Embroidered Silk Wedding Dress
WearerWorn by
Mrs Helen Cheyne
(Aberdeen, Scotland)
Date1928
Object NameDress
Mediumsilk
ClassificationsFashion and Dress
DimensionsChest x Waist x Length x Back Length x Bust x Circumference x Hips: 500 × 500 × 1050 × 1050 × 500 × 1700 × 500mm
AcquisitionPresented in 1985.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS011153
About MeThis wedding dress is made from a length of embroidered silk sent from South Africa to a woman from Aberdeen in 1900. The fabric was sent by her ex-boyfriend and was meant to be made up for the annual Masons' Ball. The woman, who was at the time working as a serving girl in an Aberdeenshire village, thought the fabric too grand for that purpose and laid it aside, then later used it to make her wedding dress.It follows the very fashionable 'flapper' style that was popular with evening wear of the period. Dresses often featured apron-like tunics, overdresses or overskirts and had a low, almost non-existent waistline. Scalloped, petal-edged skirts were also popular, as were asymmetrical trimmings, like the ones seen on this dress.
It was worn with a short, embroidered, silk veil held in place with a wax 'orange blossom' headdress.
1930, 1956
