Collection: Valley of the Dolls
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
While 1950s high fashion catered, as was traditional, to the needs of the mature woman, that decade also saw the rise of a younger market that demanded attention: the teenager. By the 1960s this market had grown up, was earning a living, and seeking fashions that reflected their individuality and new freedoms – and they were getting married. Gone were the demure, neat dresses and suits that had previously dominated the market, replaced with bold statement clothing that expressed the broad stylistic interests of this youthful demographic.
Although synthetics had been introduced earlier, it was the 60s youth who really embraced these textiles. The ease of movement offered by polyester knits complemented their active lifestyles, as did the easy-care (wrinkle-free, quick drying, wash and wear) qualities offered by other synthetics. As technical developments in dyeing synthetic fibres enabled the production of bold colours for fashionable wear, the 60s bride had the choice of brighter, more optic whites than ever before.
Stiff-textured synthetic fabrics such as Crimplene were perfectly suited to creating the strong geometric shapes that characterised the fashions of this decade. The wedding dresses in this room reflect the 60s fondness for simple, crisp silhouettes and the new brighter white fabrics available to the home and professional dressmaker. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, they also demonstrate the abiding popularity of silk as the ‘ideal’ bridal fabric, with one dress mimicking heavy, lustrous Duchess satin, and another emulating luxurious embossed silk satin and delicate silk lace.
Instead of movements of an inch here and there during the 1950s, the 60s saw hemlines rise and fall dramatically, from mid-thigh (mini) to the floor (maxi) and somewhere in between (midi) over the course of the decade. Commercial pattern companies solved the dilemma by offering a dress or skirt in as many as four different lengths, a trend naturally reflected in wedding dress styles. Although the more conservative bride wouldn’t dream of wearing a minidress on her special day, there were many who did. Our brides were a little bit more conservative but are all very individual.
While 1950s high fashion catered, as was traditional, to the needs of the mature woman, that decade also saw the rise of a younger market that demanded attention: the teenager. By the 1960s this market had grown up, was earning a living, and seeking fashions that reflected their individuality and new freedoms – and they were getting married. Gone were the demure, neat dresses and suits that had previously dominated the market, replaced with bold statement clothing that expressed the broad stylistic interests of this youthful demographic.
Although synthetics had been introduced earlier, it was the 60s youth who really embraced these textiles. The ease of movement offered by polyester knits complemented their active lifestyles, as did the easy-care (wrinkle-free, quick drying, wash and wear) qualities offered by other synthetics. As technical developments in dyeing synthetic fibres enabled the production of bold colours for fashionable wear, the 60s bride had the choice of brighter, more optic whites than ever before.
Stiff-textured synthetic fabrics such as Crimplene were perfectly suited to creating the strong geometric shapes that characterised the fashions of this decade. The wedding dresses in this room reflect the 60s fondness for simple, crisp silhouettes and the new brighter white fabrics available to the home and professional dressmaker. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, they also demonstrate the abiding popularity of silk as the ‘ideal’ bridal fabric, with one dress mimicking heavy, lustrous Duchess satin, and another emulating luxurious embossed silk satin and delicate silk lace.
Instead of movements of an inch here and there during the 1950s, the 60s saw hemlines rise and fall dramatically, from mid-thigh (mini) to the floor (maxi) and somewhere in between (midi) over the course of the decade. Commercial pattern companies solved the dilemma by offering a dress or skirt in as many as four different lengths, a trend naturally reflected in wedding dress styles. Although the more conservative bride wouldn’t dream of wearing a minidress on her special day, there were many who did. Our brides were a little bit more conservative but are all very individual.
