History of White

 A brief history of wedding dresses...

With another year beginning, and a lot of current wedding gown fashions being influenced by vintage styles, why not track the history of the wedding dress even further? 

White has long been accepted as the traditional colour of the wedding dress, however wedding gowns were not always white. Queen Victoria had more influence on weddings than anyone else when she wore white to marry Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840. 

Stunning 1760's Pannier

A stunning gown from 1775 with full panniers and intricate detailing.

1763

Princess Edwige Elisabeth Charlotte Holstein-Gottorp's wedding gown (1759-1818

Sophie Madeleine (1746-1813) Made in Paris of silver cloth with a whalebone corset with lacing in the back, this skirt was nearly two meters in width.

Princess Charlotte's wedding gown from 1816. Her dress was silver lamé on net, over a silver tissue slip, embroidered at the bottom with silver lamé in shells and flowers.

Queen Victoria, 1840

1857 - Silk bodice with glazed cotton and silk skirt lined with stiffened buckram

1865 silk satin crinoline embellished with Honiton lace

1880 Silk satin with machine-made lace, beading and embroidery by Charles Frederick Worth, whom many considered to be the Father of Haute Couture

1882 - Stunning gold bustle!

1888 - Charles Frederick Worth

1887

1890

1890

1890

1890

The Industrial Revolution also brought about a big change. By the 1890's with the arrival of the department store, almost every woman could live her dream of being married in a 'new' wedding dress. 

1892

1892

Edwardian brides took their Victorian ancestor's traditions ti new extremes. Fashions became more extravagant as the decade progressed, however they came to a screeching halt with the outbreak of WWI. Styles were simplified, and reflected the changing role of women in society. Hemlines were shorter, and tightly laced corsets were discarded., Coco Chanel was a powerful force behind the change in women's fashion, and was the one who officially introduced the short wedding dress in the 1920's.

1907 - Charles Frederick Worth

1900's

1910 Wedding gown

During WWII, women considered it their duty to give up the traditional wedding. If the bride was set on having a white dress, one would be borrowed or rented.

In the 1920's, fashion was followed with a dropped waist, and with a Juliet cap worn low over the brow. 

1914  Such beautiful lace!

After the Roaring Twenties came the depression of the 30's, and the tines were characterised by a change in fashion. Waistlines returned to their natural position and hemlines dropped back below the knee. Instead of the boyish look of the 20's, women chose to emphasise their shape again with the introduction of bias cut gowns that hugged the female form.

Stunning 1929 gown by Madeleine Vionnet

1933

Clothes rationing was introduced in 1941 when fashion almost ceased to exist. Some women made brave efforts with parachute silk, while most others wore borrowed gowns. 

In the late 1940's, Dior paved the way with the New Look. Narrow shoulders, nipped waists, and full skirts.

1940

Dior, 1940's. Such a beautiful gown!

1950 - Elizabeth Taylor

The early sixties showed little change on the bridal front for everyday women. Women still wore circular skirts, sometimes supported by crinolines, tight sleeves and short veils.

1960 - Audrey Hepburn

 Sleeves were the big feature of 70's wedding gowns. After twenty years of tight sleeves cut to a point over the hand, Princess Anne led the way with her extravagant Tudor sleeved wedding gown, and the brides of this decade followed suit with sleeve styles culled from every era.

1970's

1980's

 Which is your favourite era for wedding fashions?

xx