Weddings of the past, and the Victoria effect

Morag requested that we devote a few posts to the subject of wedding fashion, and so I volunteered to do one from a historical point-of-view. As so often the only clothes that survive are those of high-ranking people, I am throwing in some Royal Weddings as well.

I find it fascinating that wedding dresses didn't used to be white. Often they were just the best dress that you had or could make, and you would use it again after your wedding. I was fascinated to learn, when I visited the new Robert Burns museum in Ayr, that his wife's wedding dress had been black! He bought 15 yards of black lusterine (a twilled cotton in imitation of silk) from a Glasgow merchant, and they were married in 1788. The dress does not survive, but a swatch of the material miraculously survived in the hands of a descendant who lives in America. The swatch of silk is now in the museum in Ayr.

The swatch of material.

Perhaps the dress may have looked something like this!

The following picture is from the 1970s series "Poldark". Although their costuming isn't always spot-on (it takes frightful flights of fancies sometimes, though some of it I do love, however inaccurate), I love that they didn't put Elizabeth in a white dress, for indeed, in this period (much the same as that when Robert Burns and Jean Armour wed) they did not wear white.

The following two gowns are from the Regency era:

Here's where the Royals start creeping in. This was the dress of Princess  Charlotte, daughter of Prince Regent Edward of England. The dress has silver thread!

A close-up, capturing the lustrous feel of the gown.

Next we skip to Queen Victoria, who was married in 1840. It is generally believed that Victoria laid down the law on white wedding dresses, and we haven't diverged very far from that since. 

Victoria's actual wedding dress. There was originally lace on the skirt, but sadly it was removed and reused for other gowns. 

A beautiful portrait of Victoria in her wedding dress. Notice the lace!

There are many royal weddings, of course, but for the sake of simplicity and the size of the post, I'm sticking with the Brits.

I'm skipping ahead again - to 1923, when Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, married King George VI. A prototype of this dress was auctioned off in 2011 and sold for £3,500!

The dress on display.

Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mother in her wedding dress.

 Queen Elizabeth the second was married in 1947. Apparently, hundreds of girls sent her their ration coupons in order for her to have a dress.

Perhaps one of the most famous of royal wedding dresses was that of Princess Diana, who married Prince Charles in 1981. It had a 25-foot long train! It is an interesting dress fashion-wise, as it seems to combine the large sleeves of the 1890s (the puffed sleeves that Anne of Green Gables was so wild about) with the large, crinolined skirt of the 1850s or 1860s. 

Princess Diana & Prince Charles.

Ooft! Look at that train!

More recently, we had the wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William. This was a very lovely dress, simple but beautiful with nice lace detail. 

Lovely!

An imitation of the dress (obviously not as lovely) that I saw in a Glasgow shop window only days after the wedding. 

Nice day for a white wedding... Or off-white... Or gold.

This is a lovely Papilio dress. I love the Grecian style mixed with the exquisite beading!

My niece got married just over a week ago, so I have had wedding dresses on my mind. It is my firm opinion that a woman can never be too old, too young, too single or too married, to enjoy looking at beautiful wedding dresses. There is something so etherial and elegant about a gorgeous wedding dress. And it's not just what the dress symbolizes: Marriage, Family, Happily Ever After. It is THE dress. The quintessential garment that will live forever in our memories, and possibly everyone else's (especially if it is particularly beautiful and unique).  

I love the chiffon mixed with the lace. And those sleeves are amazing! (Another Papilio dress.)

Plus, it is the one time in an average girl's life where she can spend a ton of cash on one garment and not feel guilty about it. And all eyes are always on the bride, wondering what her wedding dress is going to look like. It's kind of like the Oscars Red Carpet, only whiter and with more lace. So, I have decided to post some pictures of some current wedding dress designs that I hope you will enjoy! And in honor of my niece Afton, I wish you all the best on your journey ahead!

These three beauties are designed by Ersa Atelier.

This is one of my favorites, that's why I included two pictures.  That lace detail at the top kills me! And I am in love with the overall silhouette! 

I am a sucker for well used lace! This is a very sophisticated dress that maintains femininity.  Plus, it's very timeless!

I know many of you will scoff at this, but I am a big fan of 70's flowey dresses, and also pleats. So, to me, this is a match made in heaven! Plus the high, detailed collar is the perfect contrast to the rest of the dress! (I don't know who the designer is on this one.)

You can never go wrong with Vera Wang. Those ruffles are simply divine!

Another Vera Wang, I must say that I really like the collar, even though it's a little crazy and definitely unusual.

These next two are Ida Sjostedt. I love this one for it's simplicity and I also love the sleeve length. It's just an overall, dreamy dress!

The beading on this cape/jacket is mind-blowing! I want one of these to wear to church!

These next two are Alexander Mcqueen (the same who designed Kate Middleton's famous wedding dress). I like these because they stray from the wedding dress formula, but maintain the same level of loveliness. The gold beading here is perfect! She looks like a statue!

Some may say that these three are bordering on crazy, but if you throw out the horns and really look closely, I think you'll see just how amazing they are! The middle one makes me want to faint actually. I think if I had to choose an overall favorite, that would be the one! It has many costume and period-like elements, but still manages to seem modern and simply extraordinary! The one on the left is opulent andI love the ruffles on the right!

The Barrymore Dynasty

John, Ethel & Lionel Barrymore, early 1900s. Isn't Ethel's blouse lovely!

As you might have discovered by now, I have a fascination with the 1920's - the fashion, the films, the culture, everything. Well...something put me in mind of the Barrymore's the other day. They are iconic. So I thought I'd share a few pictures of them with this blog.

We'll start with the children. I could start with Maurice Barrymore & Georgiana Drew, but I don't really know much about them, and this post is already in danger of being very long and full of pictures as it is! Suffice it to say, Maurice & Georgiana were also actors.

So, we'll start with Lionel Barrymore, the eldest of the Barrymore children. When I was a child, I knew him only in his role as the horrible Mr. Potter in "It's A Wonderful Life". I didn't get the concept then that people were in lots of films (I still remember my surprise when I realised that Clark Gable had other roles beyond Rett Butler!). I have since then seen Lionel Barrymore in some wonderful films. I think my personal favourite is "A Free Soul" (with Norma Shearer, Clark Gable & Leslie Howard. What a cast!).  He began working in films around 1911, and despite being confined to a wheelchair later in his career, he continued film work until 1956.

Lionel with his second wife, Irene Fenwick, early 1920s. Though not as handsome as his brother John, there is a somewhat dashing quality to him in his younger years. 

Ethel Barrymore was the second Barrymore, born a little over a year after Lionel. Ethel had a solemn-eyed, Gibson-girl type beauty in her younger years. Winston Churchill fell for her charms and asked her to marry him.

Sporting the fashionable large hats and fur of the early 1900s, circa 1905.

circa 1905-1907?

Ethel definitely had style, and even as an older woman retained poise, dignity & beauty.

Ethel, 1920s.

Ethel in "A Portrait of Jennie" 1948. One of my favourite films.

John Barrymore is, I feel, the most infamous of the siblings, perhaps because of his drinking problem, and the fact that he is Drew Barrymore's grandfather (I often excitedly tell people that Drew Barrymore's grandparents were silent stars. They don't usually appreciate it as much as I want them to!). John also starred in silent films, and all throughout his career played very different roles. He was adept in both serious and comic roles ("20th Century" and "Midnight" leave me in stitches). He was also roguishly debonair. 

John Barrymore, 1920.

Since I'm including Drew Barrymore in this post, I thought it was only fair to say something about her grandmother, Dolores Costello, who also came from an acting family (her father Maurice was an actor). Besides, she was beautiful!

Dolores Costello. Look at that dress!

John & Dolores, 1928.

Again, ostensibly for room, I am skipping Drew Barrymore's parents (as I don't know much about them, and they had their prime in - to me - fashionably boring time) and heading straight on to Drew Barrymore. I think most of us know of her troubled past, which she has overcome remarkably well. I like Drew Barrymore as an actress. She's pretty and likeable in most of the roles I've seen her in. As well as acting, she has directed, she owns her own makeup line, and she just gave birth to her first child. 

I like the sort-of 60's mod look on her.

This seems to echo a 1920's look, which I think also suits her nicely.

Drew Barrymore, 2013. I think she definitely has a Barrymore look to her. 

Fanning the Flames

I think their beauty is completely timeless. This could be a picture from the 20's.

I think we all know Dakota Fanning, from her early movies like: I Am Sam, War of the Worlds, or Man on Fire (my personal favorite or hers).  Most recently she has been seen in the Twilight series, though not by me (I have only seen the first movie in the series, which she is not in).  But I have no doubt she was an asset to that particular movie franchise.  She is now 19, and turning into a promising young actress.  I am excited to see where she takes her career!

Elle on top, Dakota on bottom.

I'm not sure if everyone is aware of her younger sister Elle, who is now 15.  She also has quite a film resume, though her movies haven't been quite as prominent as her sister's.  You may have seen her in: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Somewhere or We Bought a Zoo.  But I must say that she made a fan of me for life when I saw her in Super 8.  She was absolutely sublime and ultimately perfect for that role!

I've gotta say, if I had to choose, I would go for Elle's!

That being said, I have found that these two sister's are budding fashion figures.  I love all of their personal and red carpet fashion decisions, and the editorial pictures of them are simply divine.  Some of them are practically frame-worthy.

I want to wear every piece of clothing in this picture. And look, gloves!!!

And so, I leave you with a plethora of beautiful pictures of the Fanning sister's.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Even when they are a little scruffy, they still look adorable! 

Oh look! More gloves!

Completely angelic!

I love how the younger sister is taller than the older.