Jun 03, 2022

Woman finds suitcase filled with her grandmother’s 1950s honeymoon outfits

Woman finds suitcase filled with her grandmother's 1950s honeymoon outfits

A 27-year-old woman named Maddy Bill is wowing the internet by modelling her grandmother’s vintage honeymoon outfits that she discovered inside a suitcase that has not been opened since 1952.

Footage of Maddy modelling the stylish 1950s outfits alongside pictures of her grandmother wearing the same outfits 70 years ago went viral on social media platform TikTok, with one video clip amassing more than six million views.

Maddy4

Maddy’s 91-year-old grandmother Marie D’Allesandro Donato married her husband Anthony in the early 1950s, with the newlyweds choosing to honeymoon in New York.

After the honeymoon, Marie washed all of her vacation outfits and placed them back into the suitcase to preserve the clothes and hand them down to her daughter – who is Maddy’s mother.

However, Maddy’s mother decided not to open the suitcase and chose to save that special moment for a time when she could open it alongside her own daughter, Maddy.

maddy5a
Marie and her husband Anthony out to dinner on on their honeymoon in 1952.

“It was remarkable because I felt like we were bringing the past to life. Everything is honestly in pretty amazing condition.”

The first outfit that Maddy decided to try on was a back, button-down dress that her grandmother wore 70 years ago while out at dinner on her honeymoon.

“I always remember seeing the photograph of my grandmother in the dress growing up, but I never saw the physical dress,” revealed Maddy.

Maddy and Marie
Maddy models her grandmother's black, button-down dress.

“I can’t even describe the feeling of putting it on for the first time and having it fit perfectly.”

According to Maddy, her grandmother “did not grow up with a lot of money”, but she and her siblings did take a lot of pride in their appearance.

Some of the other items of clothing that were found in the suitcase included a light-pink sundress, a silky button-down shirt, and a striped turtleneck.

Untitled design (2)

Maddy also modelled some of her grandmother’s jewellery and accessories, which included earrings, a watch, bracelets, and a polka dot bandanna.

Upon seeing Maddy modelling her honeymoon outfits, feelings of nostalgia came flooding back to 91-year-old Marie.

“I wish I was young again and could do it all over,” said Marie.

“Seeing the dress fit her as perfectly as it fit me was like jumping back in time.”

After modelling the outfits and sharing her amazing experience with the world, Maddy decided to pack the clothes up and put them back into the suitcase, so that she can one day share the same experience with her own daughter.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Nurse left ‘wiping away tears’ after unbelievable act by Kmart checkout worker

It’s been a tough 18 months, and all a nurse and foster mum wanted to do was nip into Kmart to get some items for the family. Unfortunately she had left her wallet in the car. What followed left her ‘wiping away tears’ of joy at the kindness and generosity of a Kmart checkout worker. Read More

Drugs for voluntary assisted dying to be delivered in locked boxes

A small team of pharmacists at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne will be responsible for mixing the lethal cocktail of medications that will be used in the first cases of voluntary assisted dying in Victoria. VAD will be legal in Victoria from 19 June, meaning that pharmacists will be able to make the medications, and... Read More

Are we heading towards an ‘ageless’ future?

The Economist Longevity Summit held in Singapore on the 27th of September was a call to arms for countries, organisations and individuals across all ages to embrace the opportunities of an unprecedented population shift as the world population ages. The aging population phenomena will result in immense social and economic transformation according to Charles Goddard, Editorial Director,... Read More
Advertisement