Frock Of ages : Some wedding dresses never go out of style
Introducing my new fella Jolyon, then 31, to Grandma Enid, then 87, she winked. ‘He’s nice,’ she whispered. It was December 2022 and we’d only been dating for a few weeks. But Grandma’s approval meant everything to me. She liked him so much, she even used their first meeting as an excuse to get her wedding photos out.
‘I love your dress, Grandma,’ I smiled. I’d seen snaps of her in the cream, knee-length, roll-neck gown before. Me and my twin sister Stella were always getting her albums out as kids. But though it was from 1958, it looked more elegant and timeless than ever.
‘It’s designer, I got it from Bond Street in London,’ Grandma said proudly. She explained how normally she’d never have been able to afford such a lovely gown. But the shop had had a flood, 23 and some of the dresses had been damaged.
Originally floor-length, the bottom was ruined by water. It had to be shortened, so it was heavily discounted. The dress ended up in Grandma’s loft for decades until my Auntie Mary, then 21, asked to wear it for her wedding in 1981. ‘It was so stained,’ remembered Grandma. ‘But I chucked it in the washing machine with bleach and it came up lovely.’ I had to laugh at the risk Grandma had taken. But looking at another photo of Auntie Mary in the dress, I couldn’t deny it was beautiful.
A year later, in December 2023, Jolyon surprised me by proposing. And as we discussed wedding plans I knew exactly what dress I wanted to wear. Grandma’s. I’d always loved vintage clothing. She was thrilled. ‘I’d love that,’ she beamed. Weeks later Auntie Mary dug it out of her loft. Luckily the once size-12 dress was the perfect fit for my size 8-10 frame. This time though, I didn’t want to risk the bleach and washing machine trick. Instead I took it to the dry-cleaners. ‘I love it,’ I gushed to Stella and my mum Amanda.
It meant so much being able to wear something so special. In May 2024, I even wore the dress to my pre-wedding party. ‘You’ve made it your own,’ my Auntie Mary smiled, admiring my pink kitten-heeled shoes. Grandma wasn’t feeling up to the party. But I showed her photos after.
And she was so overwhelmed that her daughter, and now granddaughter, were able to make such good use of her gown. ‘I got my money’s worth,’ she laughed. In December, I walked down the aisle to meet Jolyon in the dress of a lifetime. Grandma’s gown has certainly stood the test of time and I’m sure our marriage will too.
