Moda i ve Kort: 100 Years of Fashion

[The Esrova Court 1477]

Published by the Mistress of the Wardrobe

7th of Tov ag Yermey, 439 ES

Karosgrad Trends: 

100 Years of Independence

Isabel of Valwyck on her wedding day, circa 1782

 

Dearest Readers,

 

Moda i ve Kort has served dutifully under the prior rule of Koenas Emma, and shall continue to provide insight on Courtly fashion. Since the rule of Koenas Annika and her efforts to encourage the resurgence of Ruskan wear, the devoted Mistress of the Wardrobe is obliged to continue her service under the household of Koenas Amadea. To build upon legacies and provide regulation of fashion standards is a great honor. Without further ado, we present Moda i ve Kort: The history and fashion of the courts of Karosgrad since the Dual Kingdoms independence. 

 

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Introductory;

In the years prior to Queen Isabel's reign, the majority of High Haeseni Society emulated the trends of the Orenian Courts down south. The Haeseni had simply adopted trends not their own, through their Orenian Hosts successful balls and displays. Following the establishment of their independent Nation, the Courts of the newly formed Dual Kingdom resolved to develop their own style of courtship attire, suited to the harsh weather the North bore. 

 

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Karosgrad Ornament

 

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Lady Palatine Marcella Barclay

340 - 380 E.S.

 

On the 18th of the First Seed, 1786, Queen Isabel “The Dancing Queen” found herself ascending to the position of Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska, thus sending her forth into redesigning the royal courts in her image. Throughout her reign, she and Josef I would become independent of the Holy Orenian Empire and be the first royal pair on Almaris. These dramatic changes in environment were reflected in the clean style found in the courts during her tenure as Queen-Consort.

 

Dresses from this period in time preserved well, the sewing done excellently. Quality over quantity owned the market. Queen Isabel’s more famous gowns were later worn by Queen Mariya and passed down to Princess Royal Petra Emma.

 

Orenian Influences

Although her reign began with the dissolution of Hanseti-Ruska from the Holy Orenian Empire, the Orenian influence on fashion remained present. Along with Isabel’s lineage, the style of Orenian gowns never left the courts during Isabel’s reign. The Alto-Modernism and older Kraijan Minimalism styles were highly popularized and stayed in fashion long after her reign, eventually establishing itself away from the Empire.

 

Common garbs were of simplistic design to accentuate the ideal of the effortless female. The style consisted of smaller fitted corseted tops, forming the Alto-Modernism high waistline along with a panel in the front of the skirt which would open to a petticoat. The petticoats were usually lined with simple aurum embroidery nearer to the hems of the dress. Sleeves were tight and covered the arms to below the elbow, opening up to delicate lace. 

 

In place of shawls that the Orenians wore, Hanseni women had to adapt to the colder weather of their country. Choosing to don furs around their shoulders of polar bear or fox pelts. 

 

Colors

Colors were dull, dark, and simple. Most donned blues or reds due to the excessive abundance of both dyes. They had yet to develop meanings, only being worn by price. Rarer or expensive colors like purple were solely afforded by the Queen and her daughters.

 

Jewelry

At this time in history, Haense had lackluster quarries, making jewels and large golden embroidery rarer sights. Yet, instead of feeling shameful, most looked back on this period as modest and the simplistic style of Kraijan Minimalism fed into this. Royals wore tiny tiaras of gold and most owned small strings of pearls from the harbors. 

 

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Early Ruskan Society

 

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High Justicar Tatiana Kortrevich

380 - 390 E.S.

 

Unlike Queen Isabel, Annika had an eye for the expensive and luxurious. Even before her formal time as Queen she had developed high standards for her future courts when it came to manners, etiquette, and fashion. Famously, as she rose to queen she published “The Resurgence of Ruskan Fashion” in 382 E.S. This marked the true shift in tides with new ideas rapidly spreading across Annikas court. It was an era indicative of advancement. 

 

Ruskan Style

Ruskan fashion had much history and existed long before this era. However, the courts were overcome with the corset and open skirt style of Karosgrad Ornament. Change did not occur until Queen Isabel’s daughter, Princess Royal Katerina, introduced a new traditional garment named the “Sarafan”. This style would be slowly integrated into the courts of Hanseti-Ruska and later popularized by Queen Annika once she inherited the courts formally. 

 

The Queen had a love of Ruskan style from her early upbringings, yet still respected the open skirt style of the era. Wearing much of that during her reign. Her real contribution to the beginning of Ruskan fashion in Haense was one of the first things she published, “The Resurgence of Ruskan Fashion” in which Annika would write about the intricate details of Ruskan fashion.

 

The garment consisted of a white underdress and an overdress. If the wearer was young, a belt would be tied around the waist to contribute to the youth's purity and support childish movements in times of activity. The white underdress covered one's arms and upper torso for modesty and warmth. It would include embroidery styles and ribbons. The overdress is the most complicated part of the beloved style, and also began the shift from the open skirt design to fastenings at the front of the gowns. Simpler overdresses were worn day to day, but for court, jewels were added to the garb to bring life to it.

 

Poneva’s were attempted to be introduced, which included a plaid or striped skirt wrapped around the hips, a long loosely fitting shirt, and an apron that was heavily decorated with lace and embroidery. The idea of an apron was offputting most fashionable young ladies. So, the garment did not stick around for long or was expected to be worn only by older women.

 

Colors

A great change occurred during this period when it came to colors. They now had complex meanings and one, simply by looking at another, could tell who they wanted to be portrayed by. Many studies have been conducted into colors and their respective symbolism, so we at Moda will merely give two to three words to each color.

 

Red; love, devotion, country

Orange; caution, determination, strong minded

Yellow; friendship, death, country

Green; envy, wealth, fertility

Blue; high confidence, adventurer, imagination

Purple; nobility and magic

Pink; youth and playfulness

Gold; royal

Black; mourning, piety, country

White; purity, devotion to faith, and marriage

Brown; humility

 

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Late Ruskan

 

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Emma of Jerovitz, Queen-Consort of Hanseti-Ruska

390 - 430 E.S.

 

Queen Emma grew up at Jerovitz, largely secluded from the Royal Court. As was common with Haeseni children, she wore the sarafan in her younger years. Emma had always favoured bright colours in contrast to the colder hues typically sported by noblewoman of the wintry nation. Donning floral patterns and brighter silks from childhood, upon inheriting the Royal Courts from Queen Annika, Emma created a new wing of the courts to realise her vision. It would be a department to expand culture, namely fashion, led by the esteemed Mistress of the Robes. And thus, the lengthy Late Ruskan period was born, and with it, Moda i ve Kort, marking a dramatic break from previous Orenian styles, and cementing a new era of dress in modern Haeseni history. 

 

Ruskan’s Evolution

Ruskan fashion was flaunted during this period. Beyond the Royal Court many women wore kokoshniks and Ruskan-style skirts, while veils and headdresses became commonplace to see around the city. Moda i ve Kort was an instrumental force in cementing and recording these etiquette rules, as missives and studies were published to update the wider nation on what the Royal Court deemed proper and popular, in terms of dress. 

 

It was in the Late Ruskan period that one of the remaining Orenian influences, that of the “open skirt” style of dress, was discarded in practice in favor of the poneva and sarafan styles. Children and the lower class often wore loose-fitting, simpler versions of the highly-decorated and beaded creations of elder nobility. Queen Emma popularized the Ruskan vest - a jacket, often embellished and threaded with gold - worn for extra warmth over one’s dress, or to act as a looser bodice. 

 

Longer sleeves were made popular, more fitting for the colder climate of Haense. The style moved away from the shorter puffy sleeves of Orenian influence. Many court dresses had a large outer sleeve which draped down, and a smaller slim one, tailored to wrist-length, within it. Dresses and tunics evolved to match the Queen’s personal style - that being colorful and bold, layered fabrics for both aesthetic and practical gain, with detailed embroidery and embellishments. This new era replaced the prior simpler designs of the early Ruskan. White underdresses of the sarafan were often dyed other colors to compliment the overskirt.

 

Colors

As alluded to before, the traditional darker Haeseni fabrics - typical of the cold Northern region - were worn less and less among younger folk. The elderly favored darker tones to highlight their maturity, whereas younger fashion transitioned to an assortment of bright and pastel colors. Publishing a study on the meaning of Haeseni colors, Late Ruskan fashion became an outlet to express status and emotion more than before. Pink garnered a new meaning under Queen Emma as her signature color, representing herself and this new age of color, while also being a symbol of the Karenina Movement later in her reign. 

 

Adornments

Kokoshniks provided ample opportunity for the key jewelers of the Haeseni Kingdom to experiment with their embroidery and jewel-encrustment. Bead work grew in popularity, both on robes and headpieces. From gems placed on kokoshnik, to strings of pearls hanging down. Jewels were assigned status and meaning, consolidated by the Queen’s jeweled brooches, which were distributed to the members of her Court and those who had earned Emma’s trust. From her personal love of the natural world, floral embroidery and patterns were commonplace within her Court - a style inherited from generations before, but popularized in this period. Veils and sashes were also defined by further Moda posts, indicating a rise in modesty. 

 

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The Amadean Era

 

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Princess Aloisa, Duchess-Consort of Rothswald

430 - Present E.S.

 

Out of sheer whit did the Basrid Queen, Amadea of Susa, take hold of the courts. After her match with Karl III for love, she would inherit the courts gracefully from Queen Emma. The Rhenyari Queen shared more than a name with the almost Empress of Oren, but a love for dramatic change in fashion. Almost as soon as she adopted the last name ‘Basrid’ she took up the Rhenyari style, and when she was passed down the courts she would attempt to spread the style across her courts. 

 

This future era, although not concrete, has been frequently worn by the royals since the marriage of Karl III and Amadea.

 

Influence from Rhenyari

The cultural influences of the Ruskan Queen shifted with the transition to the Rhenyari Queen, Amadea of Susa. Amadea's influence soon spread throughout the Morrivi Prikaz courts, and classical Susan styles became more popular amongst the higher classes, resulting in the popularization of silk, bamboo, and linen fabrics. The focal point of the new Era was its notably lower waistlines, delicately soft pastel hues, and bringing back an old tradition, the Royal color being gold. 

 

Jewelry

Adding a touch of elegance to every outfit, jewels can coordinate with necklaces, rings, earrings, or any other outer accessories a person may have in their collection. Traditionally, gold or silver is used to make each piece. A newly curated ornate jewelry collection is flourishing in the Palace now that the position of Court Jeweler of the Morrivi Prikaz has been filled and etiquette for gold has been developed. 

 

Drapery

With the ascendancy of Rhenyar over the courts, a duller, flowy silhouette had emerged as the most feminine option for wear whether it be casual or formal, the fashion now straying away from the more structured shape of the past. The Amadean Era calls for the replacement of the denser gowns of yesteryear with shawls, floor-length coats, and fur-lined capes instead.

 

Along with the change from thicker fabrics to linens and silk, more layers are recommended as the safest route for day-to-day wear, especially as the harshest of winters seem to grow closer each day. Veils are still quite prominent in today’s courtship attire, a refined yet loose wimple is considered standard in any married woman’s daily wear, but quite unexpectedly, the younger and uncoupled crowd have seemingly taken on the modest look as well.

 

 

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Signed,

 

HER ROYAL MAJESTY, Amadea of Susa, Queen-consort of Hanseti and Ruska, Princess-consort of Bihar, Dules, Lahy, Muldav, Solvesborg, Slesvik and Ulgaard, Duchess-consort of Carnatia and Vanaheim, Margravine-consort of Korstadt, Rothswald and Vasiland, Countess-consort of Alban, Alimar, Baranya, Graiswald, Karikhov, Karovia, Kaunas, Kavat, Kovachgrad, Kvasz, Markev, Nenzing, Torun, and Toruv, Viscountess-consort of Varna, Baroness-consort of Esenstadt, Kraken’s Watch, Kralta, Krepost, Lorentz, Rytsburg, Thurant, Venzia and Astfield, Lady of the Westfolk, Protector of the Highlanders, etcetera.

 

HER LADYSHIP, Nikoleta Barbara Baruch

Mistress of the Wardrobe

 

HER LADYSHIP, Maya Ekaterina Ruthern

Ward to the Mistress of the Wardrobe

Spoiler

OOC:

Ty for Zaerie, Juliana101, and Zuziee for the skins used

Mady’s post for The Resurgence of Ruskan Fashion referenced

Amyselia’s post for Fashion Epotic referenced