Description: Worn by Queen Alexandra when Princess of Wales. This striking tartan evening dress is shaped at the back to accommodate the newly fashionable bustle silhouette that was just emerging at the start of the 1870s. It was possibly intended to be worn for functions at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the royal residence in Edinburgh.
The dress was made by one of Princess Alexandra’s favourite dressmakers, Madame Elise. The name was actually a marketing strategy to suggest French design as the London-based firm was owned and run by Mr and Mrs Isaacson. The dress is stamped on the waistband with the emblems of Royal Appointment and the words ‘ELISE, 170 Regent Street’ – an early example of a garment bearing the dressmakers’ name.