Wedded Perfection

The Cincinnati Art Museum presents Wedded Perfection: Two Centuries of Wedding Gowns. The exhibition, which runs through January 2011, unravels more than 200 years of the evolution of the wedding gown paralleled with the social, economic and political status of the women they adorned.

Wedded Perfection features over 50 gowns from the late 18th-century to modern designers including Vera Wang, Yohji Yamamoto and Geoffrey Beene. Nineteenth-century economic expansion and the establishment of the bridal industry in the post-World War II era transformed the wedding gown from a symbol of purity to a vehicle for displaying wealth. The exhibition will explore the 21st-century bride as the centerpiece of an elaborate theatrical presentation and her wedding gown as an integral part of the spectacle.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Art Museum has the perfect fashionable evening planned for brides-to-be and their family and friends – all are invited to a bridal show at the Art Museum on Wednesday, November 10th. The event includes a fashion show of the city’s best for brides and bridesmaids. Guests will also be able to shop the museum’s new collection of bridal accessories in the Museum Shop. A delicious menu of light hor d’oeuvres will be served. For those interested in viewing the Wedded Perfection exhibition, Art Museum docents will be available throughout the evening. Visit the Cincinnati Art Museum web site for more information.

[Image: Wedding Dress (detail) 1887, silk, beads, faux pearls. Gift of Mrs. Frances Lamson Eaton, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred W. Lamson, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Whitney Lamson, Jr., 1971.320]