What will she Wear?
Valentines Day opening for ‘What will
she wear?’ exhibition
February 2011
A special display to celebrate the
Royal weddings of 2011 opens at Bath & North East Somerset
Council's Fashion Museum on Monday 14 February.
Over 30 of the Fashion
Museum’s most exquisite cream, ivory and white the
finest wedding dresses will be on show at the ‘What will she wear?
The enduring romance of the wedding dress’ exhibition .
Many of the exhibits are over 100 years old, delicate silks
with gossamer fine lace and embroidery, all carefully
hand-picked for the new display.
"The Royal weddings in April and later
this year give us the perfect opportunity to share the riches of
the Fashion Museum's collection of wedding dresses with our
visitors," commented Rosemary
Harden, Manager of the Council-run Fashion
Museum.
" WHAT WILL SHE
WEAR? (the question of course asked of every
bride) will include wedding dresses lovingly made of the finest
silks brocaded with metal thread, lustrous silk satins, even crisp
white nylons; some of the dresses are decorated with ribbons and
bows, some with cascades of antique lace and some are just
heart-stoppingly beautiful in their pared-down classical elegance.
We are aiming to show the richness and variety of the white wedding
dress down the ages, as well of course the enduring romance
of the traditional style".
White has been the colour most
associated with wedding dress in western cultures for well over 200
years and WHAT WILL SHE WEAR?will
present historical examples from the early 19th century. The most
up to date wedding dress in the exhibition is a white lace dress,
with an asymmetric hem by designer Alexander McQueen worn in Summer
2010, and especially lent to the Fashion Museum for the
display.
The display at the Fashion Museum will
also include a selection of framed sepia photographs, all part of a
previously unseen archive collection of 1930s wedding
dresses by the Paris couture house of Worth.
What Will She Wear? Royal Wedding
Teas
There will also be a series of Royal Wedding
Teas in March and April, at the Tea Room in the Assembly Room.
There will be tea and cakes and Fashion Museum Manager Rosemary
Harden will give an illustrated talk about Royal Wedding Dresses.
Tickets include admission to the Fashion Museum and the ‘”What will
she wear?” exhibition.
The teas take place on Tuesdays March 15,
March 29 and April 12, at 3pm. Tickets are £12 or £10 for Discovery
Card holders and are available from Bath Festivals Box Office at 2
Church St, or call 01225 463 362.
What Will She Wear? photography
competition
The Fashion Museum is inviting visitors to
upload a 'family fashion show' on their website - they are looking
for images of your wedding dress, your mother's or your
grandmother's (ideally all 3) along with any information, where
they were worn and when. You can upload up to three photographs
showing the fashions at any one wedding. The competition will close
on June 14th. The prize will be a day out in Bath for 2, including
a ticket to the Fashion Museum and champagne tea in the Pump Room.
Logon to the website at http://www.visitorreview.com/weddingdressphoto
-Ends-
Notes to editors
For more information on the
competition and images contact: Maggie Bone, Museums
Publicity Officer, Bath & North east Somerset Council, mailto:maggie_bone@batnes.gov.uk