Wedding Dress Item Number: 3346/1 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Two piece wedding dress, consisting of a jacket style top (part a) and skirt (part b). Open front jacket with a stiff high-necked collar, made entirely of black silk. There are small slits on the sides and one up the back. Jacket has three frog closures. On either side of the bottom closures there are decorated ties. The jacket is embroidered with gold metallic thread. On the front and back of the jacket there are blooming flowers and vines. Along the top edge of the collar, sleeve cuffs, bottom hem, edges of the slits and jacket opening there are two tiers of scallops and then wave-like designs. The interior of the jacket has a pink silk lining. Small purple tag on interior of collar with Chinese characters embroidered in gold thread. The skirt is four-paneled, full length and made entirely of red silk. Skirt is closed at the back, towards the right side, with four metal button clasps and a cotton tie that spans the waist. Hanging from the bottom hem are strands of twisted white gold metal. The front and back panels of the skirt are straight and the panels on the left and right are pleated. Like the jacket, the skirt is embroidered with gold metallic thread. The bottom hem has a two-tiered scallop border. Above the tiers on the front and back panels there are wave-like designs and then large flowers and vines. Running along the pleats on the left and right panels there are smaller flowers and vines. The panel edges are all bordered with two-tiers of scallops.

Narrative

The two-piece dress was the donor's mother's wedding/ceremonial garment.