13 August to 17 September 2005

  

Crème de la Crème: An exhibition of bridal finery from the Marion May Collection

Saturday 13 August to Saturday 17 September 2005 at Guildford House Gallery

Marion May, popular local costume collection is back at Guildford House Gallery in August with her Crème de la Crème Exhibition. She will be showing couturier designed dresses from the Houses of Norman Hartnell and John Cavanagh, as well as wedding dresses from her collection dating from 1907 to 1964 in shades of off-white to deep cream.

This glimpse into Marion’s extensive collection includes a Parisian made ‘Directoire’ dress from 1912 (see photo), a simple cut adult bridesmaid’s dress from the First World War, and a mid-1920’s bias cut ivory silk dress.

There is an ivory velvet trained dresses which was worn at a New Year’s Eve wedding in 1938, and a cream and gold brocade ‘bustle’ dress which was worn by a bride at Malvern Priory in 1964.

The off-the-shoulder brocade dress was worn by three brides in the same Cheshire family between 1958 and 1965 - providing both the something old and the something borrowed!

The elegant cream two-piece Edwardian dress is known to have been worn at a wedding at the Lutheran Church in Denmark Hill. There is also a 1964 nylon organza crinoline style dress made by Fenwicks of London.

In addition to the dresses themselves, various accessories will be on display, including wedding handkerchiefs, a mother-of-pearl and white ostrich feather fan carried by a young Armenian Bride in Istanbul in 1907, wax head-dresses and an ivory prayer book.