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From the fairytale setting of Grace Kelly's marriage to Monaco's Prince Ranier to the widely publicized prenuptial contracts of Hollywood stars, the past 50 years have seen the sacrament of marriage transformed from a centuries-old social institution with the purpose of founding and maintaining families to the legal act of defining a couple's existence. The rise of a strong middle class and the growth of democracy gradually has brought about tolerance for romantic betrothals based on freedom of choice, nearly eradicating arranged marriages east of the Orient. Premarital sex, an increase of women pursuing careers, the rise of the average marrying age and legalized divorce laws have made a profound impact on our view of marriage. Still, in this age of women's lib, alternative lifestyles and debates over P.A.C.S (which would give homosexuals the right to be legally united in France), marriage and all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding it continues to make people dream. It is this evolution of an ancient rite surrounded by its own special "costume" that prompted the Musée de Mode et du Textile (Palais Galliera) to host an exhibition of wedding attire and accessories titled, "Mariage." As a social practice that becomes a public act, marriage reflects the purposes, character and customs of the society around which it was formed. Although traditions vary from one culture to another, the importance of the institution is universally acknowledged. "Infant betrothal," prevalent in India and Melanesia, was established out of concern for the family, caste and property alliances. "Levirate," by which a man is granted the right to marry his deceased brother's wife, was a custom designed to continue a connection already established and was practiced primarily by the ancient Hebrews. Still prevalent in some parts of the world, "Sororate" allows a man whose wife is barren to marry one or more of her sisters. In Western cultures, most marriages are preceded by a betrothal period during which gifts are exchanged and family visits are made. This eventually leads to the final wedding procedure which allows partners to make a public claim on one another. Most ceremonies involve rituals and symbolism based on the desire for fertility, such as sprinkling the couple with rice, the bride's adornment of orange blossoms and the circling of the sacred fire as practiced in the Hindu culture. Because marriage arouses apprehension as well as joy, Hindus, Buddhists and similar communities consult astrologers before and after the marriage to avoid unlucky times and places. In some societies, fear of hostile spirits leads the bridal couples to wear disguises at their weddings or sometimes to send substitutes to the ceremony. In Ethiopia, it was long customary to place an armed guard by the bride and groom to protect them from demons. Up until the last couple of decades, the wedding gown has symbolized both the virgin's dress and the queen's robe. Though the 1960s saw rebel brides in mini-skirts, plastic dresses and bright colors, the traditional tiered-cake dress with generous dollops of ruffles, lace and petticoats as well as hefty sprinkles of faux pearls has made it through the ages as the silhouette designed to transform its wearer into a "queen for the day." Like the Virgin Mary, the traditional bride is "virginal" but also a queen. Everything points to her royalty: the crown, tiara and long-trained dress. Leaf through a Pronuptia catalog or surf over to Tati's bridal website (www.tati.fr)... Bridal gear seems caught in a time warp somewhere around 1800. "Mariage" opens in a scene representing the wedding reception of the Duc de Joyeuse at the Château de Versailles. The bride wears a silver- and gold-toned dress very close to white within a crowd of other women dressed in darker colors. A penchant for white during the Renaissance corresponds perhaps to those favoring the antique culture. The Duc de Joyeuse had a so-called "neoplatonic" wedding party where the women were supposed to come disguised as antique goddesses. The movement toward white weddings happened in stages. There are various accounts of 18th century white weddings like that of the Marquise de la Tour du Pin. A lithograph dated 1816 shows a bride getting ready in a neoclassical setting. During this period, elegant people (including brides) wore white. The move was further spurred on by the European court, including the success of Josephine's clothing as well as that of Queen Elizabeth, a bit later. Under the Restoration period in France, apparitions of the Virgin Mary and a renewed interest in Catholicism set the pace. Nuns wore veils and white robes and in 1854, the Cult of the Immaculate Conception reinforced this trend. The order of Sisters of the Virgin Mary dressed little French girls in white for their First Holy Communion. Moreover, in Indo-European civilizations, white is the color of order. In a morally orderly society, as was the case in the 19th century, marriage was looked upon as an authentic rite of passage representing a girl's entry into womanhood. Thus, white came to symbolize virginity. By the end of the 19th century, most brides wore white and their orange blossom crown was placed under a globe. The bride received jewelry and gifts, put together a trousseau and prepared sumptuous wedding feasts. From that point on, other garments for the occasion arrived on the scene: the fiancée dress, the garter belt, wedding night lingerie and morning-after attire. The exhibition takes the visitor on a trail of precious old wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses, lace veils, perfectly preserved silk flower crowns, satin shoes and delicately patterned lace handkerchiefs most dating from the 19th century. Throughout the show, the eye is shocked by the presence of modern expressions: plastic dresses from Guy Laroche and Courrèges dating from the 1960s, Claude Montana's scarlet red wedding gown, Jean-Paul Gaultier's his and hers "knitted ensemble from the 1980s," Zhandra Rhodes' "ripped" and safety-pinned gown from the '70s right up to Stephane Plassier's edible chocolate dress and John Galliano's Maharani Krishna du Népal (Dior Haute Couture Fall Winter '97/'98). Ordered by a client as a wedding dress, it is cut from taffeta and features rose motifs inspired from late 19th century Lyonnais archives. Everything ends on a beautiful note a beaded pink satin taffeta gown designed by Christian Lacroix for fashion model-turned-designer Inès de la Fressange. "Mariage" was put together using 60 works on loan from libraries, Parisian and regional museums, individuals and couture houses, as well as items from the museum's own archives. Also included are dressing gowns, fans, jewelry, grooms' suits and even a doll dressed in bridal gear standing next to her trousseau. For the amount of research and effort that went into staging this show, it's too bad a bridal consultant wasn't called in to give it a special "wedding day" touch. With the white lines drawn on the floor and the mannequins and accessories perched on rough bleached white wood podiums, the ambiance resembles a street scene that leaves you wondering about its relevancy. As you near the end of the expo, the periods are increasingly mixed up, which was probably done on purpose to show how little wedding gowns have changed over the years. Unfortunately, it is too much of a jolt to gaze first upon a sumptuous silk gown from the late 19th century and then be confronted by a synthetic dress from this century's end. Still, if the child in you is mesmerized by weddings and all their trimmings, this is good place to spend a rainy day. |
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