Wedding Dress
1992 (made), 15 August 1992 (worn)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This dress was worn by the fashion model Lisa Butcher for her marriage to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White on 15 August 1992. The ceremony took place at the Brompton Oratory, London, following a whirlwind six month romance. The ceremony was covered by Hello! magazine.
The bride's choice of gown proved controversial. It was designed by Bruce Oldfield, a British couturier known for his dramatic and glamorous designs. The dress, in clinging white crêpe, has a low neckline and cutaway sides, and apart from a bra style fastening, is backless. It reportedly cost £3,000. The bridegroom took an instant dislike to it, considering it inappropriately sexy and revealing. In interviews he later said it was "more suited to the catwalk than a church aisle" and "I think a woman should dress for the man she is marrying only, and her choice was wrong for the occasion. It was sexy for the world but not for me, and I told her so."
The marriage lasted four months. After the divorce, Lisa donated her wedding dress to a charity raffle to benefit ChildLine, where it was won by a relative of the donor.
The bride's choice of gown proved controversial. It was designed by Bruce Oldfield, a British couturier known for his dramatic and glamorous designs. The dress, in clinging white crêpe, has a low neckline and cutaway sides, and apart from a bra style fastening, is backless. It reportedly cost £3,000. The bridegroom took an instant dislike to it, considering it inappropriately sexy and revealing. In interviews he later said it was "more suited to the catwalk than a church aisle" and "I think a woman should dress for the man she is marrying only, and her choice was wrong for the occasion. It was sexy for the world but not for me, and I told her so."
The marriage lasted four months. After the divorce, Lisa donated her wedding dress to a charity raffle to benefit ChildLine, where it was won by a relative of the donor.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Viscose crêpe and beading, and lined with synthetic satin-backed crêpe |
| Brief description | Moss viscose crêpe wedding dress, designed by Bruce Oldfield, London, 1992 |
| Physical description | Form-fitting bias cut white moss polyester crêpe wedding dress with a deep round neckline and long tight sleeves. Very low scooped back. Bodice cut away at the sides with sleeves connected across the back by a brassiere type strap. The skirt extends into a long train. Edges of neckline, back-and-midriff cutaway and pointed cuffs of sleeves bordered with heavy white and silver applied beading. Lined with heavy synthetic satin-backed crêpe. |
| Production type | Haute couture |
| Credit line | Given by Ms Julia Bridges |
| Object history | This dress was worn by the model and TV presenter Lisa Butcher on the occasion of her marriage to Marco Pierre White, the celebrity chef, on 15 August 1992. The ceremony took place at the Brompton Oratory following a whirlwind six-month romance. The marriage was short-lived, lasting 15 weeks, with the bridegroom taking immediate umbrage with the bride's choice of wedding dress. "Lisa Butcher [...] infuriated him on their wedding day by wearing a £3000 Bruce Oldfield dress which offered more to the camera than a husband had a right to expect to be offered that evening. 'Yes, it was sexy. But who was it sexy for?' The marriage lasted 15 weeks." (Marco Pierre White interview with Euan Ferguson for The Observer, 21 April 2001.) "I think a woman should dress for the man she is marrying only, and her choice was wrong for the occasion. It was sexy for the world but not for me, and I told her so." (Marco Pierre White interview with The Daily Mail, 1 July 2006) |
| Summary | This dress was worn by the fashion model Lisa Butcher for her marriage to celebrity chef Marco Pierre White on 15 August 1992. The ceremony took place at the Brompton Oratory, London, following a whirlwind six month romance. The ceremony was covered by Hello! magazine. The bride's choice of gown proved controversial. It was designed by Bruce Oldfield, a British couturier known for his dramatic and glamorous designs. The dress, in clinging white crêpe, has a low neckline and cutaway sides, and apart from a bra style fastening, is backless. It reportedly cost £3,000. The bridegroom took an instant dislike to it, considering it inappropriately sexy and revealing. In interviews he later said it was "more suited to the catwalk than a church aisle" and "I think a woman should dress for the man she is marrying only, and her choice was wrong for the occasion. It was sexy for the world but not for me, and I told her so." The marriage lasted four months. After the divorce, Lisa donated her wedding dress to a charity raffle to benefit ChildLine, where it was won by a relative of the donor. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.198-1997 |
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| Record created | June 19, 2009 |
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