DRESS CODE____PART 3

Here Come the Brides

Begin on the main floor, where a Christo performance piece perverts a wedding gown into the ball-and-chain metaphor some assign marriage; it’s also our cover photo. The second gown, “Mixture of wholesale wedding dresses Frailties” by British artist Susan McMurray, on an enormous mannequin, presents a clever play on the word “housewife.” The skirt of the gown is made up of hundreds of yellow Playtex gloves—the kind you would wear to do housework— turned inside out and appearing like so many five-fingered flowers. A more elegant scathing criticism of the institution of marriage probably doesn’t  dropship wedding dresses exist.

“This dress is certainly saying something about marriage,” D’Ambrosio says during a June 17 media tour of the exhibit, “and this is what this exhibition is about—how wedding dresses have evolved over time.”

Imparting a human touch to the dresses is a wall of wedding photographs—brides in their gown or couples after the nuptials—both color and black-and-white.

“You could sponsor a dress for $250,” Schmidt explains, “and submit a wedding photo of your choice.” Schmidt made sure his parents’ wedding photo made the cut: “Having these photos here really gives validity to the exhibition.” Stroll along the corridor for a happy intermission from the couture in the surrounding studios.

But you won’t linger long, as these dresses will call to you. In the “I could never afford that!” category stand designer gowns from the likes of Vera Wang, Geof frey Beene, Christian Dior and the man considered the father of haute couture, Charles Frederick Worth, who is credited with inventing the oh-so-flattering bustle. “Worth very much considered himself an artist,” says Amneus of the designer who worked in Paris in the mid-19th century. “This is a very important piece because it was worn by a Cincinnati woman and we know from that piece that women from Cincinnati were going to Paris as early as the 1860s to have dresses made there.”

The gown, from 1874, features a dropped neckline with short sleeves, a tiny waistline and a pretty picture all around (it’s the gown in the top, right photo on this page). “It’s a very special dress,” she adds. “It’s very forward looking in terms of its design—especially the fact that Worth didn’t like lace, particularly on wedding dresses, so no lace. The overlay of the sheer silk that is in excellent condition is really remarkable.”

Also remarkable are the orange blossoms crossing the bodice like a beauty queen’s sash. Just as white signified purity, sell wedding dresses the orange blossom held special marital significance as well.

“Only a bride would wear orange blossoms,” Amneus continues. “They signify fertility. The orange tree is the only tree that blooms and bears fruit at the same time. At one time there was the manufacture of orange blossoms out of wax—not everyone could afford them.”

Another orange-blossom bedecked dress is so stunning that it adorns the cover of the exhibit’s program. Meant to be worn by a corseted bride, and shown top, left of this page, the tiny waist accentuated the bust and hips of the wearer.

A broad, low neckline calls attention to the bride’s shoulders and neck. Adorned with orange blossoms, the bodice is laced together a la Frederick’s of Hollywood, although not so skanky. Perhaps this dress was designed in 1887, but there’s no question about its true goal, so it’s perfect for the program cover. In fact, one staffer at MWPAI suggested that the ads and banners for the exhibit that feature this dress should say “Opening Soon.”

“The orange blossoms are still on that dress,” says D’Ambrosio. “When I refer to the dresses as canvasses, I think that’s such a perfect example of something that shows such incredible design and craftsmanship. Those beads were all silver; we’re looking at something that’s slightly tarnished. Imagine how they glistened on top of that white silk and tulle. It’s such a stunning image; it’s eye-catching.”

While the more historic pieces speak volumes about women’s roles in the last three centuries, the modern gowns do the same while marrying tradition with contemporary sensibilities. Hence the flowing, red Zac Posen piece and a decidedly odd dress that falls just above the ankle and is made of small, white leather squares embellished with aluminum; you’d have to see it to decide if you would say yes to that dress, pictured on page 23.

Whether it’s the elegant pale blue lace dress from 1935 or the over-the-top Russian fantasy bride ensemble from 1986 and designer Bob Mackie, each dress on display says something about the bride who chose it. “The point for me of the whole exhibition is that I didn’t want it to just be a group of pretty wedding dresses,” says Amneus. “What I began researching was the history of marriage, of women in marriage and looking at women’s status in society and within the institution of marriage and how that paralleled how wedding dresses looked over time. How it spoke to the decisions they and their parents made.”