Wedding dress

Physical description

Ivory wedding dress and headdress made of shantung silk. The dress is floor-length and has a two-piece train which is detached at the neck so that it flows to the ground in the style of an eighteenth century sack-back dress. The headdress is v-shaped with a net veil and plastic combs for attachement. The ensemble is hand and machine-stitched

Place of Origin

France (designed)
London, England (made)

Date

early 1963 (made)
March 1963 (worn)

Artist/maker

Heim, Jacques, born 1899 - died 1967 (designer)
R.L. Salmon Ltd (maker)

Materials and Techniques

Shantung silk, net and metal

Marks and inscriptions

[Wedding dress] Jacques Heim, Paris London, Made in England

Dimensions

[Wedding dress] Circumference: 55 cm waist, Circumference: 84 cm bust, Width: 28 cm centre back, Length: 40 cm to waist, Length: 145 cm overall, front, Length: 164 cm overall, back, Length: 44 cm sleeve, approximately, Circumference: 116 cm hips, Length: 110 cm skirt front, Length: 130 cm back, Circumference: 295 cm outer hem, Circumference: 177 cm hem of skirt lining
[Wedding headdress] Length: 75 cm Top point of the headband to the bottom of the veil, Width: 205 cm greatest width of the veil

Object history note

Given by April Olrich. Worn by the donor on the occasion of her first marriage in 1963.

Historical context note

The wedding dress ensemble was worn by April Olrich, a soloist with the Royal Ballet for 5 years. She wore it on the occasion of her first marriage which ended in a divorce. The society wedding was covered by the press but was not on the front pages due to the Profumo Affair which broke out on the same day. April did not want to carry a bouquet of flowers so she held her mother's prayer book from which satin ribbons flowed. The stains on the dress are part of its history. April said that the stains must have been caused by her uncle who accidentally spilled champagne on it during the celebrations.

This dress would have been made by R.L. Salmon Ltd, a London dress manufacturer who acquired exclusive rights to make and sell the couturier Jacques Heim's designs in London from 1957. In most instances, R.L. Salmon Ltd used the French fabrics that Heim recommended, and Heim always approved the end product.

Jacques Heim (1899-1967) was an original, inventive and creative designer. He designed elegant evening dresses, coats and wedding gowns as well as sportswear and beachwear. He was born in Paris and in 1923 took over the furrier business started by his parents in 1898. In the 1930s he established his own company on the Avenue Matignon, with his wife as directrice. His creations helped bring about a revolution in beach fashions. He also helped popularise the bikini featuring it in his 1946 collection under the name 'Atome'. Between 1946 and 1966 he opened his own chain of boutiques and from 1958 to 62 he was president of Chambre Syndicale de la Couture.

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

Full-length dress and headdress
Jacques Heim (1899-1967)
Made under licence by R.L. Salmon, London
1963

This dress was worn by actress April Olrich for her wedding in 1963. Its clean silhouette and elegant simplicity are typical of bridal styles in the early 1960s. The train, formed from the extended tails of the bow attached at the centre back neck, features in another Heim bridal design called Colombe (dove).

Shantung silk
Given and worn by April Olrich
V&A: T.404:1, 2-2001 [2011]

Materials

Metal; Net; Shantung silk

Techniques

Woven; Made

Categories

Clothing; Fashion; Marriage; Hats & headwear

Collection code

T&F