Aah, wedding dresses…. No matter whether you once had one, are about to get one soon or never wanted to have one at all, the topic stirs memories and emotions. That is probably why the Ja, ik wil (Yes, I do) exhibition at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, Netherlands attracts audiences of both sexes and all ages. https://www.friesmuseum.nl/en/yesido
Curated by Eveline Holsappel it features the history of wedding dresses in the Netherlands over the past 250 years, but it goes far beyond the simple account of how wedding fashion evolved. Instead, it unfolds the story of emancipation, profound changes in social life, gender equality and women’s position in the Dutch society. A story told with lace, ribbons, shiny silk, frills and ruffs. And human lives.
The exhibition is arranged chronologically and opens with the display of late 18th and 19th century gowns of which the oldest dates to 1782. The opening part highlights the fact that wedding dresses have not always been white. Until the mid-19th century brides simply wore their best dress that they continued to wear after the big day, no matter what color. In Friesland, where the exhibition is held, brides used to choose black wedding dresses, seeing the color widely associated with mourning as most solemn and suitable for the occasion. One such dress, a beautiful black gown belonging to Dettje Winkler, a 23-year-old farmer’s daughter from nearby Weidum is included in the display.
From the 19th century onwards light-colored wedding gowns grew fashionable, becoming a status symbol. After all, light colors are not practical, get dirty easily so choosing them was a statement confirming the wearer does not have to work and can afford an unpractical garment for special occasion. This eventually led to the popularity of white wedding dresses and the first bride to have one was young queen Victoria herself getting married to prince Albert on 10th February 1840. In our terms: she was a trendsetter. The symbolism of white fitted in perfectly with the most desirable image of the bride as pure and innocent. For this reason, the color was inadvisable when entering other than the first marriage or when the bride had passed an age at which the presumption of innocence might prove naive.
The exhibition leads visitors through the collection of beautiful 19th and early 20th century white and ivory wedding gown followed by rebellious, often colorful wedding outfits of 1960s and 70s marking the growing emancipation of women in the Netherlands. A separate space is dedicated to Claes Iversen, a celebrity Dutch couturier renown for his innovative design. In his improvised sewing workshop, you can follow the process of custom wedding dress making from choosing the fabric, the silhouette, adornments to the final garment. Quite fascinating!
The last part of the show is all about our times. In a spacious room, a pale pink background displays a collection of wedding dresses designed and sewn over the last 30 years, including gowns by Iris van Herpen, Mart Viser, Mary Borsato, Frank Govers or Jan Taminiau. Interestingly, most of them are inspired by the fashions of past centuries, with white and cream being the dominant colors.
The final accent is a provocative juxtaposition of the beautiful Queen Maxima wedding dress, designed by Valentino, with the mass-produced €29.95 dress sold in 2016 in the low-priced Zeeman chain, and the €298 silk dress designed by the Viktor&Rolf for H&M (2006). The latter sold out in a flash and its price second hand is many times higher today.
The exhibition presents nearly 60 dresses, coming from both museum and private collections. I was very touched by the quoted personal stories of the wearers, some sad, some funny but all charged with emotions. Like that about a young girl, Rinkje whose wedding dress was made of the parachute of an American pilot who crashed in 1943 near her house. Or Pietje, a progressive lady who chose a very unusual chocolate brown attire for her wedding in 1917 and was remembered to be racing through the village in her red Aston Martin. So, it is not only about the history of wedding fashion, but equally the history of society and customs. Besides, what a great source of inspiration for brides to be!
The exhibition will stay open until 16th February 2025.
