Unveiled: 200 Years of Wedding Fashion

From the Victoria and Albert Museum
 London

Presented at The Museum

of New Zealand,

 Te Papa Tongarewa

Te Papa is situated in the heart of Wellington, New Zealand

Romance

Glamour

Extravagance

Dita Von Teese on her wedding day, 2005. Dress by Vivienne Westwood, hat by Stephen Jones. Photograph by and courtesy of Odessy Barbu.

On Now until 22 April 2012
Admission charges apply

If you are in New Zealand or visiting New Zealand before 22nd April 2012 taking a visit to this exhibition is well worth the effort.

Experience the evocative world of weddings through this extraordinary collection of wedding attire from the 19th century to today. See outfits inspired by tradition, practicality, fashion, fantasy – and, of course, love.

Wedding dress and coat designed by John Bates for his Jean Varon label, London, 1966. Cotton gabardine trimmed with silvered PVC. Worn by Marit Allen for her marriage to Sandy Lieberson in London on 10 June 1966. ©Victoria and Albert Museum

Embroidered silk satin wedding dress by Norman Hartnell, London, 1933. Commissioned by Margaret Whigham for her marriage to Charles Sweeny on 21 February 1933. Given and worn by Margaret, Duchess of Argyll. ©Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A Images

Highlights include celebrity gowns by stellar international designers such as Norman Hartnell, Vivienne Westwood, and Christian Lacroix. Also on show are special commissions by New Zealand designers WORLD, Lindah Lepou, and Jane Yeh.

How is it that the traditional western European white wedding dress has become the garment of choice for brides in many countries and cultures? And what do wedding dress styles say about the social and economic conditions of their day? You'll learn some of the answers from this magnificent display.

Embroidered silk wedding dress by Christian Lacroix, Paris, Autumn/Winter 1992-93 Haute Couture. Given by Christian Lacroix. Photograph by Guy Marineau © 1992

Silk brocade shoes purchased from Peter Robinson, London, 1914. Worn by Phyllis Blaiberg for her marriage to Bertie Mayer Stone at the Bayswater Synagogue, London on 9 September 1914. Given by Mrs B. Rackow ©Victoria and Albert Museum / V&A Images

Francis Hooper, Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, and Benny Castles discuss their inspiration for the outfits that appear in Unveiled. Plus, we peek backstage as the dress is prepared for its debut at New Zealand Fashion Week. 

More pictures, videos of interviews with designers, recordings by the curator of the museum and much more is available on their website. Even if you can't make it to Wellington to see this exhibition it is definitely worth a visit to their website:

http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/WhatsOn/exhibitions/WeddingDress/Pages/default.aspx

Angelic Events

In our summer issue, on sale now, we did a Meet & Greet on the lovely Jessica Aguilera, Creative Director of the dynamic event design company Angelic Events. Specialising in wedding and corporate event planning, Jessica's talents extend to theming, centrepiece design and floral art. Here's what she had to say when we spoke with her.

How did you get started in the industry?
My career beagn in the corporate world in the early 90's working in event management. Wanting a change I moved into weddings and corporate events and saw an opportunity to service the industry with a higher level of attention after my own experiences with suppliers. It was then I discovered my true passion - styling

Describe your signature decorating style?
New York contemporary and French elegance with a splash of vintage

What's the most valuable skill you bring to a couple's wedding?
Creativity and organisation

What aspect of wedding planning or styling is your speciality?
Creating the vision and telling the couple's story through the design we have incorporated for their wedding day

What is it about weddings that you love?
I love seeing my client's special day come together just as they expected. Seeing the love and happiness captured amongst friends and family on such a memorable day makes it all worthwhile

if you'd like to speak to Jessica further about your upcoming event visit her website at www.angelicevens.com.au.





Posted by Emilie Harrison

Make Me Up

Q&A with Makeup Artist Jay Jay Rauwenhoff

With over 20 years experience in the beauty industry Jay Jay has worked with a huge list of celebrities such as Sophie Monk, Lara Bingle and Olivia Newton-John. She has also worked with magazines as well as on tv commercials, films and Australian Fashion Week. Celebrating the launch of her first boutique hair and makeup school, Jay Jay Makeup School Sydney, I sat down with Jay Jay to pick her brains about wedding makeup. In the last 10 years Jay Jay has also worked on over 400 weddings, making her a wedding day makeup queen.



Business - Jay Jay Makeup School, Sydney, Australia

Best tips - When applying makeup it is essential that you blend, blend, blend. Less is always more.

Insists upon - Using the right brushes. It makes applying makeup much more simple.

Colour forecast for spring/summer 09/10 - Fresh colours such as gold, warm bronze, amber shimmers, browns and fresh glowy looks as well as vibrant 80’s colours - fuchsia, lilac, vermilion and blue share space on the eyes with amber shimmers as nude and cream tones.

Favourite makeup product - I really love Guerlain Bronzing Powder NR 2 but have many different favorites like Stila Cream Blusher. MAC Hush Cream Eye Shadow is a great highlighter for the nose and cheek bones.

Favourite celebrity you've worked with - Catriona Rowntree was a delight to work with! She is a naturally beautiful person who has the perfect beauty features to make any look possible. In addition, she is the most down to earth Australian celebrity I have ever worked with making my experience memorable and a delight.

Must haves for a wedding day clutch - Blot powder by MAC and Nars lip gloss in Turkish delight.

Most common makeup mistake made by brides - The most common error brides tend to make is applying excessive amounts of foundation, which makes their appearance look cakey. Another regular beauty mistake made is by brides who are drawn to applying the smokey grey tones on their eyes and often don’t blend enough.

Most memorable job experience - Was when I arrived at the house of Lady McMahon for a job and there was torrential rain. A butler greeted me with a fabulous umbrella and as you can imagine, the whole day was an incredible experience – very opulent and rich.


Jay Jay did the hair and makeup of the gorgeous Haruka Takeuni when she was married earlier this year

If you'd like to get in touch with Jay Jay to discuss your wedding day makeup visit her at www.jayjay.com.au or www.makeupschoolsydney.com.au.

Posted by Emilie Harrison

Top Cat
The contributors to the Etsy site never cease to amaze me. Look at this spectacular top hat from Topsy Turvy Design in the US. I know, I know - it's dramatic but in the right wedding setting, I think it would look spectacular.


The Victorian Top Hat in Velvet $199USD + shipping

All things of a millinery-manner are top of mind with us at the moment. Our London correspondent, Elizabeth Syer, compiled an inspiring story about key UK milliner Stephen Jones for the current issue.

Here are a few of Mr Jones' delightful creations…



To read about the magical work of Stephen Jones, see Issue 11.

Posted by Jane Cameron

Expert Interview - SugarLove Weddings
We are lucky enough to work with some of the most talented people in the industry, one of them being SugarLove Weddings who have photographed some of Australia's A-List celebrity weddings. We asked Director Leigh Taylor for some inside information and are lucky enough to have her all time favourite pics to tell the story…

WSG:Where are your favourite places in the world to shoot?
LT: I love the light in the Greek Islands, Southern California and Sydney's Northern Beaches & Eastern Suburbs, although a favourite place to shoot is usually dependant on who you are shooting. If it is a wedding the location should support the subject if the couple are being featured, not overtake the communication.

WSG: Do you often find the best pictures are captured when the couple/bride least expects the photo is being taken?
LT: Yes, the more spontaneity the better the result.

WSG: Does a reception have to have eleaborate styling to get truly breathtaking photos?
LT: Not at all, simple, individual touches usually create the best photo opportunities although natural lighting always helps (if achievable).





WSG: Where do you get best results – City/Country/Beach?
LT: We love working in all locations. Again natural light is king and a perfect shot is always about the emotion on the day.



WSG: Do children add an unexpected element in wedding photos?
LT: Sometimes, unexpected reactions create some surprising results. Having a love for children always helps on the day.



WSG: Do you love shooting colour in a wedding? Or is all black/white equally striking?
LT: We cover all weddings in both colour and black/white. Both are required to stitch together a strong narrative from the day.



WSG: What qualities should a couple look for when hiring their photographer?
LT: Experience in all areas of photography and an acceptance that the bridal couple are the stars of the day. Allowing events to unfold without prompting or directing people is also helpful in achieving the SugarLove style of photography.

WSG: What details within the wedding play the most important part in your photography.
LT: The couple, the attention to detail, the lighting and the emotional committment to living in the moment.





WSG: Tell us a bit about yourself…?
LT: As Director of SugarLove I oversee all of our divisions of photography that include Advertising, Editorial, Fashion and Weddings. Having been involved in hundreds of weddings to date from co-ordination of both Photography & Video coverage right through to providing advice on the best choices in areas of Hair/Makeup, Venue, Flowers and Stationery you develop a strong eye for what will work for a couple. Organising my own weekend wedding getaway was a great experience. Realising that the actual day goes so quickly really drives home the importance of having the very best photography & video to relive the moments.



To see more gorgeous photos visit SugarLove's website at sugarlovepictures.com/weddings