New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-09
"SUNNY.'
NOTES on THE YOUNG CZARINA.
CLOTHES. HER TEMPER AND HER GOOD

ms feminine readers. ] learn from her that
~ bridal dress Of the Princess AliX. who will be
rsss ere this letter reaches New-York is hand
'"hroidered with silver, in the Byzantine style.
,ho embroderers were set TO work the
.roserent of Nicholas and Ax was officially an
n,ced They culed from Finland, where
nssdlework is. in Sweden and Norway. carried
rarfection and from Bessarabia. The extreme
9Th and south Of Russia were thus brought to-
.,ber Russian artist furnished the design. The
a,ck slken stuff on which the embroidcrers worked
~,s furnished by Lyons weaver. The heraldc
rms of Hcsse- Darmstadt, quartered with those OF
Great Britain. were brought into the pattern. for
the Car : pio"u Vi HIS oiue ues0eh' iro" queen
victoria
1dveit in previous letter the English breed
,,s OF the Princess AliX or. to call her by her
or,hodox name, Alexandra Feodorovna. She has
..ken with her TO 81. Petersburg her English
rurserv soveruess. Miss Orchard. a typical old
maid all usefulness formalism fidelity and affec-
tor Miss orchard was. nearly thirty years ago,
cont 10 Darmstadt by Queen Victoria. and de-
voted 10 all the five Princesses of the Grand-ducal
,ouss of whom Her Britannia Majesty is the grand
mother She promised the late Grand-duchess
Alice. when. in 1875 that illustrous and angelic
woman was dying of Group. never to quit sunny.
sunny" was a contraction for Sunshine. the
nickname, love-name. given TO Alix as baby,
because she had bright disposition and was al
wavs laughing. At the date of her mothers death
sunny" then in her sixth year was the youngest
member of the family. the baby Mary having pre-
deceased by few days the Grand-duchess Alice.
This Mary was the goddaughter of the then En-
press Marie Feodoroyna. who was also her grand
aunt Alix. Miss Orchards charge. called after
all the daughters Of Queen Victoria. her own
mother Of course included. but the spelling Of the
name was changed 20 the old French style, pre-
vent the Germans mangling it. They pronounced
Il Alice.
The late Car. II is said, enjoned his son in
writing as a sacred duty to marry Alix of Hesse-
parmstad; within nine days after his own funeral
There never before instance of Care
witch Of the Romanoff Holstein Gottorp family
coming TO .he throne unmarried. 1t would shock
Muscovite feeling were he TO present himself for
coronation without a wife at his side. am told
that the sweet sympathy of the Princess AliX for
the widow. children, brothers and sisters of the
late Car has greatly endeared her TO the whole
Court She had either her sister, the Grand
duchess sergius. or her dear Miss orchard" al
ways with her from the time she arrived at
Livada. Miss Jackson. the schoolroom governess
also appointed to that post by Queen Victoria. re-
tired from it years ago. all her five Prin-
cesses having Finished their education. Miss
Orchard is to remain long as she lives with her
iu:trious nurseling. who is still sunny TO her.
Let us hope the radiance OF Alexandra Feodorovna
will justify in polar Russia the bestowa on her Of
the love-name OF Sunshine" Should she bring
with her the sunshine OF the heart the Russians
will idolize her. They are amiable people and
deeply sensible TO the beautiful and taking quail
ties of the gentle SEX The Russian lady who
has been furnishing me with details about the
court Of ST Petersburg says that during the Mill
Is, fever the late Car was protected by the con-
slant companionship of the Czarina She was a
charming little being. and looked light and grace
full as a bird beside him. The most ruthless
dynamiter shrunk from casting at him bomb.
which, in exploding. must kill or njure her as
well. The soft. fawnlike eyes Of Alexandra Eco
dorovna sure to captivate all classes at ST.
Petersburg and Moscow.
Twenty skilled dressmakers OF Paris were sent
TO ST. Petersburg to work at Court mourning
within a week after the Cars death. Forty others
have since joined them. They travelled by ex-
press and frstclass, for 1t would never do TO let
them catch cold on the way. A lady OF the Court
went in the same train to look after them. Orders
sent to custom-house officials to pass on their
boxes without examination They took with them
Quantities Of stufs that had been telegraphed for
TO Lyons ST. Etienne. Roubaix. Elboeuf, Calais
the great manufacturing places for machine made
lace All these stuffs were lack-lustre and black
or white The white ones were for the bride and
her Youthful sister-in-law. the Grandduchess Olga
White is the mourning OF the young. great
number of dresses cut out here. and all the
made ready TO be applied at st Peters
burg. II was thought preferable TO cut them out
merely in Paris. TO he able TO pack them
fat in boxes Dressmakers sent on could sew them
together after trying them on the INDUSTRIOUS
ladies' for whom they were destined. The Grand
Chamberlain prescribed the outer form these robes
were to take But he did not NEEDLE with the
trimming of the neither hens Of skirts with un-
derskrts French coutureres were therefore. in re
gard TO these. fancy free An underskirt OF the
widowed Czarina of thick faille. under duil
mousseline de sole or silk gauze of cobweb light
ness AS a train is prescribed in the mourning reg
ula,ons the underskirt was made to support this
appendage The back breadths OF the faille petit
coat were two yards long, and had stiff lining
A deep finely pleated nounce went round the edge
o. the garment, train and all On II were set nine
o. extremely narrow lack-ustre black Six
ribbon. The under trimming OF the mem or the
underskirt was formed OF "chcoree OF MOD
crate depth In front, ard OF immoderate depth be-
hind. II was Of notched faille, and very thickiy
pieated A white robe for the bride. in faie. was
covered with white mousseline de sole The edge
Of the skirt and of the wide falling sleeves were
bordered with a peating Of thick faille' ravened
a. the edges give IL feathery lightness ieather
edglng would not. it appears. be mourning. This
trimming was ready TO be applied. As did not
See II on the dress. can only imagine what us
effect would be. In about fortnight the bride
will be furnished with dresses OF more stately
character in light violet. or pale he1otrope' or
shite A silver brocade pale violet has been or
dered AT Lyons for her first grand reception. am
told that any color suits her. as her hair Is OF
warm nut-brown shade. and her brows ana eye
lashes are dark and her complexion that OF a
blonde She resembles the late Lord Charles Ham,
iton. brother OF the Duke OF Hamilton who was
related to her through his mother, Baden Prin-
cess The features are OF the same outline. the
hair almost the same auburn color as his was anu
the eyes OF exactly the same shade.
II may further Interest feminine readers 10 kho"
that fbx an I'D IN g.
be made I'm ~ q fashionable ladies' outftters She
began to work three years ago at an outfit wnich
she said would be nice to have. either married or
single. and was assisted by Swiss embroioerers.
On being engaged she sent for bevy OF ski'ied
neede-workers to Appenzell. and had assortmehts
OF embroidered things fetched thence Between ,"'S
work, her Russian studies. her correspondence "ei
lnr1 rida. IA L.. ..ial. Engiand where she met