03 Kate Moss’ wedding dress and veil designed by John Galliano, 2011. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London 04 Pink satin wedding dress by Catherine Rayner, London 1996. Courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London 05 Cover of ‘The Wedding Dress: 300 Years of Bridal Fashions’
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curator Edwina Ehrman has written the lead title ‘The Wedding Dress: 300 Years of Bridal Fashions’. This sumptuous book draws on wedding garments in the V&A’s archive, photographs, letters, memoirs, newspaper accounts and genealogical research to explore the history of the wedding dress and the traditions that have developed around it from 1700 to the present day. It focuses on the white wedding dress, which became fashionable in the early nineteenth century and is worn today by women across the world. The book considers the way couturiers and designers have challenged and refreshed the traditional white wedding dress and the influence of the wedding industry, whose antecedents lie in the commercialisation of the wedding in Victorian Britain. The Wedding Dress is not only about costume, but also about the cultivation of the image of the bride. This book is a glorious tribute to an exquisite, stylish, glamorous gown, the romance of its evolution and the splendour of its design. The V&A shop have also complemented the exhibition’s dresses, with a stunning range on offer to celebrate the wedding season in style. Standout jewellery and fashion accessories steal the show, while traditional earthenware ceramics to decorate new homes and beautiful books on wedding style and advice are also available. 04
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