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Wedding Dress

1969 (made), 11 December 1969 (worn)
Artist/Maker
Muir, Jean (designer)
Place of origin
Great Britain (made)

Jean Muir was known for her minimalist, perfectly proportioned designs in quality fabrics. This dress was worn by Pamela Talmey, a former Vogue editor, when she married William David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech, in 1969. The fine white wool dress has a high mandarin collar, puffed sleeves, and an empire waist. The sole trimming is an applied Celtic design in braid on the bodice. At the wedding, the bride wore strips of braid in her hair to match the dress braid.

Many fashionable late 1960s and 1970s brides bought outfits by current designers, rather than from a specialist wedding boutique. This cream wool dress looks appropriately bridal, but was versatile enough to be worn afterwards as an evening dress.


Object details

Categories
Womenswear
Marriage
Fashion
Europeana Fashion Project
Object type
Wedding dress
Materials and techniques
Worsted wool twill trimmed with braid
Worsted
Wool (Textile)
Twill Weave
Braided
Couched
Brief description
Wedding dress of cream worsted wool twill with braid decoration, designed by Jean Muir, Great Britain, 1969
Physical description
Wedding dress of cream worsted wool twill with an empire waist, a flared skirt and couched cord braid decoration trimmed on the chest.
Dimensions
  • Waist circumference: 71.5cm
  • Bust circumference: 82.5cm
  • Overall length: 135cm
  • To waist length: 32cm
  • Sleeve length: 64cm
  • Wristband circumference: 22cm
  • Skirt length: 103cm
  • Hem circumference: 272cm
Dimensions taken by Conservation for Wedding Dress mounting, 2009
Gallery label
  • Designed for a winter wedding, this dress is cut with a high waistline and full-length, gently flared skirt. It has a high neck with a stand-up collar and long sleeves gathered into deep cuffs. The minimal decoration consists of couched cord on the bodice and precise, evenly spaced rows of top-stitching on the collar and cuffs.(1997)
  • Dress with Celtic scrollwork Jean Muir (1928-95) London, 1969 Headdress: Graham Smith (b.1938) Shoes: DalCo, Italy When Pamela Colin, American Vogue's resident London editor, married Lord Harlech she commissioned her dress from Jean Muir. Muir was one of London's most respected ready-to-wear designers. She was known for her understated approach and meticulous attention to detail. The bride's tasselled headdress, designed by Graham Smith, added a fashionable finishing touch. Dress: wool Headdress: cotton and synthetic fibres Shoes: silk crêpe and leather, with ribbon rosettes trimmed with artificial pearls Given and worn by Pamela, Lady Harlech V&A: T.268 to C-1986(2011)
  • WEDDING DRESS English, Jean Muir, 1969 Cream worsted twill with couched cord decoration The dress is cut with a high waistline and full-length, gently flared skirt. It has a high neck with stand-up collar and long sleeved gathered into deep cuffs. The minimal decoration consists of couched cord on the bodice and precise evenly spaced rows of top-stitching on the collar and cuffs. Such careful attention to detail and finish are the hallmarks of Jean Muir's clothes. Worn and given by Pamela, Lady Harlech T.286 [sic] to C-1986(1988)
Credit line
Given by Lady Pamela Harlech
Object history
Registered File number 1986/2143.
T. 268 to C-1986 designed for and worn by Pamela Talmey-Colin for her marriage to William David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech, on 11 December 1969.
Summary
Jean Muir was known for her minimalist, perfectly proportioned designs in quality fabrics. This dress was worn by Pamela Talmey, a former Vogue editor, when she married William David Ormsby-Gore, 5th Baron Harlech, in 1969. The fine white wool dress has a high mandarin collar, puffed sleeves, and an empire waist. The sole trimming is an applied Celtic design in braid on the bodice. At the wedding, the bride wore strips of braid in her hair to match the dress braid.

Many fashionable late 1960s and 1970s brides bought outfits by current designers, rather than from a specialist wedding boutique. This cream wool dress looks appropriately bridal, but was versatile enough to be worn afterwards as an evening dress.
Associated objects
Bibliographic reference
De la Haye, Amy, ed. The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947-1997. London: V&A Publications, 1997.
Collection
Textiles and Fashion Collection
Accession number
T.268-1986

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Record createdSeptember 16, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84282/wedding-dress-muir-jean/
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