Listen to these fascinating conversations between Unveiled curators Edwina Ehrman of the V&A and Claire Regnault of Te Papa to find out more about the exciting items in this exhibition.
Edwina Ehrman is Curator of Textiles and Fashion at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She is a specialist in 19th-century fashion with a particular interest in London. Edwina is the author of the book The Wedding Dress: 300 Years of Bridal Fashion, which accompanies the exhibition.
Claire Regnault is Senior Curator History at Te Papa and a noted fashion historian and author. Claire curated the New Zealand section of Unveiled, which features three wedding gowns and a groom’s outfit commissioned from leading New Zealand designers WORLD, Lindah Lepou, and Jane Yeh.
Listen now on your computer
Either listen to each track below, or download them all together.
Download all 18 tracks (.zip, 75MB)
Listen in the exhibition
Before your visit, download these interviews to your MP3 player. Take your player to Unveiled – and listen.
If you have a smartphone*, you can access the interviews in the exhibition, using our free Wi-Fi internet connection, at www.tepapa.govt.nz/unveiledaudio.
Look for the Wi-Fi symbol on labels, type in the web address listed, and listen.
*A smartphone is a phone that can connect to the internet – like an iPhone.
Creating tradition: 1800–1840
1. Claire Regnault introduces Edwina Ehrman
A conversation about the history of the white wedding dress, the legacy of Queen Victoria – the first royal bride to wear white –and the inspiration behind the development of the Unveiled exhibition.
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2. Sleeves to suit, 1828
Eliza Larken’s dress has detachable, matching over-sleeves to make it suitable for a church wedding.
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3. A colourful occasion, 1841
One of the most historically important dresses in the V&A collection was worn by a farm labourer’s wife from Lincolnshire.
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The Victorian bride: 1837–1901
4. Worth – pearls in fashion, Victorian era
Charles Frederick Worth was Paris’s leading dressmaker in the mid-to-late 19th century. His wedding gown for American Clara Mathews featured shimmering pearl tassels.
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5. Designed for effect, 1865
Eliza Penelope Clay chose a white satin dress and veil embellished with exquisite Honiton lace for her 1865 wedding.
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6. Nugée family accessories
These accessories, which include shoes, a feather wreath, and wedding favours, typify the romantic prettiness of many Victorian weddings.
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The Victorian bridegroom: 1837–1901
7. Wedding waistcoats, late 1800s and early 1900s
The most common men’s wedding garments to survive in museum collections are waistcoats. Some are embroidered with flowers and plants associated with love and fidelity.
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Artistic styles: 1900–1930s
8. Liberty’s – medieval style, early 1900s
Liberty’s department store of London offered less conventional brides gowns inspired by historical dress, alongside styles based on the latest Paris fashions.
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9. Liberty’s – family made, 1920s
Marian Lasenby Liberty chose an unusual block-printed silk wedding dress with a hat and matching reversible coat from Liberty’s.
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The society wedding: 1920s–1930s
10. Hartnell – high society, 1930s
Society beauty Margaret Whigham wore a magnificent Hartnell-designed wedding gown for her marriage to Charles Sweeny in 1933.
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From austerity to the 'New Look': 1939–1951
11. Resourceful by necessity, World War II
Some wartime brides married in dresses made of upholstery material or parachute silk.
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Innovation and individuality: 1950s–1970s
12. Grooms in fashion, 1967–68
Some fashion-conscious bridegrooms in 1960s and 70s London looked for alternatives to traditional-style wedding suits.
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13. A daring choice, 1969
A gold-satin fitted jacket and printed trousers made this chinoiserie-inspired bride’s outfit a stand-out in 1960s London.
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Nostalgia, romance, and the modern age: 1970s–early 2000s
14. Zandra – modern romance, 1976
Zandra Rhodes created a modern dress printed with subtle waves and palm fronds for Elizabeth Weiner – later the designer of Princess Diana’s fairy-tale wedding gown.
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15. Suits for a civil union, 2006
Two very different suits for a couple’s civil union – one made on Saville Row and the other designed for Marks and Spencer.
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16. Vera Wang, 2007
The nail-biting story of how New Yorker Katie Turner found her Vera Wang wedding dress.
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The celebrity wedding: 1990s–2000s
17. The Lacroix bride, 1992
The dramatic ‘Qui a le droit?’ (Who has the right?) black wedding dress by Christian Lacroix.
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18. Westwood for Dita, 2005
Dita von Teese’s violet shot-taffeta dress by Vivienne Westwood is one of the most spectacular gowns in the exhibition.
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