But these aren’t paintings, sculptures or photographs. Instead, Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns brings to the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute more than 50 wedding gowns dating from the late 1700s to today. Many of the dresses are part of the permanent collection in Cincinnati, while others are on loan. The dresses on the museum’s second floor were all worn by brides; two on the first floor are provocative, inviting commentary.
“We start the exhibition downstairs,” notes dropship wedding dresses Anna D’Ambrosio, assistant director and curator of decorative arts, “for people to get the idea that as much as this is an exhibition about fashion, it also talks about women’s history, social history and art history. That’s one reason this exhibit is so perfect here, because it relates so well with our permanent collection.”
In addition to the two first-floor conversation starters, the gowns in Wedded Perfection are arranged by theme: the fairy-tale bride, designer gowns, bridal traditions, the alluring bride, historically influenced gowns, brides in color and the modern bride. They range chronologically from a simple yet elegant gown from 1735 to a decidedly modern, red poppy-covered Zac Posen-created gown from 2004.
“That the show is organized by theme, not sell wedding dresses chronologically, is a real strength to the exhibition,” says Amneus. “You can look at them side by side, make comparisons and contrasts as you’re reading the descriptions. And general aesthetics come into play, too. You can see the train, or the back or side, and really get a look at how the dress was constructed.”
While reality television programming like Bridezillas and Say Yes to the Dress (a guilty pleasure for this writer) have brought the quest for the perfect wedding gown into living rooms everywhere, there actually was a time—gasp!—before dresses had to be white and when it was quite likely the dress would be worn again. Lace insets, tea lengths and removable accents converted a wedding gown into a dinnerparty dress with minimal effort.
“The designation of specific wedding dresses likely had something to do with mass marketing and commerce morethan anything else,” notes Margaret Susan Thompson, professor of history and women’s studies at Syracuse University. “You look at reproductions of early Sears catalogs and there are wedding gowns in there. Through department stores people’s desires got shaped, so instead of just purchasing or making a nice dress, there was this notion of wearing a specifically designated dress. And that’s not necessarily an American notion. Look at our fascination with royal weddings, especially this most recent one. Queen Victoria was one of the first to wear a white dress.”
Further, the bridal industry as we know it today really didn’t come together until right around World War II. “The white dress, the long train, the veil, the bouquet of flowers—this was not the case until the first half of the 20th century,” posits Amneus. “There is a whole lot of history where women are wearing something we don’t think of as the traditional wedding dress. It could have been something that was pulled out of the closet. Even in the 19th century, it was an opportunity to have a best dress made, entirely with the intention of wearing it again. It was just too expensive for most women to have a wedding dress made.”
One of the dresses on display proves that very point. From 1883, its convertability is visible. “That dress has a little modesty panel that’s set into the neckline, and it’s obvious it was put there for the wedding and then taken out for another use,” points out Amneus. “Even for brides who are wealthy, they still didn’t waste money by having a special dress made for this one day.”
The gowns on display in Utica run the gamut while still being works of art all on their own. Strategically placing them among MWPAI’s permanent collection is a bonus for all. “This would be a tough exhibit for museums that have a fashion collection,” Amneus says. “Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute can incorporate the dresses with their permanent collection, and offer something new for their audience.”
And their audience has responded.
More than 100 visitors come each day to the Utica museum to check out the exhibit. “It’s better than we expected,” says Joe Schmidt, the museum’s public relations director. “We’ve had a very enthusiastic response from the community and many people are here for the first time, just to see this exhibition.”
没有评论:
发表评论