Wedding dress

Physical description

Wedding dress of cream Liberty silk satin wedding dress with skirt and train. It has a low round neck, pendant girdle and is slightly trained. The sleeves are of machine made lace at the gilet which has a high boned band collar. The collar and girdle are embroidered with formal floral trails in white satin stitch enhanced with pearls and trimmed with fringe. Pearls also trim the edges of the gilet and the cuffs of the sleeves. The dress fastens at the centre back with hooks and eyes. The lining is of cream ribbed silk and the bodice is lightly boned.
[Wedding train] The train of matching satin is attached under the collar at the back. It is pleated at the top, the fullness merging with the flow of the train, and edged with embroidery, which matches that on the body of the dress. It is lined with the same silk used for the dress lining. The borders are interlined.

Place of Origin

London, England (made)

Date

ca. 1905 (made)

Artist/maker

Liberty (satin, manufactured by)

Materials and Techniques

Silk satin embroidered with silk thread, pearls, lace and silk fringe, boned and lined with silk

Descriptive line

Wedding dress of Liberty & Co. Ltd. satin with skirt and train, English, ca. 1905

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

Liberty's wedding dress and train
Liberty & Co. Ltd
London
1906-8

Liberty's department store in London's Regent Street was well known for offering 'picturesque costumes' inspired by historical dress, alongside contemporary styles based on the latest Paris fashions. The embroidered collar and pendant girdle of this dress suggest medieval women's clothing.

Dress: silk satin embroidered with silk, machine lace chemisette
Train: silk satin embroidered with silk
Given by Mr R. Stewart Liberty
V&A: T.463 to B-1976 [2011]

Materials

Lace; Silk satin; Fringe

Techniques

Embroidery

Categories

Textiles; Clothing; Embroidery; Fashion; Marriage; Formal wear; Lace; Women's clothes

Collection code

T&F