Tales of the
Elsie
The most priceless thing you’ll ever wear, the feelings that come from slipping your wedding dress out of its box or bag stir up fond memories of the happiest day of your lives.
To celebrate the individuality of wedding dresses and the brides who wear them, Cannon Hall Museum is hosting a stunning new exhibition that will be on display throughout summer.
Tales of the Wedding Dress: From Homemade to World Stage looks at the changing trends of bridal gowns over the past century and how economic, political and social issues affected both design and creation. Along with eight dresses handmade by women here in Barnsley, the exhibition will also see iconic and elaborate dresses of TV and film grace the Georgian hall from Cosprop, the world’s leading costumier.
Stitching together the history of dress designs and the art of pattern making, the handmade selection looks at why each bride chose to have her wedding dress made for her – or indeed made it herself.
For some it was a family tradition or a labour of love, yet for most their decision came from wanting something completely unique that truly personalised their bridal experience.
Not just like sewing a cotton slip dress for your child to play in, bridal gowns are made using advanced sewing techniques and unfamiliar fabrics which are not for the faint- hearted beginners. The dresses on show at Cannon Hall were all made by talented seamstresses, both professional and amateur, who took great care and attention in making sure they were exceptional in every way.
During the Second World War, clothing was practical. It had to be made to the strict guidelines of the Making Civilian Clothing Order using fabric bought with ration coupons. For brides during those years, weddings were often rushed or organised more quickly to fit in with the limited time they had with their betrothed before they were whisked back to the front line.
For Kathleen Bennett, her fiance Albert served as a medic in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry while she worked as a seamstress at McLintock’s quilt factory. For their wedding in January 1942, she designed and made her own dress from a floral printed satin bought from Barnsley’s Butterfields and Massies.
With its high neckline, A-line skirt and Gibson sleeves finished with a tie belt, Kathleen’s dress was modest yet simply elegant. Unlike the world we live in today, clothes were often shared in those days and Kathleen’s dress was worn by her
covered. She even borrowed her veil and headdress.
Fast forward 15 years and
Jacqueline Utley also prioritised life over a wedding, spending her hard- earned money on buying her first marital home rather than her dress. For Jacquie, she fell in love with another bride’s dress having seen her trying it on in Bent Gowns on the Arcade in Barnsley.
Katy upclose
friend for her own wedding. Married just a year later in 1943, Eileen Townend was possibly the luckiest bride in Barnsley – her mother, Hilda Briggs, was the go- to wedding seamstress and had fashioned hundreds of gowns in her time. Eileen’s dress of satin silk with silver embroidery was the best ration coupons could create and seen by over 200 guests at her wedding to Harold.
While not always cheaper than shop-bought dresses, some brides chose to make their own gown to save money for other necessities. Before Elsie Hutchinson got married in 1965, she was an independent girl about town studying to be a teacher at Bretton Hall College. She rented a flat, had bought her own Mini and had always made her own clothes.
Using a Simplicity pattern, Elsie made the long sleeved dress in silk brocade, her only expense was having the buttons professionally
Fortunately for her, the bride-to- be never took it home and the shop agreed to remodel the bespoke lace design, taking the whole thing apart to fit Jacquie perfectly.
Fashion saw a new sense of freedom in the 1970s and for Christine Knowles she wanted to make a statement at her winter wedding to David. Married on Boxing Day 1977 on her parents’ 30th wedding anniversary, Christine spent her pre-wedding weekends at her parents’ house sewing two patterns together to make her dress. As a nurse, she lived away in the nurses’ home and had to combine her free time with wedding planning and seeing her fiancé – she’d sew behind him in the living room so as not to tempt fate before the wedding while taking care not to snag or stain her dress. I’m sure the wait would have been worth it to see her in her feather-trimmed hooded wool crepe gown with lace detailing.
A fashion designer and pattern cutter, of course Sarah White was always going to design her own dress. But as with many other modern brides, her design was inspired by a love of vintage plus a
Wedding Dress
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