After many weeks of searching for the perfect dress, I finally found it! This ivory coloured dress will look perfect on me and it will represent everything I believe to be true about my marriage to Lord Watergate. Ever since my sisters and I began the process of opening a photography shop, I have never foreseen myself becoming a bride. Fortunately, through my work, I met Lord Watergate. Through the scandals between his friend and my sister, we became more inclined to spend time with one another, and through the time we spent, we both found that we felt that the scandal was despicable. This mutual feeling of disgust towards the man that my sister married made us realise that we think about certain aspects of life in a similar way, so though we didn’t know it at the time, we both began thinking of each other as eligible spouses. Although he has enough money to allow me not to work, I feel empowered by my ability to produce great photos. I feel this dress represents our relationship in that it isn’t the traditional pearl white dress that many other brides choose to wear. The traditional white did not speak to me because of the standard symbolism of total submissiveness. I want to be his supporter in whatever he does, but I also want to be my own person. He accepts my desire to make photos in my own shop independently of him even if it is mainly for artistic purposes now. Though, the dress isn’t completely the opposite of white. It is rather an ivory colour. The slightly different colour allows me to showcase my independence while still yielding to my husband. Though I still want to please my Aunt with a somewhat traditional dress. I think she’ll be too excited about my marriage to notice!
In the Victorian era, traditional wedding dresses were white, but towards the end of it, more and more women started wearing different colors. White represents purity, so many “Old Women” or more traditional women wore white on wedding day to signify purity. The “New Woman” or the more progressive women in Victorian society such as the “Suffragettes”(Asris, 23) who fought for women’s suffrage would sometimes wear other colors. For example, Suffragette apparel was “primarily made with green, white and violet stones, signifying "give women votes".”(Aris, 23) Apparel was one of the most outward ways to showcase an individual’s progressive mindset. Most women wore extremely modest clothes, but progressive individuals tended to wear clothes not necessarily meant to be on someone doing womanly activities. For instance, later in the 19th century, women began to participate in sports and “needed appropriate clothing to participate in sports such as croquet and tennis.”(Aris, 23) The duality of Gertrude is shown by her dress choice. She wants to remain traditional in the sense of remaining pure and somewhat submissive to her husband, but at the same time she desires to be independent. Her influences that divide her are most likely her Aunt that pushes traditional values on her and her sisters and her inward sense self-reliance. She is an example of the transitional phase of Victorian England when women started to slowly become more actualized within themselves and became more authoritative in society. Not all women were totally conservative or progressive, but during this era “New Woman” traits such as apparel became more prevalent with many women.
Aris, Brittany. "Importance of Preserving History: A conservation of an Edwardian Wedding Dress" “ScholarWorks at WMU.” Site, Western Michigan University, 21 Apr. 2015, scholarworks.wmich.edu/.
Absinthe, Lily. “Wedding Dresses of the 1870’s.” Lily Absinthe Gowns and Corsetry, WordPress.com, 15 Mar. 2016, lilyabsinthe.com/wedding-fashions-of-the-late-19th-century/bridal-dresses-of-the-1870s/.