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They haven’t always been white. With a new exhibition on bridal gowns1本文介紹的是2014年5月3日到2015年3月15日在倫敦維多利亞和阿爾貝特博物館舉辦的Wedding Dresses 1775-2014展覽。opening at the V&A2=Victoria and Albert Museum維多利亞和阿爾貝特博物館，簡稱V&A博物館，成立于1852年。博物館以維多利亞女王和阿爾貝特公爵命名，專門收藏美術(shù)品和工藝品，包括珠寶、家具等。, Lindsay Baker investigates the trends and taboos of connubial3connubial婚姻的；夫妻（關(guān)系）的。chic.婚紗并非總是白色的。倫敦V&A博物館的婚紗展新近開幕，林賽·貝克對婚紗時尚的趨勢和禁忌作了一番詳細調(diào)查。

It’s the default setting for brides in Western culture, but what does the ubiquitous4ubiquitous無所不在的；隨處可見的。white wedding dress actually represent? Not quite what we have always assumed, it turns out. The tradition of brides wearing white has never symbolised virginity or purity, according to a new exhibition that explores the garment’s history—the white bridal gown’s primary function was ostentatiousness5ostentatious-ness炫富心態(tài)。.

[2] “The connotation6connotation內(nèi)涵。of purity was not important,” says curator Edwina Ehr-man. “It was about wealth. Throughout the 18th and 19th Century, women who could afford it got married in white.” In the days when washing was done painstakingly by hand with a washboard, a white dress was almost impossible to clean thoroughly. “It was a garment you just wore once, so it was only for the very wealthy.”

新娘在婚禮上穿白色婚紗是西方文化默認的結(jié)婚禮儀，然而，風靡世界的白色婚紗到底有什么寓意呢？最新推出的婚紗展覽追溯了婚紗的歷史，原來傳統(tǒng)的穿白色婚紗并非如我們一直以為的那樣代表童貞或者純潔。事實上，白色婚紗的主要功能是炫富。

[2]“純潔這層寓意并不重要?！辈哒谷税５聹啬取ぐ柭f，“穿白色婚紗是為彰顯財富。在18和19世紀，買得起白色婚紗的女人才會穿白色婚紗結(jié)婚?！痹谥荒苡么暌掳迨窒匆路哪甏?，白色的衣服幾乎不可能徹底清洗?！鞍咨榧喪侵淮┮淮蔚模詫俑缓缹Ｏ?。”

[3] The white (or ivory) wedding dress—popularised by Queen Victoria,who wore one at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840—has certainly endured.There’s no denying its totemic7totemic圖騰的。power.For many brides it encapsulates8encapsulate簡述；概括。a hopeful, romantic nostalgia9nostalgia懷舊。. “It can have a transformative effect,” says Ehrman.“And if you’ve already been living with your partner or even if you’ve had children you may want to wear white at your wedding because you feel it marks a new phase in your relationship.”

White is the warmest colour

[4] So quintessentially10quintessentially本質(zhì)地，從根本上說。bridal has the white dress become that now when a bride chooses to tie the knot wearing another colour, it’s considered daring and rebellious: think burlesque11burlesque滑稽舞蹈表演。dancer Dita Von Teese12美國舞蹈演員，1972年生于美國密歇根州，1993 年開始從事滑稽戲劇，以表演羽毛扇舞、“香檳浴”而逐漸走紅。in her purple, corsetted13corset（尤指舊時婦女束腰的）緊身內(nèi)衣。dress by Vivienne Westwood14英國時裝設計師，被稱為時裝界的“朋克之母”。, for instance; singer Gwen Stefani15美國女歌手、演員、設計師。in a dramatic dip-dyed number16number〈非正式〉令人羨慕的東西。by John Galliano17英國時裝設計師，曾任法國著名服裝品牌“克里斯汀·迪奧”首席設計師。; or actresses Anne Hathaway18美國知名女演員，生于美國紐約，著名作品包括《公主日記》（The Princess Diaries，2001）系列、《斷背山》（Brokeback Mountain，2005）、《穿普拉達的女王》（The Devil Wears Prada，2006）、《蝙蝠俠：黑暗騎士崛起》（The Dark Knight Rises，2012）等電影。2012年，以《悲慘世界》（Les Miserables）獲得奧斯卡金像獎、美國演員工會獎和英國電影學院獎等最佳女配角獎。,Jessica Biel19美國女演員、模特。1996年因飾演華納劇集《七重天》（7thHeaven）中Mary Camden一角而知名。2012年與美國男歌手、演員賈斯汀·汀布萊克（Justin Timberlake）結(jié)婚并育有一子。and Reese Witherspoon20美國女演員，7歲時從事模特兒演出，拍攝電視廣告片。2001年主演《律政俏佳人》（Legally Blonde），成為新一代美國甜心。2006年，憑借電影《一往無前》（Walk the Line）中的出色表演獲得第78屆奧斯卡最佳女主角，登上演藝事業(yè)的巔峰。all of whom wed in unconventional pink. And when designers Oscar de la Renta21（1932—2014），美國十大設計師之一。and Vera Wang22著名華裔設計師，1949年出生于美國紐約，祖籍江蘇徐州。debuted23debut初次登臺。nonwhite wedding-dress collections, it was viewed as a radical move in the conservative bridal-wear industry.

[3] 1840年，維多利亞女王身披白色（或象牙色）婚紗與阿爾貝特王子成婚，使這一色系的婚紗流行起來，并延續(xù)至今。不可否認，白色婚紗具有象征意義。對于很多新娘來說，白色婚紗代表舊日情懷，既浪漫又充滿希望?！斑@會讓人產(chǎn)生煥然一新的感覺。”埃爾曼說，“如果你已經(jīng)與伴侶同居，甚至已經(jīng)生了孩子，結(jié)婚的時候你會想穿白色婚紗，因為它讓你覺得，你們的關(guān)系進入了一個新的階段。”

白色是最溫暖的顏色

[4]如今，白色婚紗已成為婚禮必備，如果新娘選擇其他顏色，會被認為膽大妄為、離經(jīng)叛道。例如：美國滑稽舞蹈演員蒂塔·萬提斯結(jié)婚時穿的是維維安·韋斯特伍德設計的紫色緊身婚紗；美國歌手格溫·斯特凡尼的婚紗則出自約翰·加利亞諾之手，婚紗裙擺是搶眼的漸變粉紅色；安妮·海瑟薇、杰西卡·比爾和瑞茜·威瑟斯彭等女明星結(jié)婚時都選擇了反傳統(tǒng)的粉色。奧斯卡·德拉倫塔和王薇薇兩位婚紗設計師還推出了一系列彩色婚紗，在保守的結(jié)婚禮服行業(yè)，這被視為激進之舉。

[5] Yet getting married in pink, purple, yellow, red (the typical bridal gown colour in China) or any other colour for that matter is nothing new in Western culture, nor particularly irreverent, says Ehrman. “Over the centuries, brides who were interested in fashion have often got married in different colours.And they would wear them many times afterwards, altering them over the years to fit in with fashion, or to fit a changing figure.” And it was common for women not to buy a new dress for the occasion,but to simply get married in their best existing outfit.

[5]不過，埃爾曼表示，在西方文化里，穿粉色、紫色、黃色、紅色（中式新娘禮服的代表色）或其他任何顏色的禮服結(jié)婚都不算新鮮，也不至于失禮?！皫讉€世紀以來，對時尚感興趣的新娘往往會選擇不同顏色的結(jié)婚禮服，之后還會多次穿著，隔幾年作一些修改，以適應時尚潮流或者身材變化?！币灿泻芏嘈履锊毁I新禮服，結(jié)婚時只是從自己的衣櫥里挑一件最好的衣服。

[6] Bridal fashion adapted to wartime as best it could. “People did what they could during World War II,” explains Ehrman. “They would borrow a dress or wear their service uniform. Women in the armed forces could also hire a dress, and some brides made dresses out of curtain fabric. We have an example in the show of a buttercup-print dress made of lightweight upholstery fabric.”

[7] Post-war, the mid-calf ballerinalength design became popular, favoured by women who had careers. There were some spectacular one-off24one-off只供在一種場合使用的；一次性的。gowns,too. Margaret Whigam, one of the first It girls25It girl克拉拉·鮑（Clara Bow）1927年主演電影《它》（It），影片大獲成功。電影改編自英國小說及劇作家埃莉諾·格林（Elinor Glyn）的小說。從此It girl用來代指性感美麗的時尚女性。, wore a big, showy gown by Norman Hartnell26（1901—1979），英國王室服裝設計師，英國高級定制時裝的領(lǐng)軍人物。. “She was beautiful,rich and she loved the camera—she was the perfect client for Hartnell,” says Ehrman. “That was not a garment that could be altered for another occasion.”

[8] In the swinging271960s, singer Lulu28全名為露露·肯尼迪-凱恩斯（Lulu Kennedy-Cairns），蘇格蘭歌手、演員。sported a white hooded, furtrimmed maxi coat29maxi coat長至腳裸的大衣。over a mini dress and high boots. The Thea Porter30著名英國設計師，生于1927年，2000年去世。-designed empire-line31empire-line（連衣裙的）高腰線。dress—“demure32demure嫻靜的；端莊的。but flirty” as Ehrman puts it—in devore velvet33devore velvet一種經(jīng)特殊工藝處理過的天鵝絨，理解為絲絨。, is quintessentially 1970s. “The reason the white wedding dress has survived is because it can evolve and remain fashionable—it persists because it can be reinvented.”

[6]在戰(zhàn)爭年代，新娘禮服必須想方設法適應時勢?！岸?zhàn)期間，人們也只能盡力而為?！卑柭忉屨f，“她們或向別人借，或就穿著制服結(jié)婚。女軍人也可以租禮服，有些新娘用窗簾布自己做。我們的展品中就有一件用輕質(zhì)沙發(fā)布縫制的金鳳花紋禮服?！?/p>

[7]戰(zhàn)后，芭蕾舞女式禮服開始流行，這種禮服長度到小腿肚，尤其受到職業(yè)女性青睞。還有一些華麗的婚紗，不過只適合在婚禮上穿。瑪格麗特·惠格姆是第一代時尚女郎，在婚禮當日，她披上諾曼·哈特內(nèi)爾為她設計的裙擺寬大的華麗婚紗?！八焐愘|(zhì)，家境富裕，又熱愛拍照，是哈特內(nèi)爾最完美的客戶?！卑柭f，“這不是那種改一改就可以在其他場合穿的衣服?！?/p>

[8]在時髦活躍的1960年代，蘇格蘭歌手露露在婚禮上身穿小禮服，腳踏高筒靴，再披上一件長至腳裸的白色連帽毛皮大衣。1970年代的典型代表是西婭·波特設計的高腰小禮服，以絲絨面料制作而成，埃爾曼的評價是“嫻靜而嫵媚”，充滿了1970年代的韻味?！鞍咨榧喴恢毖赜弥两竦脑蛟谟谒懿粩嘌葸M并保持時尚——它能存續(xù)是因為設計上可以不斷創(chuàng)新?！?/p>

27 swinging活躍而時髦的。

[9] Designer Jenny Packham34英國婚紗設計師。agrees.“The most memorable wedding outfits for me are those that define an era from a fashion perspective,” she says.“Bianca Jagger35滾石樂隊主唱米克·賈格爾（Mick Jagger）的第一任太太，20世紀70年代最特立獨行的名媛。in that white suit, Audrey Hepburn in a mini dress and head scarf.” Packham designs bridal wear as well as eveningwear (and is a favourite with many high-profile women, including the Duchess of Cambridge36指英國王妃凱特·米德爾頓（Kate Middleton）。劍橋公爵（Duke of Cambridge）是授予英國王室成員的頭銜。該頭銜可按照長子繼承制由后代繼承，頭銜擁有者的妻子被稱為劍橋公爵夫人。).

[10] So what era influences Packham’s bridal wear the most? “The 1930s are always a great source of inspiration—a wonderfully decadent and glamorous era between the wars, it was a design explosion of divine proportions37divine proportion指采用黃金分割率為依據(jù)的設計。1860年，德國物理學家、心理學家古斯塔夫·西奧多·費希納（Gustav Theodor Fechner）提出通過一個無理數(shù)來定義大自然中的平衡，即黃金分割率。.”

[9]設計師珍妮·帕卡姆同意埃爾曼的觀點。“最讓我難以忘懷的是那些引領(lǐng)時代潮流的婚禮禮服，”她說，“比如比安卡·賈格爾的白色西裝，奧黛麗·赫本的小禮服和頭巾。”除了新娘禮服之外，帕卡姆還設計晚禮服（她的設計是眾多名媛的最愛，劍橋公爵夫人凱特王妃也是其中之一）。

[10]那么，哪一個時代對帕卡姆的婚紗設計影響最大呢？“1930年代永遠是偉大的靈感源泉。1930年代處于兩次世界大戰(zhàn)的間歇期，一個墮落與輝煌并存的時代，是黃金分割設計風格大爆發(fā)的時期。”

[11] And how does she predict the wedding dress will evolve? “The bridal dress must stand out as a piece of clothing… At the moment there is a comfortable stand-off38stand-off僵持不下。between the red carpet and the aisle. Neither wants to look like the other.”

[12] Alice Temperley39英國著名時裝設計師。, whose embellished Jean dress is displayed in the show, is influenced by the silhouettes40silhouette剪影；輪廓。and spirit of the 1920s. Why has the romantic, ultra-feminine gown endured for so long in her view? “The wedding dress is traditional, timeless and defies trends,” she says, recalling her own wedding dress, made with “antique lace and 1920s sequins that I had collected since childhood”.

Making a statement

[13] It’s all in the detail, agrees Gareth Pugh41英國時裝設計師。, who has created stage outfits for the likes of Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue42澳大利亞女歌手、歌曲作家及演員。—and whose dramatic-butromantic bridal dress for stylist Katie Shillingford43英國老牌時尚雜志Dazed & Confused的時裝編輯兼造型師。features in the exhibition.“A costume for the stage and a wedding dress both have very specific roles to fulfil,” says Pugh. “However, the approach and process are very different. Usually with stage costume, comfort and the ability to move around easily are top of the list, along with being visually striking.

[11]她認為未來婚紗將會如何演變呢？“新娘禮服必須與眾不同……現(xiàn)在紅毯禮服和結(jié)婚禮服有一種恰到好處的競爭關(guān)系，都不愿意彼此雷同?！?/p>

[12]艾麗斯·坦珀利的帶綴飾牛仔長裙也在本次展覽中展出。她的作品留有1920年代的印記，體現(xiàn)出那個時代的精神。為什么不實用的超女性化禮服能夠流傳至今？對此，艾麗斯·坦珀利回答說：“婚紗是傳統(tǒng)的象征，代表著永恒，總是逆潮流而行?！彼叵肫鹱约旱幕榧?，上面鑲著“我從小收集的古典花邊和1920年代的亮片”。

借婚紗表達觀點

[13]加雷思·皮尤也認為，細節(jié)至關(guān)重要。加雷思·皮尤曾經(jīng)為嘎嘎小姐和凱莉·米諾格等當紅明星制作舞臺服裝，他為造型師凱蒂·希林福德設計的婚紗既張揚又浪漫，是本次婚紗展覽的重要展品?！拔枧_服裝和結(jié)婚禮服都是塑造非常具體的角色，”他告訴記者，“但是塑造的方法和過程頗不相同。除了強烈的視覺效果之外，舞臺服裝最重要的是要穿著舒適且便于移動。

[14] “With a wedding dress there are layers of subtlety that you can achieve that you just can’t replicate on stage—usually because a wedding dress is viewed in much closer quarters. And a bride is more willing to forego comfort.”And how does Pugh think the wedding dress will evolve in the future? “I think the idea of dressing up and presenting a side of oneself that is a fantasy will always appeal,” he says. “For most, a wedding is perhaps the one day where they are allowed free rein to really go to town. There will always be a niche market for the traditional white meringue44meringue蛋白酥，蛋糖甜餅，比喻婚紗蓬松的樣子。,but I like the idea of the dress being a little more personal—something that is made with love and care, something that takes time and patience—a lot like the marriage itself.”

[15] And like marriage itself, wedding attire continues to evolve. As Edwina Ehrman puts it, “Gay weddings and cross-cultural weddings are both examples of how new traditions are being established.” All of which feeds into45feed into源源不斷地供給。the multi-billion-dollar global weddingattire industry. “There is definitely a spirit of competitiveness around weddings now—the bridezilla46bridezilla怪獸新娘。bridezilla是英文bride（新娘）和Godzilla（哥斯拉，日本科幻電影《怪獸哥斯拉》中的大怪獸, 用于指代暴躁、可怕的人）的合成詞，帶有戲謔意味，專指在準備婚禮籌備過程中過分親力親為的新娘。or groomzilla phenomenon is real,”says Ehrman. And the alternative47alternative非傳統(tǒng)的，另類的。-wedding bridezilla who wishes to make a conscious statement through her wedding can be just as competitive—in fact, some are ditching48ditch拋棄，丟棄。the white wedding dress to make a point about gender politics.

[14]“婚紗可以表達層次豐富的細節(jié)，這是舞臺服裝難以做到的，因為婚紗的觀察距離比舞臺服裝近得多，而且新娘比演員更愿意舍棄舒適性?！奔永姿肌てび日J為未來婚紗會如何演變呢？“我覺得，為婚禮盛裝打扮一番，向世人展現(xiàn)自己夢幻的一面，這永遠都是非常誘人的想法?！彼f，“對大多數(shù)人來說，婚禮也許是他們唯一可以縱情享受的日子。傳統(tǒng)的白色禮服永遠會有商機，不過我希望婚紗多一點兒人情味——用愛和關(guān)懷制作婚紗，就像對待婚姻本身一樣，需要付出時間和耐心。”

[15]就像婚姻，婚紗也在繼續(xù)演變。埃德溫娜·埃爾曼提到，“現(xiàn)在出現(xiàn)了新的婚禮形式，例如同性戀婚禮和跨文化婚禮，而且正在形成新的婚禮傳統(tǒng)”。這使價值數(shù)十億美元的全球婚禮服飾行業(yè)不斷發(fā)展壯大?！盎槎Y這件事絕對是存在競爭的，新娘新郎都想要完美的婚禮，怪獸新娘或怪獸新郎現(xiàn)象的確是事實?！卑柭f道。同樣激進的還有操辦另類婚禮的怪獸新娘，她們想借婚禮表達主張——有些另類新娘甚至丟掉白色婚紗，以表達一種性別政治觀點。

[16] That’s nonsensical49nonsensical荒謬的，荒唐的。, says Ehrman. “If you want to wear a coloured dress on your wedding day, or trousers,or go barefoot, go ahead. But the idea that wearing a white wedding dress is going to somehow enslave you is absurd—equality and respect are what matter in a marriage, not what you wear at your wedding. When it comes to modern bridal wear we are just incredibly lucky to have such a diversity of choice.” ■

[16]埃爾曼認為，這種做法荒唐至極?！澳阆朐诨槎Y那天穿彩色婚紗，或者穿褲子，那就穿吧，甚至光著腳都沒問題。但是，認為穿白色婚紗結(jié)婚就意味著受束縛的看法是荒謬的。經(jīng)營婚姻最重要的是平等和尊重，而不是婚禮上穿什么衣服?，F(xiàn)代新娘服飾豐富多彩，我們今天能擁有如此多樣的選擇，實在是太幸運了?！薄?/p>