 |
| Wedding gown of drapery silk, 1941 This and all related images from: The Victoria & Albert Museum |
This stunning wedding gown from 1941 was worn by Miss Elizabeth King when she married Rowland Absalom on September 6 at a church in Hyde Park Square, London. The gown is unique in that it isn’t white. While this may seem strange to us today, it’s a perfect example of the spirit of the Second World War when many brides opted for colorful, rather than white, gowns during that time of strict rationing when fabric choices were limited. Brides were forced to use whatever fabric they could find and some dresses were even made out of parachute silk.
Elizabeth, we’re told, wanted a traditional style of dress and found a beautiful satin curtain material of yellow flowers with green stems (in 1941, rationing did not yet extend to furnishing fabrics). Miss King commissioned Ella Dolling, a Court dressmaker of Portland Street, London, to fashion it into this lovely gown. For luck, a horseshoe of blue ribbon was sewn into the dress.
In the fashion of the period, the dress features fitted sleeves which are slightly puffed at the shoulder, a sweetheart neckline and long stiff skirt. Elizabeth, whose ancestor bequeathed the gown to the V&A, stated that she “opted for a prayer book instead of a bouquet” and artificial flowers on her head, although Rowland did wear a carnation in his buttonhole. This is notable inasmuch as Elizabeth King was a well-known London florist.
Later, the sleeves of the dress were removed so that the new Mrs. Absalom could wear the dress as an evening gown afterwards; they have now been re-attached to the dress.
No comments:
Post a Comment