A new exhibition brings together over two centuries of bridal costumes from the collections of the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia and of the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation of Nafplion.

With some exceptions, differences and peculiarities, marriage is an institution present in all cultures. Many are the elements that define every marriage tradition, making them vary from country to country, region to region, even town to town or family to family. Among these elements, the bridal gown stands out as the first and maybe as the most apparent. In a new exhibition, the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia gathers the costumes of two countries history has both united and divided: Greece and Cyprus.

Nicosia, 1967. Bride: Fotini Michaelidou of the Leventis family. Fashion House: Lanvin, Paris. Collection: Foundation «Polycarpos Yiorkadjis».

‘Brides at the Leventis Museum: tradition and fashion in Greece and Cyprus’ features pieces from the collections of the Cypriot museum and the Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation. The bridal gowns on show range from the late nineteenth century to 1974, covering over one hundred years of historical and social events, culminating with the year 1974, chosen by the curator of the exhibition as the year in which ‘the centuries-long order of things of the indigenous population was ruptured, dramatically and irrevocably changing the socio-economic structures’.

Distinguishing between wedding gowns from the city and the village and between those of wealthy and less privileged brides, the exhibition focuses on the similarities and differences between the dresses of the Greek area and those from Cyprus, comparing their length, width and materials showing how they have been influenced not only by national and regional history and traditions, but also by movies and royal weddings.

Constantinople,1898. Bride: Olga Kourteli. Collection: Peloponnesian Folkore Foundation.

The exhibition explores the changes of the wedding gowns in relation to the events that characterised the two countries during the period, including two World Wars and the independence of Cyprus. The dresses show the changing approach to the very practice of marriage, such as the abandon of the use of traditional garments and the harmonisation with international fashion, or the introduction of the ‘white wedding dress’ after the one worn by Queen Victoria of England for her wedding with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1840.

Nicosia, 1952. Bride: Marvel Georgiadou-Christofidi. Collection: Niki-Anna Artemi and Lella Kourri.

The exhibition will be on show until April 23rd 2017. Visit the Leventis Municipal Museum of Nicosia website to learn more.