As a writer and popular guest
speaker, Cornelia Powell shares captivating stories of goddess legends and
bridal mythology, royal ceremonies and rituals of the heart, costume history,
women’s history and creative self-expression—all combined with a hint of cosmic
mystery. Her latest book, The End of the Fairy-Tale
Bride: For Better or Worse, How Princess Diana
Rescued the Great White Wedding, spotlights the archetypal princess’ influence on the world
of weddings and the
lingering effects of the “princess myth” in popular culture. (She is also the
author of Amazon
bestseller The Bride’s Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself and The Handkerchief Has Been Thrown! Something
Old & Something New for Same-Sex Couples.)
Cornelia is at work on a new book,
tentatively titled, The Spiritual Mission of a Princess: Diana and the Return of Love, which explores how the life and death of a heart-centered princess
affects today’s women’s movement.
Ms. Powell, a fashion historian and wedding and cultural folklorist, has been the
keynote speaker at the prestigious Winterthur Museum in Delaware; on Biltmore
Estate in Asheville, North Carolina; at the Goodwood Museum in Tallahassee,
Florida; Stephens College in Missouri, and at other venues around the country. Whether the focus of her talks
and PowerPoint presentations—full of charming commentary and stunning images—is
Downton Abbey, American Heiresses and
the London Season, Princess Brides, the Coronations and Weddings of Queens,
Gilded Glamour Aboard the Titanic, or honoring the Suffrage Centennial by featuring costumes of ‘revolution and protests’, her audiences love the ‘fashionably’ historical journey
she takes them on.
(Since so many events were canceled in the Suffrage Centennial year of 2020 because of the pandemic (but since women's rights are always a compelling topic), Cornelia revised her presentation to include the fascinating storyline of what happened after women got the vote! “LOSING THE CORSET,
WINNING THE VOTE & THE FLAPPER REVOLUTION: How Fashion Re-Shaped the Modern
Woman”.)
King Louis XIV of France said
that “fashion is the mirror of history.” And in the imagination of a good
storyteller with a bit of costume savvy, the most entertaining “history
lessons” are told through this “Who-Wore-What-When-and-Why” mirror! In addition, Cornelia’s magazine
articles and blog posts also become intimate views into these distinctive woman-centric
moments in history.
Ms. Powell first made headlines
in the world of weddings with her nationally celebrated bridal art-to-wear shop
in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1980s and ‘90s. Opened on the glittering wave
following the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer—and in
recognition of the emerging “modern woman”—her store helped reshape the bridal
design industry. During this time both Ms. Powell and her shop were featured in
numerous magazines and books including Hearst Publication’s The Business of Bliss: How to Profit from
Doing What You Love, introducing women entrepreneurs as presented in Victoria magazine.
Cornelia Powell is a former
associate fashion editor at Vogue
magazine (“the hardest work and the best training ever”) and served for years
as a member of the Costume Society of America’s Board of Directors.
After 30 years in Atlanta, Cornelia moved to the Western North Carolina
Mountains in 2008 and now looks out at the world and its ever-inspiring
landscape from her writing loft nestled on a steep, green mountain ridge.
She claims growing up on a farm in south Alabama, including visits “up the
road” with two extraordinary grandmothers, gave her a “wondering” quality about
finding beauty in the everyday of Mother Nature. ~
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American Suffragettes c1915 |
For more information, contact Cornelia.
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