Wedding Dress (1980s)
Production date
1981
Country
Australia
State/Province
Queensland
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Object detail
Description
Wedding dress, appliqued white organza overdress; white net and cream underdress, ballerina length, wide cream satin waist sash.
Classification
COSTUME Wedding
Maker
Production date
1981
Production place
Signature/Marks
CEAMS DESIGN
CEAMS DESIGN
CEAMS DESIGN
History and use
Designed by Brisbane designer Sue Spork, this hand-appliqued silk organza wedding dress was worn by Felicity Harslett when she married Rowan Carr at Stanthorpe on August 15, 1981. The dress had previously been a finalist in the inaugural Retail Association Queensland Fashion Design Awards (now defunct). It was designed and made by Sue Spork (formerly Cezanne Elise Curtis Coates) whose commercial label Ceams Designs (1978-1994), is an acronym of the first letters of Sue's and her daughters' names: Cezanne, Elise, Anna, Megan, and Sally. In 1981, Sue won the PM Wear section of the inaugural Retail Association of Queensland (RAQ) Fashion Design Awards.
Typical of 1980s ‘prairie’ fashion (from the 1980s television series ‘Little House on the Prairie’) which made a fashion comeback in New York in 2020, the style is reminiscent of British fashion house, Laura Ashley - stereotypically pretty with high necklines, puffy shoulders and sleeves, usually long and caught at the wrist in a band, sometimes a bib or apron, and ruffles. Based on a popular 1970s style, this dress design has been variously described as an example of a new global desire for a traditionalist style and associated with the dress codes of religious fundamentalism, from Mennonites and the Amish to Hasidim.
In 1976, an exaggerated and oversized silhouette was featured in Yves Saint Laurent's Russian collection. The best example of this style, a ivory silk taffeta gown with puffed sleeves and full skirt, worn by Lady Diana Spencer when she married the heir apparent to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, defined the 1980s decade of wedding dresses. The style continued to influence global wedding gown design up to a decade later.
Typical of 1980s ‘prairie’ fashion (from the 1980s television series ‘Little House on the Prairie’) which made a fashion comeback in New York in 2020, the style is reminiscent of British fashion house, Laura Ashley - stereotypically pretty with high necklines, puffy shoulders and sleeves, usually long and caught at the wrist in a band, sometimes a bib or apron, and ruffles. Based on a popular 1970s style, this dress design has been variously described as an example of a new global desire for a traditionalist style and associated with the dress codes of religious fundamentalism, from Mennonites and the Amish to Hasidim.
In 1976, an exaggerated and oversized silhouette was featured in Yves Saint Laurent's Russian collection. The best example of this style, a ivory silk taffeta gown with puffed sleeves and full skirt, worn by Lady Diana Spencer when she married the heir apparent to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, defined the 1980s decade of wedding dresses. The style continued to influence global wedding gown design up to a decade later.
Associated person
Registration number
H47812
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