This exquisite wedding dress has travelled across continents and generations. It was made for 26-year-old Olivia Costa, who married 30-year-old Irish-born soldier William Wallace in her birthplace of Gibraltar in 1861.

In the mid-nineteenth century wedding dresses came in all colours. White only became fashionable in the late nineteenth century. Made from woven blue and grey checked silk taffeta, the fabric features a combination of plain weave boxed sections and delicate satin stripes adorned with floral patterns.

The bodice is tailored to perfection, with a piped-edge round neckline, a V-shaped waistband, and sloping shoulders that enhance its graceful silhouette. The sleeves are a standout feature, with puffed upper sections finished with blue fringing. The flared lower sleeves feature a scalloped, unhemmed edge. Below the waist, the gown transitions into a full, nine-gored skirt with two bias cut sections that has a three-and-a-half-meter circumference. It is completely handstitched.

The dress travelled with Olivia to Canada, Ireland, Scotland and Otago. Olivia’s family continued the dress’s journey to Canterbury and Whanganui. Her descendent Marjorie Scott donated it to the Whanganui Regional Museum in 1968.

By Trish Nugent-Lyne, Pou Tiaki/Collections & Curatorial Lead at Whanganui Regional Museum.

Wedding dress, 1861
Designer and maker unknown
Made from silk taffeta and lined with polished cotton
Gift of Marjorie Scott
WRM 1968.13.1

Photographed by Kathy Greensides

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