Valrico Woman Shares Wedding Gown Collection

For 15 years, Valrico resident Leigh Anne Brown has had a love affair with wedding gowns.

She collects wedding gowns from different periods in history, from the Victorian era to the latest designs for modern-day brides.

Brown recently displayed a portion of her collection to members of the Brandon chapter of the American Sewing Guild, which meets at the Brandon Community Center on Sadie Street in Brandon.

Her entire collection now consists of 75 gowns, some she purchased, others that were donated. She presents them to various community organizations in an exhibit she calls "Portrait of a Bride: The Evolving Silhouette."

During her presentations, she discusses how wedding gowns have evolved over the years. For instance, during World War II, wedding dresses had no steel stays or zippers because the metal was needed for the war effort. Wedding dresses during this period also rarely were made in silk because silk was reserved for making military parachutes.

Her collection includes "flapper gowns" from the 1920s to the elaborate "wedding cake gowns" of the 1950s.

Brown welcomes donations of dresses.

Any group interested in having her present her collection can email her at lelu22@juno.com.