Dress, back, worn by Queen Alexandra

Queen Alexandra the wife of Edward VII, formerly Princess Alexandra of Denmark was considered very beautiful and stylish. She wore this dress at the christening of her grandson the future Edward VIII in 1894. The dress is a striking example of her style. The fullness of the sleeve, the long bell shaped skirt, tight fitting bodice, accentuated waist and high collar are all characterisitic of the style features she popularised at the time and remeniscent of the tailored 2 piece riding costumes she favoured.It is also a clever interpretation of the third stages of mourning dress etiquette. At the time there were 3 stages of mourning following a bereavement, lasting months and sometimes years. The initial stages would call for dressing completely in black, then more muted shades including mauve were adopted in the final stages.This dress, originally a bright lilac colour, features black bands of moire silk trimming and woven black spots in the silk that reflect this mourning protocol and demonstrate Queen Alexandra was still in mourning following the death of her eldest son in 1892.