The bride of the 1950s had a plethora of choices for weddings were now big business. Ultra formal weddings were the norm, and for the first time in the twentieth century, wedding dressmakers stopped basing their designs on the most popular styles of day or evening wear. Designers preferred to create Cinderella-like fantasies, with fitted bodices, cinched-in waistlines, and huge skirts ballooning out from underneath. To wear these dresses properly, a bride needed to wear layers of hoop skirts or the combination of a cinch-waist corset and a foundation garment called a bombast, which made the dress spring out from the waist. This type of dress usually came in 2 lengths, to the floor and the popular ballerina length that stopped at the lower calf and looked like a long tutu. Wedding fabric ranged from formal bridal satins and shantungs to light tulle and organdies. Dresses had either long fitted sleeves, short cap sleeves or were completely strapless. Veils in the 1950s were short and billowy. Most were between elbow and flyaway length. Popular headpieces of the era included princess-like crowns, Juliet caps and half-caps.

“Paulette” is five piece gown fit for a fifties princess. The bustier and separate cascading overskirt are made from a sparkling champagne silk dupioni lined with a contrasting pale pink dupioni on the fold over edge of the bodice and lining the entire skirt and modest train. The pink silk is visible in the folds of the skirt as it falls from the waist in soft pleats to the floor. The bouffant underskirt is a fairy tale confection of numerous feather light layers of the palest pink tulle, net and silk organza. “Paulette” also comes with a seven-foot long shawl of champagne dupioni and lined with pink silk dupioni. This is truly a dress borrowed from a debutante’s dreams.
 

The head piece is made of pearl crown framed by a veil of pink tulle that is fingertip length.

Dry clean only.