Marriage a la 1970

Inspired by the blog Melbourne - Our Home on the Bay, I decided to have another look at the clothes we wore at a friend's wedding in 1970 and then at our own wedding a few months later. But I need a historical context.

From gold silk and corset-constrained waistlines, to flowing white chiffon, a bride's dream wedding dress has changed dramatically since Queen Victoria. Colours changed, materials came and went, shapes reflected the decade of their owners. Only one element remained constant - except for singlet shaped flapper wedding dresses in the 1920s, most wedding dresses seemed to have long sleeves and a rather modest image.

1970 was the year in which bridal dressing became a business, with the debut of bridal magazines and famous bridal designers. The most famous bridal atelier of the day was Christos who created exquisite dresses, trimmed with hand-clipped lace and beaded pearls. Two other coveted wedding dress designer were John Burbidge, who designed gowns for Priscilla of Boston from 1968 on, and Jim Hjelm.

Joe and I got married in 1970 in the gardens.

We might have been Flower People during the year, 

but note the long sleeves and high neckline made from cotton pique.

1970 was a great time to be getting married since fashion was modernising faster than ever before. And if 1970 started the Me Decade, we would certainly expect an individualistic approach fashion. The inspiration came from all over - think about tailored Yves Saint Laurent pant suits, Grecian tunics and other ethnic styles, Mick and Bianca Jagger, and clothing inspired by disco dancing. When Princess Anne and Captain Mark Philips were married in 1973, UK brides were looking to King Arthur’s Camelot; romantic medieval princess features were incorporated into wedding dresses, including high necks and cascading sleeves. High waisted A-line empire styles were everywhere.

Examples can be seen in photos from Bride Magazine's spring edition in 1970. Long hair was definitely in style in this era., usually worn long and straight. The lace and the veil matched, and the veil was worn over the front of the shoulders so the lace framed the face. These dresses were long in length, had raised necklines and the sleeves were puffy and long. Looking back, it seems that the 1970 wedding dress loved lace and loose fitting fabrics, while designs were fluid, drape-able and covered a lot of skin.

Going to a famous wedding designer or shop would have been beyond the financial reach of most people I knew in 1970. So my friends and I looked at patterns and photos, and took them to our mothers' favourite dressmakers. I am still very grateful to Vintage Simplicity for all their patterns and instructions for dresses with sleeve and neckline interest. Examine the Vintage dress with princess seaming, a back zip,  two-piece long bell shaped sleeves and crochet type lace edging. An alternative pattern was for a stand-up collar with short sleeves gathered to sleeve bands and belt stitched in side front seams.

I was bridesmaid at a close friend's wedding in 1970

Note the short dresses worn by my grandmother (left) and my mother (centre)

Young women might have been hippies at university, but apparently they listened to their mothers when it came to modest wedding dresses. Perhaps 1970 was a pivotal point between the Old World that our mothers loved and the New World that our younger sisters would come to prefer.