Qui a le droit?; Black Wedding Dress

Physical description

Wedding dress and veil. Black net veil, high-necked embroidered net body under low-cut black silk satin bodice and skirt, richly embroidered with silk, chenille and metallic threads, with overskirt in off-white silk satin.

Place of Origin

Paris, France (made)

Date

1993 (made)

Artist/maker

Lacroix, Christian, born 1951 (designer)

Materials and Techniques

Silk satin, silk net, chenille, silk and metal thread embroidery, paste gems

Dimensions

[Wedding dress body] Circumference: 61 cm waist, Circumference: 88 cm bust, Width: 36 cm shoulder to shoulder, Length: 41 cm to waist, Length: 60 cm sleeve, Depth: 60 cm crotch, Circumference: 15 cm wrists
[Wedding dress bodice] Circumference: 61 cm waist, Circumference: 81 cm bust, Width: 40 cm shoulder to shoulder, Length: 42 cm to waist, Length: 43 cm sleeve, Circumference: 24 cm wrist
[Wedding dress skirt] Circumference: 57.5 cm waist, Length: 133 cm back, Length: 116 cm front

Object history note

Part of a wedding ensemble (wedding dress, veil, shoes and accessories, T.241:1 to 16-1993) designed by Christian Lacroix, Spring/Summer 1993 collection.

Registered File number 1993/988.

Descriptive line

Black Wedding Dress, coloured silk and gold thread embroidered silk satin, designed by Christian Lacroix, France, 1993.

Exhibition History

Unveiled: 200 years of wedding glamour from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. (Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington 17/12/2011-22/04/2012)
The White Wedding Dress: 200 Years of Wedding Fashions (Bendigo Art Gallery 01/08/2011-06/11/2011)

Labels and date

'Qui a le droit' (Who has the right?) wedding dress
Christian Lacroix Couture
Paris, 1993
Shoes: Sidonie Larizzi (b.1942) for Lacroix

Grace Mirabella, editor-in-chief of American Vogue from 1971-88, described Christian Lacroix as a designer for 'women who dream of grand spectacle'. He created wedding dresses for many celebrities including singer Christina Aguilera in 2005. In the early 1990s, when this dress formed the finale to his catwalk show, bridal wear accounted for 40% of the orders from his fashion house.

Dress (body, corset and skirt): silk net, lycra and silk satin, with gold leaf, foil, beads, paste gems, chenille embroidery and costume jewellery
Shoes: silk satin and leather
Given by the designer
V&A: T.241:1 to 4, 7 to 16-1993 [2011]

Production Note

Spring/Summer 1993 collection.

Materials

Silk (textile); Silk thread; Metal thread; Chenille; Paste gems; Silk net

Techniques

Embroidering; Sewing; Satin weave

Categories

Embroidery; Fashion; Marriage; Hats & headwear; Women's clothes

Production Type

Haute couture

Collection code

T&F