Vintage Wedding Dress Exhibition a first for Auckland

TILL DEATH US DO PART: FIFTY YEARS OF VINTAGE WEDDING STYLE

With over thirty vintage wedding dresses taking up too much space in her home, Glory Days Creative Director and vintage clothing collector, Rose Jackson, decided the only thing to do was to host an exhibition to showcase the gowns, run a series of public events to celebrate marriages past and present and auction off the collection to raise money for a charity that supports women escaping domestic violence.

Glory Days is proud to present Till Death Us Do Part: Fifty Years of Vintage Wedding Style. This exhibition will be held at one of Auckland’s premiere historic houses, the rambling Gothic mansion Highwic, launching in time for Mother’s Day 14th May and running until the end of June 2017.

The exhibition will explore changes in bridal fashions over the 20th century, focusing on and showcasing vintage wedding dresses from the 1930s to the 1970s. Aside from giving the public an opportunity to get up close to these precious textiles, Till Death Us Do Part will delve into the social history of weddings, exploring historical shifts and changes in cultural attitudes towards love and marriage.

The exhibition will feature a programme of talks, including a presentation from dress and textile historian Angela Lassig, live events such as Miss Havisham’s Day Out and opportunities for guests to share personal memories of their weddings – both the good and the bad!

Historian Angela Lassig says; “This exhibition represents a wonderful and rare opportunity to reminisce and delight in five decades of glorious New Zealand wedding frocks that have been lovingly collected over the past decade by curator, Rose Jackson. From fine silk tulle and cobweb laces, to ice white chiffon and synthetic brocades, this exhibition is not only a feast for the eyes but a glimpse into the private world of New Zealand brides from the past”.

Curator Rose Jackson says, “The wedding dress is such a potent symbol in our culture – in turns beautiful, oppressive, desirable, outdated. I’ve collected vintage clothing for many years as I adore beautiful textiles, which wedding dresses have in abundance. From a sociological point of view, I’m interested in the tension between the sublime beauty, hope and love that is imbued into these particular garments and the reality of everyday life that follows “the big day” once the dress is taken off”.

“Through this exhibition, I want people to explore cultural attitudes towards marriage, which can be teased out from the fabric and stitches that hold these dresses together. I find it fascinating that while there were huge changes in fit, cut and style of women’s fashion over the course of the 20th century, the wedding dress essentially stayed the same – a long, pale gown. What does this say about attitudes towards marriage in the face of huge cultural and gender shifts over the 20th and into the 21st centuries? Has thinking on marriage and what it means to people progressed or remained as constant as the dresses worn on a wedding day?”.

As well as the displays and programme of events, the gowns will be auctioned off at the end of the exhibition. The auction of the collection is planned to run online, so anyone in the world will be able to bid on a beautiful piece of New Zealand’s textile history, whether they want to wear it on their special day or simply admire it hanging in their wardrobe!

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the collection will go to The Aunties – an organisation which provides sustained support for women and children who have experienced domestic violence. The Aunties believe in manaakitanga - protecting the mana of the people they help so that they can find their way towards living independently, with dignity and joy.

Rose Jackson says; “Over thirty wedding dresses is a ridiculous number for any one person to own and not everyone’s marriage or partnership is a joyful one, so I am delighted to auction these gorgeous gowns off and that part of the funds raised from sale of the collection will benefit and support the vitally important work The Aunties do for people who need help in our community”.

EXHIBITION DETAILS
Till Death Us Do Part: Fifty Years of Vintage Wedding Style
14th May – 30th June 2017
Highwic – Mortimer Pass, Newmarket 1023
www.glorydaysmagazine.com/till-death

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