V&A to offer panorama of fashion over last two centuries

23 Apr '14

4 min read

They used non-rationed fabrics such as upholstery materials, net curtaining and parachute silk, or married in a smart day dress or service uniform. On display is a buttercup patterned dress madein light-weight upholstery fabric by London dressmaker Ella Dolling (1941).

Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 also explores the growth of the wedding industry and the effect of increasing media focus on wedding fashions. Improvements in photography in the early 20th century encouraged photojournalism and society weddings were reported in detail in the national press and gossip columns.

Two of the most spectacular wedding dresses on show are the Norman Hartnell dress made for Margaret Whigham (later Duchess of Argyll) for her marriage to Charles Sweeny (1933), and the Charles James ivory silk satin dress worn by Barbara 'Baba' Beaton for her marriage to Alec Hambro (1934). These dramatic dresses are shown alongside archive film and news clippings of the occasions as examples of society ‘celebrity’ weddings.

The mezzanine level features wedding garments from 1960 to 2014, taking the exhibition right up to date with Spring/Summer 2014 designs by Jenny Packham and Temperley Bridal. Emphasising the glamour and spectacle of weddings today, key designers will include Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Lanvin, Vera Wang, Jasper Conran, Bruce Oldfield, Osman, Hardy Amies, Bellville Sassoon, Mr.Fish, John Bates, Jean Muir and Ian Stuart, with millinery by Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones.

This section explores the changing social and cultural attitudes to the wedding ceremony and marriage in the late 20th century and features examples of innovative and unconventional wedding outfits including dresses designed by Gareth Pugh and Pam Hogg for the weddings of Katie Shillingford (2011) and Mary Charteris (2012).

V&A's

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