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

All in the Details

Of all the wedding photographs we receive, my favourite is often one of the dress, hanging in the bride's room, waiting to be worn.


A shot from our Playful Shades story in Issue 8 featuring the Charlize gown from Lisa Gowing. The coat hanger belongs to my mum who worked as a stylist for many years and lent it to us for the shoot.

It must be one of your favourites too as we see this shot in many of the wedding submissions we receive. I can't tell you how often we receive versions of this photograph where the dress is divine, the setting is perfect but the coat hanger is horrid. If you are considering including a shot of this kind in your album, make sure you have a lovely coat hanger ready to display your beautiful dress - hangers of the wire or plastic variety simply won't do.

My choice would be something with character like these from David Met Nicole - vintage printed Edwardian hangers.





It really does make such a difference to the final shot and definitely worth considering.

Posted by Jane Cameron

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

Vintage Rules
If you're like me a love finding a bargain in a vintage shop then you'll be thrilled to hear that one of the Queen's of Australian fashion, Leona Edmiston, is launching a new consignment program in her vintage boutiques. This neat concept offers customers the opportunity to turn unwanted past season frocks into Leona Edmiston vouchers and give their wardrobe a revamp without spending a cent! It sounds too good to be true! Simply drop in at any time to a Leona Edmiston Vintage Boutique (Sydney & Melbourne) and give them your pre-loved dresses. Once you have agreed on your set price tag for the item, Leona Edmiston display it on the shop floor and when it is sold, give you 50% of the profit in a Leona Edmiston Gift Voucher! What a great way to update your wardrobe for a fraction of the cost! Visit www.leonaedmiston.com for more details or to find a store closest to you.





Posted by Emilie Harrison