Fashions of the Last Russian Czar and Czarina

Empress Alexandria: wife of czar Nicholas II who reigned from the late 1800s to 1917.

Empress Alexandria wearing what was known as kokoshnik, a headdress for women that has been worn for centuries in Russia by women of all classes. Empress Alexandria's kokoshnik was studded with diamonds and made of velvet trimmed with pearls. Veils hung to the floor for married women. By the twentieth century, this style was abondoned in favor of a simple tiara.

Czar Nicholas II was never seen without his signature beard. It's sort of ironic considering he would have had to pay a beard tax under Peter the Great if he had lived during the 1700s. By this time, Russian imperial autocracy had chose to resurrect the Russian tradition of sporting a beard for men. Also, facial hair was in vogue during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. Nicholas II is shown wearing a blue sash with a left tasseled shoulder, a signature trait reserved for kings and generals.