1859 Portrait Recreation - Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna of Russia

1859 Grand Duchess Alexandra Gown

I chose to recreate this gown painted by one of my favourite artists, who I believe captured the grandeur of the Crinoline Era better than any other painter. This was a fantastic exercise in building a silhouette; beneath this dress is a cage crinoline, petticoat and corset which all had to be made before I could even think about creating the main garment. This was also my first foray into flower making, a practice which has largely fallen out of fashion since the Victorian era. Each flower was assembled from many satin petals and then painted by hand.