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A unique exhibition of vintage, designer, and eclectic clothing is being staged at Sausmarez Manor this evening and tomorrow as part of a charity's efforts to rally against fast fashion while helping people escape slavery.
The Once Upon A Dress exhibition has been curated by eco-fashion coach Kay Davidson of Guernsey for Freedom and Joni Free from Kooky Styling.
It includes items loaned by Catherine Best and Dame Mary Perkins, as well as a dress made especially for model Penny Lancaster and one which may have been intended for the late Queen to wear.
Other dresses include designs by Pucci and John Bates, who also designed under the name Jean Varon.
The dresses span different decades with their quality and longevity speaking to Kay's interest in sustainability, with some of the pieces on display being handed down the generations and still being worn today.
Pictured: Dresses by designers Pucci, Jean Varon, and Hardy Amies are among the items on display.
"A lot of these pieces, this is the only chance you're going to get to see them because they're not public display pieces, and it's not historical," she said.
"Some people maybe think it's historical costume because obviously it's in a historical Manor, but no, this is very much a celebration of fashion."
Joni added that she was pleased to be asked to assist with curating the display as she is a big fan of vintage and sustainable fashion.
"I've loved getting involved with it because that's such a passion for me, with vintage and clothing in general. And it is fun," she added.
"We haven't really had anything like this over here. There's been a lot of catwalk shows and things, but actually seeing (the clothing), and being able to really look at the detail and the fabrics and going back as Kay said earlier, to looking at how things are made as well and how well made they are, they're quality pieces, and learning the history of something is really nice when you can see it too."
Pictured: Two-pieces, cocktail dresses, ball gowns, kimonos, and accessories, are among the items on display.
The fundraising aspect of the show will support the work of Guernsey for Freedom, which Kay is involved with.
The evenings will start with two short talks, from Kevin Bayles of the charity and Kay herself, before a curated walk through the Manor where the dresses, outfits, and accessories are on display with information cards telling their individual stories.
The clothing can't be touched and is on static display as opposed to a catwalk show because of how valuable each item is.
"There's too much of a risk if someone's actually wearing (one of the dresses)," explained Joni.
"If you get a heel through the bottom or something like that, especially with the vintage pieces...you need to be very careful with touching them. They're fragile just because they've been around a long time, and some seams may have perished a bit.
"It's just being careful, and I think they look quite dramatic, so it's nice to have them with a backdrop like this."
Any funds raised from the two evenings will be donated to Guernsey for Freedom which Kay says is seeing success in releasing young girls from slavery and the Sausmarez Manor Trust to help maintain Guernsey's heritage for the future.
"...the charity, Guernsey for Freedom put a school into villages in northern India (where people) are trapped in hereditary slavery. This is whole families and entire villages who don't know any other life other than being at the hands of the slaveholder and working in brick kilns from dawn to dusk, with children as young as six working. So we put a school in and educate the young children and by doing that, it starts a communication within the village and then the mothers come and then they get to hear about how to get papers, how to become a legal entity themselves, and slowly but surely the whole village will stand up against the slaveholder.
"We've been doing it now for a number of years and we know that this works and brings lasting freedom."
Tickets for the Once Upon A Dress event are available by emailing oneislandonevillage@gmail.com with all proceeds going to Guernsey for Freedom.
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