Happy Thursday morning all. I’m so happy this morning to hand over the blogging reigns to my friend and colleague, Tamryn Lawrence, of The Candid Apple. Tamryn attended the V&A in London on behalf of Love My Dress yesterday for a press viewing of the soon to launch exhibition ‘Wedding Dresses: 1775 – 2014’. Here, Tamryn shares her experience of being amongst the first in the world to view this stunning collection of historic wedding dresses.
I’d love to know, in the comments section below, if you will be visiting this exhibition which runs from 3rd May 2014 to 15th March 2015, and what you think makes an iconic dress?
Baba Beaton’s (photographer Cecil Beaton’s sister) Charles James gown from 1934
On Saturday 3rd May, the V&A opens the doors to a major new exhibition – Wedding Dresses 1775-2014. What could be more beautiful, more indulgent and more of an absolute must-visit than this? Imagine the silks, the tulles, the lace, the pearls and the satins that will be on show. Pure unadulterated escapism.
Kate Moss’s wedding dress by designer John Galliano
But, just hold on a minute because there’s more on show here than you might think. This exhibition is part social history, part time-travelling experience and a total testimony to love and the ability of weddings to let us step outside of the everyday. For us, the lucky visitors to this exhibition, we are invited to share in the country weddings, society weddings, wartime weddings and celebrity weddings that are showcased here.
Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale in Dior
The exhibition’s curator, Edwina Ehrman, says that the collection is about the wedding day itself and the unique choices that we all make for these occasions. The undeniable magic of weddings is, she says, proven by the fact that the wedding industry was one of the only sectors left relatively untouched by the financial wobbles of 2008. Everyone getting married, whatever their religion, culture, social position and personal history wants a wedding that’s theirs and dresses are a perfect expression of this desire for individuality. From a 1775’s bride’s new dress to a full-on designer spectacle made for a supermodel, it’s clear that, even in these cynical days, wedding days are beyond special.
Katie Shillingford (fashion editor at AnOther Magazine/Dazed & Confused) in her Gareth Pugh wedding dress
However, what struck me most as I wandered in open-mouthed rapture from gown to glorious gown are the number of things that all brides share – the nerves, the excitement, the hopes, the dreams and the feeling of starting out on a new life. It’s amazing to think that we all share more than we might imagine with an eighteenth century farmer’s daughter, a sociality from the 1930s, a wartime bride and a supermodel. So, once you’ve caught your breath and prepared yourself for all the pretty, you can indulge and lose yourself in this perfectly put together exhibition.
The ground floor takes you on a journey from the late eighteenth century through to the end of World War Two. For me, some of the highlights here are two wildly different dresses from the 1930s. The first, a Normal Hartnell creation with a 3.6m tulle train and a silk satin sheath dress bought traffic to a standstill for three hours when Margaret Whigham wore it to her 1933 wedding. The other, from 1934, couldn’t be more different with a high neck, a dramatic divided train and a very figure hugging cut.
Margaret Whigham’s Norman Hartnell gown being worn on the day and on exhibition at the V&A
Also, on this floor, are two wartime gowns – one from 1914 with evening-dress influences, scalloped hems and a ruffled train and one from 1941 when, unable to obtain a more conventional bridal fabric due to strict rationing, florist Elizabeth King wore a dress made from un-rationed upholstery fabric.
Image of Alda Woolf’s 1914 wedding gown above, taken by Tamryn on her iPhone
If history isn’t quite your thing then head upstairs and prepare to be dazzled. Bridget Bardot inspired short dresses, hand painted coats from the 1970, a silver collared creation and gowns inspired by every culture from around the world are all here. They are all beautiful and they all demand your attention.
Images above taken by Tamryn on her iPhone (top image Dita Von Teese’s wedding dress)
On this floor are the gowns of the A-listers. The dresses of the superstars that we’ve seen in magazines and also dresses by designers we know – Ian Stuart, Alice Temperley and Jenny Packham to name a few. Dita Von Teese’s attention grabbing purple gown stands unashamedly apart from the rest whilst Gwen Stefani’s dip-dyed Dior dress and Kate Moss’s ‘Phoenix’ Galliano gown, complete with 270,000 sequins and embroidery that took more than 700 hours to complete, stand close by and scream personality.
Image above taken by Tamryn on her iPhone
The Duchess of Cornwall’s elegant dress and coat (plus that amazing Philip Treacy headdress) is another piece that’s worth lingering by. The contrast of this beautifully restrained piece and the riotous ‘Flower Bomb’ by Ian Stuart that occupies the same case is quite something. Again, it’s all about personal style. It’s all about choosing a gown that is all you. Now and for years to come.
Shots above of Kate Moss’s wedding dress taken by Tamryn on her iPhone
The exhibition isn’t just dresses – there are hats, headdresses, garters, corsets, satin and leather slippers from centuries past, killer heels from the modern day celebs, veils and even the suits of the men who were lucky enough to escort these brides. Whatever your obsession, there’s more than enough to swoon over.
As a celebration of bridal design, the V&A exhibition is a triumph. To bring together so many stunning gowns that are in such immaculate condition is nothing short of a miracle. Elizabeth Ehrman puts this down to the fact that wedding dresses are precious, not just to the bride in that moment but to her family, her children and her grandchildren for decades and even centuries afterwards. Our interest in weddings and all that comes with them lasts for many lifetimes.
Shots above of the Duchess of Cornwall’s dress, taken by Tamryn on her iPhone
Don’t go to this exhibition if you’re short on time. It’s to be enjoyed and savoured as something special. Don’t just look at the dresses; search out the stories behind them. Don’t expect to feel nothing – the clever staging, the photos, the old newsreels, the quotes from brides, parents, grooms and friends through the years draw you in, just like every wedding does.
Images above taken on Tamryn’s iPhone
So, do whatever you need to do to make it to the V&A to visit the dresses. Ooh and ahh at the details and the craftsmanship, sigh over the styles of years gone by and just think, your wedding, your dress and your choices, wherever and however you choose to get married, will be making history. You’ll share a little something with every bride who’s gone before and every one that will come after.
Shots above of Annabel’s book, Style Me Vintage Weddings, taken on Tamryn’s iPhone. The book is one of the only non V&A publications available for purchase as part of this exhibition
The V&A Exhibition – Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 runs from 3rd May 2014 through to 15th March 2015. Tickets are £12 (concessions are available) and the exhibition is open daily. There is also a series of related events, including talks by designers such as Alice Temperley and Bruce Oldfield, running in conjunction with the exhibition.
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Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
