Wedding mystery (From Penarth Times)

Wedding mystery

WHO would get married in a wedding dress like this?

No, not the dulcet tones of Loyd Grossman, but a question posed by staff at a Penarth charity shop.

The dress was handed in to Penarth's Oxfam store by an anonymous donor, but staff are so intrigued about the dress's background, they want to know more.

Natalie Farr, a volunteer at the shop, said: "We're looking for clues as to the owner of this figure-hugging satin frock, which may have been lying at the back of a cupboard for over 50 years."

Natalie, a Stanwell School sixth form pupil, found the dress when she and the team were preparing for an antique winter sale.

The full-length white dress had been carefully packed in layers of tissue paper.

With its frilled and beaded yoke neckline, padded shoulders and broad sash which ties in a bow at the back, the dress would have been the height of fashion in the 1950s.

Natalie was persuaded to model the dress in the hope it might jog happy memories.

She said: "We would love to find out who wore the dress. Perhaps someone will recognise the style and bring in their wedding photos to show us."

The dress will be the star attraction at the shop's antique linen sale, which each year attracts customers from right across Wales and England.

Organiser Susan Jarratt said: "We have a wonderful collection of linen and lace for sale this year. There are literally hundreds of pieces ranging from a tiny hand-stitched Victorian christening gown to enormous damask table cloths."

The sale begins on Monday, March 4.