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Brides. Stories in Silk

Start Date 19 May 2018
End Date 25 September 2018
Venue Silk Museum
Location Soufli, Thrace, Greece
Exhibition display of dressed mannequins

The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP), in collaboration with the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation “V. Papantoníou” (PFF), is organising the temporary exhibition “Brides. Stories in silk” at the Silk Museum in Souflí (Thrace). 

 The exhibition presents, by chronological order, thirty finely-crafted wedding dresses, some of which have never been displayed before, and wedding accessories, which cover a wide social spectrum, from the bridal gowns of bourgeois society to those worn in rural areas of Greece. 

 Visitors can observe the evolution of fashion, from the late 19th century through to the present, and the variety of wedding dresses’ shapes and decorative elements over this period. From the elegant 19th century bridal gowns to the pioneering creations of contemporary designers and the eccentric designs of the 21st century, the bridal costume follows fashion trends in a particular way, often drawing inspiration from shapes of the past or heralding tomorrow’s fashion. The exhibition presents the creations of Greek and foreign fashion houses, such as, among others: Mady Donnet, Georgette, Etienne Brunel, Atelier Loukía and Maison Tsoúchlos. 

 Through the use of new technologies and the rich actions scheduled to follow, the exhibition places mankind at its centre and attempts to establish a dialogue between past, present and future. Among others, each wedding dress “narrates” different stories, both of the woman who wore it and of the period when it was created. 

The photographic material accompanying the exhibition is from the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation’s Photo Library and from our many patrons who responded to our invitation to send in their family wedding photographs. 

The collaboration  between the two institutions is part of the actions implemented on the occasion of the 2018 International Museum Day. 

Images courtesy of Silk Museum in Souflí (Thrace).