Wedding dress of silk satin with a tulle train, designed by Aida Woolf, London, 1914

Wedding dress with a tulle train:
Wedding dress of ivory silk satin covered with glass bead re-embroidered net. It has a satin sash with the ends embroidered to match the flower pattern on the lace. The dress has a round neck, short sleeves, a high waist line and an above the ankle length scalloped edged skirt. It fastens at the back with hooks and eyes and has a wide grosgrain waist belt with a label. With wide satin peplum down back of skirt with spray of flowers.
Wedding train of re-embroidered lace, lined with pink ruched tulle and bordered with pleated tulle. It fastens at the shoulders with hooks. Edged with frills.

Given by Mrs B. Rackow

Worn by Phyllis Blaiberg, daughter of Mr and Mrs Joseph Blaiberg of Edgar Lodge, 123 Maida Vale, London. for her marriage to Bertie Mayer Stone at the Bayswater Synagogue, Chichester Place, London on Wednesday 9th September 1914 at 2.30pm. Afterwards, the reception was held in the Regent Suite at the Great Central Hotel, on Marylebone Road, London, from 3.30pm to 8.30pm.

The following announcement was printed in The Jewish Chronicle, September 18th 1914, pg.1:
"Blaiberg; Stone - On Wednesday the 9th of September, 1914, at the Bayswater Synagogue, by Rabbi Dr. H. Gollonzc, assisted by the Revs. D Keain and A. Barnett, Phyllis, daughter of Mr and Mrs Blaiberg, Maida Vale, and Bertie Mayer, eldest son of Mr and Mrs Stone, Joahannesburg."


According to the donor of another Aida Woolf designed wedding dress in the collection, the dressmaker was an extremely high-class and exclusive London couturier of the period and a rival of Reville and Rossiter, who made the Princess Royal's wedding dress. Woolf's clientele, many of whom were renowned for their sense of fashion, insisted on absolute exclusiveness of design. This precluded any publication in contemporary fashion magazines of Aida Woolf designs. This lack of documentation and media attention has meant that Aida Woolf has become largely forgotten, although in her day she was clearly highly regarded by her clientele.

Aida Woolf was born in 1886 in Mile End, London, the daughter of Emmanuel Wolf, a commercial traveller. and Sarah Wolf. The family, with Aida and two younger children. lived in 70 Lincoln Street, London, in 1891. On the 1891 census her name is spelled Ada Wolf. In 1901 Woolf was an apprentice dressmaker in Hackney who lived at home. She married a Mr. Benjamin in 1914 in St Marylebone

T.856&A-1974