If you were fortunate enough to receive Princess Alix's summons to Sandringham House, you had to pack a lot of clothes. Jennie Churchill's first costume each day would be a riding habit (see Day 88: Riding in Style)--but after returning from the stables, reeking of horseflesh, leather, and the damp Norfolk woods, Jennie would hurry upstairs to her lady's maid, Gentry, and undergo a complete transformation. The dress shown here is by Charles Frederick Worth, and dates to 1880.
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Sandringham House staircase |
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In That Churchill Woman, I describe Jennie hurrying upstairs at Sandringham to change from her riding habit into a mushroom-colored silk gown with bronze trim. This is the day dress I was thinking of--more than elegant enough for writing letters, doing needlework, reading in the library, playing duets with Princess Alix, bowling with Bertie, or challenging Consuelo, Countess of Mandeville, to a match at billiards.
The Day Dress formula hardly changed in summer--although the activities certainly did. More walking out of doors in Hyde Park and country gardens, painting en plein air, conversations in basket chairs under the spreading branches of a great cypress, or simply practicing the piano for hours.
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For more images from THAT CHURCHILL WOMAN, visit the Pinterest board behind the novel.