Wedding dress, shantung silk lined with satin, muslin and net. Train stitched to the neck of the dress so that it flows behind in the style of an 18th-century sack. JACQUES HEIM, British and French, 1963

Wedding headdress, v-shaped band covered in shantung silk, net veil. Attached to the hair with plastic combs. British, 1963

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

Given by April Olrich

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

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 godfather 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.

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