Debenhams Reveals the Best and Worst Wedding Dresses

LONDON, April 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Debenhams has revealed which dresses have been voted the best and worst wedding dress by British Women.

British women favour the celebrity wedding dresses of yesteryear over the choices by more contemporary icons, according to Debenhams wedding list customers.

Jackie Onassis' Anne Lowe wedding dress was top of the frocks while Pamela Anderson's wedding outfit - a white bikini and sailor's hat - was voted the worst.

Ed Watson, spokesperson for Debenhams said: "When it comes to British taste, it's a case of something old over something new - half of the top 10 best dresses were worn over six decades ago.

"Clearly the more recent styles like Jordan's pink meringue and Jodie Marsh's red dress push the boundaries too far - further demonstrating the British love affair with tradition."

Bianca Jagger's Yves Saint Laurent white tuxedo (worn with nothing underneath) came in third on the best dress list behind Grace Kelly's lace Helen Rose dress.

On the other end of the scale, Celine Dion and Jordan's meringue dresses were voted second and third worst frocks of all time.

It was a game of two halves for Victoria Beckham's Vera Wang dress which found its way onto both the best and worst lists.

Ed Watson continued: "It is broadly assumed that wearing the colour white was intended to symbolise virginity - but in actual fact, blue was the colour originally connected to purity.  The colour became associated with sexual innocence only after wearing white become 'en vogue' after Queen Victoria wore it at her wedding in 1840."

Philippa of England (Queen of Denmark, Sweden and Norway from 1406 to 1430) was actually the first documented princess in history to wear a white wedding gown during a royal wedding ceremony.

White did not become a popular until Queen Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coburg in 1840. Victoria wore a white gown so she could incorporate some lace she owned. The official wedding portrait photograph was widely published, and many other brides opted for a similar dress in honor of the Queen's choice.

The tradition continues today in the form of a white wedding although, prior to the Victorian era, a bride was married in any color, with black being especially popular in Scandinavia.

Today, the white dress is normally recognised as the most traditional and popular choice for weddings

About Debenhams:

Debenhams is a leading department stores group with a strong presence in key product categories including womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, home and health and beauty. Debenhams is the second largest department store chain in the UK.

Debenhams operates 161 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland. Debenhams also has 61 international franchise stores in 24 countries and six Magasin stores in Denmark.

Designers at Debenhams include Preen, Jonathan Saunders, Jonathan Kelsey, Roksanda Ilincic, Ted Baker, Jeff Banks, Jasper Conran, Erickson Beamon, FrostFrench, Henry Holland, Betty Jackson, Ben de Lisi, Julien Macdonald, Melissa Odabash, Jane Packer, Pearce Fionda, Janet Reger, John Rocha, Lisa Stickley, Eric Van Peterson and Matthew Williamson.

PR Contact:
Carie Barkhuizen
Debenhams PR Manager - Womenswear, accessories and store PR
33 Wigmore Street
London
W1U 1QX
08445 616161
www.debenhams.com

SOURCE Debenhams