Over two centuries of bridal fashion

Let me give you today a very special recommended plan: an exhibition that was opened last March at the Victorian and Albert Museum in London. Among its walls the luckiest readers who happen to live in London or around will be able to learn the history of the classical wedding dress since it became popular among brides-to-be in the end of the 18th century. I don’t live close enough but I’d really love paying a visit, so I’ll do so through your eyes.

The best designers over the year like Charles Frederick Worth, Norman Hartnell, Charles James, John Galiano, Christian Lacroix, Vivienne Westwood and Vera Wang will guide you with their over 70 designs through the evolution of this costume that will ever be fashionable: a wedding dress in pure white or in the most sensual ivory.

3 Silk satin wedding dress designed by Norman hartnell in 1933 - Victoria and Albert Museum London - Vintage By Lopez-Linares recommendation

The exhibition tells the astonishing story of each one of the 70 dresses, starting back in 1775 until today, and include new acquisitions like the purple dress worn by Dita Von Teese for her marriage with Marilyn Manson and the one worn by Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale on their wedding day.

Besides enjoying these pieces of art, the V&A Museum has planned events regarding the bridal collection. Evening talks, workshops or romantic concerts will give the show even more spectacular nature. If you want to know the upcoming events, go to Wedding Dresses 1775-2014: Events (just click over the link to go to the page straight away)

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I wish I could go for instance to the workshop with the award-wining writer Julie Cohen as a speaker, who will please the visitors with an introduction to basics of romantic writing. Or… Why not? Listening to the Britain’s most acclaimed fashion designer Bruce Oldfield. And my favorite workshop: Learning how to use a Victorian tiara, like a real queen would do.

The show will be opened until the next March 15th 2015, which means you, who live in the UK, have time enough to go for a visit, enjoy all its details and get amazed with each piece. And of course, I’ll be waiting for you to tell me your experience on comments! You’ll be my eyes…

Here’s the link to the website with more information about timetable and tickets availability. Enjoy your visit!

Wedding Dresses 1775-2014: Visitor & Ticket Information

Images source: Victorian and Albert Museum and Arabia Style Fashion

Vintage Bubbles

Through this beautiful term we refer to good quality and artistically designed antique objects. The word, and above all, the essence of the term ‘vintage’ makes each one of us think of different things: clothes, jewelry, decoration… And although nowadays we tend to associate it with fashion and design, I cannot forget its origin.

Vintage is an English word with a beautiful sound (translated into the Spanish language as ‘vendimia’). The term ‘vintage’ was used for wine in reference to those aged wines produced from the best harvests.

Due to this, I think that in my case, whenever I hear the word ‘vintage’, bubbles come to my mind… Champagne bubbles.

I close my eyes and imagine that magical night in 1670, in the wine cellar of Hautvillers Abbey.

Startled by the pop of the bottle, his Abbot Don Pierre Pérignon, descended down to the cellar, and after tasting the wine that he had spilled, he woke up the other monks with a shout that made history:

“Come, brothers, come! I am drinking stars!”. Of course, he was talking about champagne.

Vintage is quality, exclusiveness, history and style.

Consequently, when I think of the monk Pierre Pérignon trimming his vines so that they wouldn’t reach more than 90cm in height, gathering only the grapes that were whole, and only when it was cold. Or when he put the humid netting over the branches that were in the sun, in order to keep them fresh and not allow any kind of maceration to change the wort taste… This is when the concept of vintage reaches its most splendid height in my head.

The first harvest of Don Perignon Vintage was in 1921. Each new Vintage is created from the best grapes added together at the same time. If this addition doesn’t meet with the standard of excellency, it is ruled out of being a Vintage.

There is a story that happened in July 2010 which is really fascinating:

A group of divers found a sunken ship in the Baltic Sea, the vessel was probably wrecked between 1825 and 1830.

Where was the boat going? Who was the one to which the treasure was being transported aboard? These are questions that today we surely won’t be able to find the answer to.

However, what we do know is what was looted from this boat: 145 bottles of French champagne.

It is a boat that sunk nearly two centuries ago, and the most exciting thing about this story is that 79 of those bottles, from three well-known brands: Veuve-Clicquot, Juglar and Heidsiek, are in perfect condition to be consumed.

It seems that the constant temperature of the water, the darkness of the bottom of the sea and the pressure inside the bottle itself, managed to conserve all of the champagne’s taste qualities.

We will never know now who these bottles were for, nor the motive for the possible party or event for which they were destined.

What we do know is that, today, we speak of the oldest champagne in the world.

Thrilling, and absolutely vintage.

I raise my glass with all of you, and accompanied by these magnificent vintage bubbles, I make a toast to the fact that we can continue enjoying so many beautiful things and stories that surround us.

Buceador par Maria

Author: Rus Martinez Cantero, Social Media Strategist specialised on Digital Branding. She is this month our Guest Blogger at Vintage Lopez-Linares! Thank you so much!

Images: ©Traveler.es y ©María Vintage Photography

Gema Molina & Social With It

Gema Molina is a journalist that has been living in London for a few years now. Her passion: social media, what do they mean in today’s world and the revolution that they have already started in the online world.

Creator of the blog Social With It a place that was born with the aim to keep up-to-date in an easy and accessible way a community of social media lovers and specialists with different views since the online evolution of the social media it’s different in each country. The goal is simple, to offer small businesses a guide so they can dive with success in the social media world. She pays special attention to communicate, share, or start debates about the hottest topics in your industry, both in English and Spanish, making the collaboration between communities seamless.

And for a few months now my right hand in the UK, my guide to lead the way in the market that loves antiquities and everything vintage, a market in which I would find difficult to progress without her valuable help and advice.

Gema is a passionate worker and constant fighter which allowed me to find in her my perfect complement since she puts in the work she does from the UK the same passion and creativity that I put in mine here.

I think that together we make a great couple at work, which makes me feel pretty confident that 2013 it’s going to be our year in the English-speaking countries.

Thanks a lot for your visit Gema, it has been a real pleasure to put a face on your emails after more than three months working together over the internet.

Best wishes.