Abigail Kingston was 5 years old when she first saw that dress. In 2015, as an adult, she became the 11th bride in her family to wear it.
The story began in 1895, when Mary Lowry Warren married wearing it in Pennsylvania. But the tradition didn’t start there: her daughter chose a 1920s flapper-style dress and the garment was stored away for decades. It wasn’t until 1946 that Mary’s granddaughter, Jane Woodruff, wore it, and from then on it was passed from bride to bride, including Sara Seiler in 1960 and her two daughters in 1989 and 1991.
When Abigail’s turn came, she had to track it down: no one had seen it since 1991. After more than 120 years, the fabric had darkened and had dozens of holes, so designer Deborah LoPresti spent about 200 hours restoring it. Abigail wore it only during cocktail hour, so as not to damage such a fragile garment. How much is something worth that has survived 11 weddings?