Wedding Dresses 1775-2014 at the V&A

The V&A have put on a beautiful display of 300 years of wedding dresses, including the gowns worn by celebrities, such as Kate Moss and Gwen Stefani. The collection is spread across two floors, organised according to time rather than culture or gender. Each time period is shown to have a preferred style of its own. The reasons as to why are clearly explained throughout the display.

The dresses that were chosen for display provided an interesting and clear idea of the evolution of style and the practicality of wedding dresses. The difference between dresses worn by the rich and those worn by the poor were explained in great detail enabling visitors to understand why trends may have been adopted by certain groups.

Unfortunately taking photographs was not permitted in this exhibition. As a result the images that I will be using have been sourced from the book The Wedding Dress: 300 Years of Bridal Fashions by Edwina Ehrman which is available at the V&A gift shop.

I was elated when entering the exhibition to find out that not all the dresses on show would be white. The vast quantity of extraordinary or unrecognisable wedding dresses displayed was extremely impressive. Details about the designers and the owners of every dress were included, providing a fascinating ethnography to each garment.

Wool wedding suit trimmed with black silk braid, Bon Marché, 1948 (although a daring colour for the typical Western woman, red is a favoured colour used by Chinese and Vietnamese brides)  

'Rajputana' wool coat by Bellville Sassoon, London, 1970 - worn by Sara Donaldson-Hudson (white was deemed inappropriate for this wedding as her husband had already been married. As a result this colourful coat was chosen for the civil service)

Silk wedding dress by Ella Dolling, London, 1941 - worn by Elizabeth King 

Nontheless, this is not to say that the white wedding dresses were any less impressive.

Silk satin wedding dress by Charles James, London, 1934 - worn by Baba Beaton

Wedding dress by Stern Brothers, New York, 1890

Although the display was both visually captivating and aesthetically pleasing, it may have been more successful if it had focused on one culture rather than multiple cultures. It became at times confusing trying to understand the connection between cultures, as in places, little similarities were found. This made the few non-British designs puzzling and it could be argued unnecessary. The collection would have gained from either comparing wedding dresses across different cultures in one particular time period or from only looking at one culture throughout time. A cross-cultural gallery layout would have enhanced viewers knowledge of the meaning of the wedding dress itself and allowed for direct comparison of different cultures understanding of the garment.

The display is both beautiful and interesting! I would highly recommend a visit and even tell you to buy the book as the information provided is both informative and personal, giving character and meaning to each dress.