{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O83519"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O83519/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AU1689/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006AU1689/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"low","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006AU1689","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006AU1688","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":null},"record":{"systemNumber":"O83519","accessionNumber":"T.323-1993","objectType":"Wedding dress","titles":[{"title":"Farewell, Sweet Liberty","type":"assigned by artist"}],"summaryDescription":"Joe Casely-Hayford (1956–2019) was born in the United Kingdom in 1956, into a British-Ghanaian family. In the early 1970s he worked as a tailor's apprentice on Savile Row and studied fine tailoring at the Tailor & Cutter Academy. From the late 1970s he designed for the music industry, making performance clothes for rock groups. In 1984 Joe Casely-Hayford launched his menswear label, with womenswear following in 1986. His signature look combines sharp tailoring and a high level of technical skill with features drawn from streetstyle and club culture. In 1992, he was commissioned by the Liberty department store to design a dress for their exhibition of contemporary British wedding fashion.\r\n\r\nAlternative dress is deliberately anti-fashion, and bridal wear does not necessarily follow day-to-day fashion trends. The designer explores this unexpected relationship by combining alternative design elements with traditional white-wedding style. During the wedding ceremony, the bride stands with her back to her guests. Wedding dresses often feature attractive back detailing for this reason. Joe Casely-Hayford has decorated the back of his white silk dress with a metal-studded pierced heart motif, more suited to a biker’s leather jacket. The slogan, “Farewell Sweet Liberty”, is simultaneously humorous and poignant. Whilst the fabric is traditional, the frayed edges, studs, and chains were inspired by Punk and alternative clothing.","physicalDescription":"Wedding dress of ivory raw silk, embroidered and decorated with pearls, metal rivets, chains and studs.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Casely- Hayford, Joe","id":"A10112"},"association":{"text":"designer","id":"AAT25190"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[{"name":{"text":"Liberty","id":"A1527"},"association":{"text":"retailer","id":"AAT25246"},"note":""}],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"silk (textile)","id":"AAT243428"},{"text":"pearl","id":"AAT11827"},{"text":"metal","id":"x30521"}],"techniques":[{"text":"embroidered","id":"AAT53653"},{"text":"sewing","id":"AAT53658"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Raw silk, decorated with pearls, metal rivets, chains and studs","categories":[{"text":"Fashion","id":"THES48957"},{"text":"Clothing","id":"THES48975"},{"text":"Marriage","id":"THES48921"},{"text":"Black History","id":"THES48989"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"T&F","id":"THES48601"},"images":["2006AU1689","2006AU1688"],"imageResolution":"low","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"022","id":"THES311190"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Wedding dress","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"England","id":"x28826"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1992","earliest":"1992-01-01","latest":"1992-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"Given by Liberty & Co. Ltd","dimensions":[],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"'Farewell, sweet liberty'","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":"Embroidered on the back of the dress"}],"objectHistory":"Registered File number 1993/1217.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Wedding dress, ivory raw silk with pearl embroidery, metal studs and frayed edges, designed by Joe Casely-Hayford, England, 1992.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"De la Haye, Amy (ed.). <i>The Cutting Edge: 50 Years of British Fashion 1947- 1997.</i> London : V&A Publications, 1997","id":"AUTH354385"},"details":"plate 57","free":""}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Liberty commissioned Joe Casely- Hayford to create a garment for their display of wedding dresses by British designers in 1992.  He designed this post-punk wedding dress featuring a poignant play on words on the back.  The luxurious cream silk with pearl decoration is a traditional material for a wedding dress, but the fraying and patchworking of the fabric, and further embellishing it with metal chains and rivets, makes it entirely unconventional.","date":{"text":"1993","earliest":"1993-01-01","latest":"1993-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["T.323-1993"],"accessionNumberNum":"323","accessionNumberPrefix":"T","accessionYear":1993,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":[],"recordModificationDate":"2025-11-03","recordCreationDate":"2003-08-20","availableToBook":true}}