Figure 1.--Alexei is seen here with the whole familyin a portrait taken about 1913. He was 9 years old. In this informal portrait he wears one of his sailor suits.

The Tsaraevich Alexei is more associated with the sailor suit than any other garment. He wore sailor suits more commonly than any other European royal--even the possible exception of the English royals. By the time Alexei was 5 or 6 years old he began dressing mostly in sailor suits styled on those worn by Russian elisted sailors. Some of the early photographs show Alexi waring short pants sailor suits with strap shoes. The photographs of him as an older boy show him wearing long pants sailor suits. He wore a combination of outfits. He had both white and dark suits. He also sometimes wore a white middy blouse with dark trousers. The dickies for his middy blouses often had broad stripes. Until World War I began, unless formally dressed he usually appeared in sailor suits. Presumably this was due to the preferences of his German mother.

Association

The Tsaraevich Alexei is more associated with the sailor suit than any other garment. He wore sailor suits more commonly than any other European royal--even the possible exception of the English royals.

Mother

Until World War I began, unless formally dressed he usually appeared in sailor suits. Presumably this was due to the preferences of his German mother.

Ages

By the time Alexei was 5 or 6 years old he began dressing mostly in sailor suits. He stopped wearing them when he joined his father at the front during World War I. The War with Germany was not going well. The Tsar's decission, however, proved a serious miscalculation with dire consequences for him and his family.

Style

Alexei's sailor suits werestyled on those worn by Russian elisted sailors. The dickies for his middy blouses often had broad stripes.

Types

Some of the early photographs show Alexi waring short pants sailor suits with strap shoes. The photographs of him as an older boy show him wearing long pants sailor suits.

Garments

HBC has noted Alexei wearing most standard sailor suit sailor suit garments, including caps, middy blouses, and reefer jackets. While he commonly wore sailor caps, I have no noted photographs of him in sailor hats. He wore several different styles of middy blouses. His pants also varied, but primarily based upon his age. After he joined his father at the front, he seems to have stopped wearing sailor suits.

Colors

Alexei wore a variety of sailor outfits. He had both white and dark suits. He oftern wore a combination, a white middy blouse with dark pants. scombination of outfits. He had both white and dark suits. He also sometimes wore a white middy blouse with dark trousers. We are unsure about the precise shades Surely some of them were blue and blue must have been used in the trim of the white suits. The available images suggest that some of the suits were very dark, presumably navy blue. We do not know if some were black, but navy blue seems very likely. Some color images show a rfoyal blue. We are unsure, however, as to the accuracy of these color depictions. We do not know if other colors were used besides white and blue. We are also unsure about the colors of the striped dickies he often wore with his sailor suits.

Figure 2.--The sailor suit was clearly worn by Alexei, but it was worn for many other occasions as well. Note the streamer on Alexei's cap.

Conventions

HBC is not sure what the conventions were for Alexei's sailor suits. They surely were a play outfit. They were also acceptable enough for many informal prtraits as well as intimate portraits with his parents. We are also unsure about why certain colors were worn. Certainly it must have been darl suits in the winter. All white suits, however, were primarily worn when he was a younger boy. As an older boy he appears to have worn white middy blouses with blavk trousers during the summer.

Created: June 23, 2001
Last updated: 5:03 AM 2/7/2006