(Source: http://strana.ru/journal/afisha/21400155)

A new exhibition «A Russian woman’s dress of the second half of the XVII century» has been opened at the Moscow united culture preserve (the territory of Kolomenskoye). The reconstructions of 18 articles that formed noble Russian women’s suits of the XVII century will be presented at the front stoop of the Empress’s mansion at the palace of Tsar Aleksey Michailovich. During the reconstruction of the suits the specialists used the materials analogous to those found while studying the necropolis of the great Russian princesses and empresses at Ascension Convent of the Moscow Kremlin. 

Besides, the exhibition presents garments, footwear and head dresses of the State Historical Museum and the culture preserve «Moscow Kremlin» collections, images of Russian women of the XVII-XVIII centuries in traditional clothes, descriptions of suits articles that were kept in the archives of the XVI-XVII centuries.

The ideal of woman’s beauty that existed in Russia of the XVII century was a tall and stately lady, and visually the suit creates and emphasizes this majestic appearance. The clothes were made of expensive Russian fabrics or fabrics brought from abroad: cloth, coarse calico, taffeta, satin, and velvet. The form of the dresses was loose with very long sleeves, embroidered with gold and adorned with pearls, lace, and jewels. 

The exhibition will last till the 27th of July, 2013.