Major new Wirral exhibition highlights women’s accessories through the ages

Jun 1 2011 by Alan Weston, Birkenhead News

Major new Wirral exhibition highlights women’s accessories through the ages

A MAJOR new exhibition in Wirral has put on display a dazzling array of never-before-seen women’s accessories.

The show at Lady Lever Art Gallery, in Port Sunlight, features many fashion items from National Museums Liverpool collections never displayed to the public before.

The exhibition, called The Finishing Touch, covers the period from 1830 to 1940.

Among the 60 individual items are accessories sported by royalty, like shoes worn by Queen Victoria and slippers donned by her daughter-in-law, Alexandra Princess of Wales.

The exhibits range from a veiled 1840s wedding bonnet, dress caps and a widow’s bonnet to illustrate trends in the Victorian era to a pair of jewelled-heeled shoes from the 1920s flapper era and platforms from the 1930s.

Alyson Pollard, exhibition curator, said: “The Finishing Touch looks at changing social customs and how these influenced accessories women wore. The changing role of women – from largely passive to more active – is shown through the items on display.

“Many women enjoy the thrill of a new bag or the excitement of wearing a pair of shoes for the first time. In the past, just as today, they can make a plain garment seem special, make a cheap dress look expensive or give new life to an old outfit.

“They say something about our personality and the way we feel.’’

The Finishing Touch: Women’s Accessories 1830-1940 continues at Lady Lever gallery until Dec 11.

A series of family events will be held during the exhibition run.