Casgliadau Arlein

Wedding dress consisting of a long bodice, skirt, neck ruffle, bustle and apron. The bodice and skirt are of very narrow striped bright blue silk. The apron is of coffee-coloured lace or drawn thread work. Worn by Mrs Eleanor Rees (née Phillips) on her wedding at St Elvan's Church, Aberdare, 1873.

Bodice of silk taffeta with a pattern of narrow blue stripes on a white ground. The white stripes are the width of 12 warps, the blue stripes are made from eight blue warps and the pale blue stripes are the result of alternating blue and white warps over a stretch of eight warps. The weft consists of only white yarns. The bodice has a tight round neckline and has a long extension below the waist which drapes over the skirt. Upper part of bodice is lined with cream chintz fabric, sleeves are lined with gold-brown cotton twill (same as lining for skirt) and lower bodice is lined with brown open-weave cotton tabby fabric (muslin?). The centre back (below the waist) is bunched up to create the fullness of a bustle shape. The bunched-up fabric is held in place by three cotton tapes which splay out from the waist and down by approx. 20cm. There is an inner waistband of cotton tape, with loose ties, and a further set of cotton tape ties further down the side seam near the hem.

At centre back waist, there are two large buttons which are covered in blue satin. Below them, there is a pleated section which sits loosely over the bunched up fabric of the bustle. There are 16 domed blue silk-covered buttons on the upper proper right side of the centre front. Underneath the row of seven buttons above the waist (which are merely decorative) is a fastening of 12 metal hooks (some steel and some brass) and corresponding stitched loops. The nine lower buttons (below the waist) have matching buttons on the proper left side of the centre front, where the bodice splays open towards the sides, over the skirt.

There is a 10cm deep 'step at the side seam, where the rear section extends beyond the front section. The hemline of the rear section is curved, either to drape over the floor as a small train or to accommodate the bunched up fabric of the bustle above.

The bodice has a trim of 5cm wide blue/green silk fringe as well as an accompanying strip of blue satin which sits above the fringe. The trim is applied in a V-shape across chest and upper back, in an outward-facing V-shape down the centre front, on the pleated section above the bustle, as well as along the bottom edge. The cuffs are trimmed with the same blue satin fabric. It is applied in a combination of flat strips and pleated sections. The bodice is constructed using a mixture of machine and hand stitches.