooms without windows, and snuff, which might not contain tobacco leaves at all, had more strong smell. It was believed that tobacco "accelerates the blood" and prevents diseases, therefore fashion accessory quickly spread among the nobility, and sometimes was the most expensive thing in the outfit. Snuffboxes were made of gold and decorated with precious stones, their high cost could be used to judge the wealth and status of the owner, snuffboxes with the image of the empress were especially valued. Such an expensive item required special handling: snuffboxes were taken out slowly, then held in hands for a long time, opened, demonstrating the engraving on inside, and only after they took a pinch of tobacco.

Complex outfits now hampered movement, and high-heeled shoes made it impossible for men to balance without a cane - another necessary accessory. Especially in order to teach the court boyars a graceful gait, dance teachers were invited from abroad. At this time, entertainment and court celebrations were given such importance that the skill of those who danced at the balls approached the verified movements of professional dancers. The foreign guests present at the balls were amazed by the pomp and grace of the dancers' movements. So, often during one dance, each quadrille was dressed in a certain color, which made the action even more impressive.

Women's hairstyles under Elizabeth Petrovna deserve special mention. Most of all, the empress liked her hair whipped up, smoothly combed - Elizabeth herself wore such a hairstyle, forbidding similar styling to court ladies. voluminous hairstyle the empress adorned with a miniature diamond crown. At the same time, huge wigs came into fashion, which were abundantly sprinkled with powder or flour. However, the most extravagant hairstyle of the second half of the century was the "frigate" - decorative ships were attached to the chignon, often exceeding the size of the hairstyle itself. Also, with the help of styling, the ladies reproduced landscapes, windmills and hunting episodes.

"Porcelain" skin was considered aristocratic, natural color faces and, especially, swarthyness, were signs of low or peasant origin. White was abundantly applied to the face by both women and men, in addition, the nobles powdered their wigs. For this, some fashionistas went into the room, where the servant had previously sprayed the powder, and the lackeys, with the help of fans, "cast" the powder onto the wig. After such a procedure, it remained to change powdered clothes and go to the ball.

Luxurious dresses of the middle of the century with the accession of Catherine II were replaced by strict English outfits without unnecessary frills and lace. The dress again began to wear a swinging robe, hung with decorative chains and ribbons.

Fashion innovations second half of XVIII centuries had no effect on the clothes of the peasants, who continued to wear blouses, shirts, ports and caftans. Russian sundresses, shushuns and swing sweaters were still common.

Elements of European fashion penetrated into the peasant environment only at the beginning of the 19th century, when sundresses and shirts were replaced by a more practical German dress-suit.

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It has always been a mystery to me how women of the past could handle such a detail. women's costume how is the train? However, women then knew how to do a lot - and make hairstyles of extraordinary beauty, and wear dresses with corsets, and "play" with a fan at the right moments, and charm men only by showing a shoe from under a long dress, and a fly where to attach. Our time has simplified and simplified everything, which is why the fashion of the past seems so mysterious to us.
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Artist (?) Ceremonial portraits of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, late 19th century
The history of the plume does not know exact date his appearance. Like many items of clothing and everyday life, it most likely came to us from the East, as evidenced by the images of women in long dresses with tails in old Japanese and Chinese engravings. In Europe, the honor of the invention of the train is attributed to the mistress of the King of France Charles VII Agnes Sorrel and it was in the 15th century. A favorite, adultery, a train... well, how can the churches of that time not combine all this together and not recognize the train as the tail of the devil. Dresses with a "devil's tail" were outlawed and ladies were forbidden to appear in them in church. But fashion is stronger than any prohibitions and the train is still victoriously marching around the planet, decorating outfits. elegant ladies...
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Before the Coronation, old French engraving 1805
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Laurits Tuxen Anointing of Queen Alexandra at the Coronation of Edward VII 1903
Due to its "courtly" origin, the train became an attribute of the outfits of royal ladies and ladies of high society. Especially often this accessory of the ladies' toilet can be seen in the coronation and wedding portraits of that time. Later, years later, in a slightly modified form, all other classes will also have it in their outfits, but still, initially it was the privilege of only higher ones. The length of the train was judged on the position of the lady in society. So for queens, the length of this piece of clothing could reach six to seven meters.
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Coronation dress of Catherine the Great, Russia, Moscow Kremlin Museum
The train came to Russia along with European fashion. Any coronation and court celebrations showed the world empresses and court ladies in dresses with "devil's tails". So the coronation dress of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna had a train 2.4 meters long. And Catherine II had it already 3.5 meters long. At the same time, it is worth considering that there was also a special coronation mantle, the "tail" of which was also far from small.
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Coronation dress of Catherine II, Russia, Moscow Kremlin Museum
So a fair question arises: how did the ladies wear such outfits? But it's easy, because. even the furniture was made adapted to this look women's clothing. That very famous canape is a product of the fashion for outfits with trains. Of course, a certain training was needed in order not to get confused in your own "tail", but what can not be done for the sake of beauty! Of course, our Russian empresses were special fashionistas, whose outfits can now be seen in the Hermitage, the Kremlin and other museums.
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Ceremonial dress of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Emperor Paul I, 1820
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Makovsky V.E. Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III 1912
(State Russian Museum)
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Ceremonial dress of Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Emperor Alexander III
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Ceremonial dresses of Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Emperor Alexander III, 1880
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Makovsky K.E. Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
(State Artistic and Architectural, Palace and Park Museum)
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Coronation dress of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, 1896
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Evening Dress Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, N.P. Lamanova, 1906
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Evening dresses of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Auguste Brisac's Fashion House (Auguste Brisac "s), 1906
The outfits of court ladies were also strictly regulated. Women's court attire was a European open dress With fluffy skirt, which since the time of Catherine II began to "reshape" into the Russian national style. The photographs below demonstrate these outfits: they were velvet neckline dresses with folding sleeves and a white embroidered insert on the bodice; there was a wide slit from the waist that opened the embroidered white skirt. The whole dress was decorated with rich embroidery, which had the same pattern as the court dress uniforms of men. Trains were also an indispensable attribute of ladies' outfits. In addition, there was a whole hierarchy of colors of dresses. So the ladies-in-waiting of the Empress had to be dressed in a crimson dress, and the ladies-in-waiting of the Grand Duchesses had dresses of light blue color.
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Russian court lady in full dress, 1900
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Court ladies - Elizabeth Tolstaya and Olga Naryshkina - in full dress, 1900
Russia did not lag behind the whole world with its quirks and court etiquette. Russia followed the Parisian, British and American fashion, in which trains, although they were part of the front and holiday dresses, but still met quite often ... And they still meet. Fashion designers of our time cannot pass by such a luxurious detail of a ladies' toilet, and no, no, and they use the "devil's tail" in their design developments ...
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Typical ceremonial outfits-suits for special occasions (both in Russia and in England)
in the first photo - Princess Paley, in the second - Consuelo, Duchess of Marlborough
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ball gown, France 1805
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Reception dress, France, 1809
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Wedding Dress from Bengal silk, France, 1860
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Ceremonial dress, 1860
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Reception dress, France, Charles Frederick Worth Fashion House, 1896
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Ball gown, England, 1880
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Evening dress, USA, 1880
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Dinner dress, France, Charles Frederick Worth Fashion House, 1883
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Wedding dress, 1884
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Evening dress, 1888
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Ball gown, France, Fashion House of Charles Frederick Worth, 1900
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Ball gown, France, Fashion House of Charles Frederick Worth, 1905