H95.27.1

15-Dec-63
Gift of Mrs. Gloria Watkins
H95.27.1

I. Magnin

This is a short wedding gown with 3/4 length sleeves. The scoop neck is finished with a lace scallop, as is the hem and the ends of the sleeves. The dress fastens down the back with thirty-five (35) small, round buttons of white taffet covered with fine tulle. The dress is meant to be worn with a short, bouffant petticoat (95.27.2). The dress was purchased at I. Magnin in Oakland (20th and Broadway) for between $300.00 and $400.00. After I. Magnin made the alterations for fit, the dress had been altered improperly, so that the wedding gown didn't fit at all. I. Magnin called the manufacturer in San Francisco who came over, took measurements from Gloria, and made this gown especially for her (just like the other one that had been altered beyond fit). The donor, nee Gloria Davis, wore this gown when she married James Watkins on December 15, 1963 at the Downs Memorial Methodist Church (61st and Idaho) in Oakland. Her Maid of Honor was Rose Mary Price (her former room mate) who wore a pink or peach colored dress which she also got at I. Magnin's. The Best Man was George Towns, a life long friend of the groom's. (Six months later the Maid of Honor and the Best Man were married in a very big wedding.) The bride's mother, Hattie Davis, came to her wedding from the family home in East Orange, New Jersey. (The bride's father was deceased.) Gloria and James' wedding reception was at the home of the groom's parents, 4243 Balfour Street in Oakland. (The groom's family are longtime residents of California; the groom is a second generation Californian on his father's side and a third generation Californiaian on his mother's side.) Gloria and James honeymooned in Squaw Valley (Lake Tahoe) and skied.

Used: adult | Female | I. Magnin | Wedding | Oakland | Gloria Davis | Downs Memorial Methodist Church | African American | Paradise Park neighborhood

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