Satin Wedding Dress and Belt
Date1940
Object NameDress
Mediumsatin and beading
ClassificationsFashion and Dress
DimensionsChest x Waist x Length x Back Length x Bust x Circumference x Hips: 480 × 430 × 1410 × 1630 × 440 × 2300 × 500mm
AcquisitionPresented in 2005 by Mrs Anne Thomson.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS071731
About MeThis dress was worn by a bride in September 1940, at Gowanhill Farm, in Banff. The ceremony and reception were held at the bride's parents' house. Rationing, restrictions and the uncertainty of World War Two did not stop couples making their wedding a day to remember. Brides altered outfits worn by relatives, borrowed from friends, wore older styles, hired a dress or made something new from unrationed materials like net curtains and upholstery fabric.
The style of this dress is typical of the late 1930s. The chest and shoulders are decorated with a scallop pattern of pearl bugles, glass beads and crystals. A year after the wedding took place, in 1941, cloth, clothing and embellishments were rationed under the British Government’s Utility Scheme.
This dress is accompanied by a headdress, veil and a box also held within the collection.
1870s, 1930s
