Everyone loves a look inside a friend’s designer wardrobe, and now visitors to Buckingham Palace’s latest exhibition can explore one of the most iconic wardrobes of all time – that of Queen Elizabeth II.
Now’s your chance to celebrate and explore Queen Elizabeth II’s impact on the British fashion industry throughout her 70 year reign. Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style has just opened at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, and promises to be one of the must-see exhibitions of the year.
Curated to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, this landmark exhibition is the largest and most comprehensive of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted. Showcasing over 200 items – around half of which are on display for the first time – marvel at the incredible story of Britain’s longest-reigning Monarch through the clothes she wore in all 10 decades of her life.
A Lifetime Worn
Royalists and fashionistas will be delighted at Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion archive – now one of the largest and most important surviving collections of 20 century British fashion. “Over the course of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, her distinctive style became instantly recognisable around the world,” says Caroline de Guitaut, Exhibition Curator and Surveyor of The King’s Works of Art. “Only now, can we tell the story of a lifetime of thoughtful style choices – from her hands-on role and understanding of the soft power behind her clothing, to the exceptional craftsmanship behind each garment. In the year that she would have turned 100, this exhibition is a celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s uniquely British style and her enduring fashion legacy”.
What can you expect? Jewellery, hats, dresses and accessories worn by the late Monarch. Then there’s never-before-seen sketches, fabric samples and handwritten correspondence. All of which offer a fascinating insight into dressing the most famous woman in the world.
Fashionable Friends
Treasures include the earliest surviving pieces of couture from Queen Elizabeth II’s childhood – her silver lame and tulle bridesmaid dress. Designed by Edward Molyneux and worn when she was eight years old for the wedding of her uncle, the Duke of Kent, his tiny example of high fashion craftsmanship is on show for all to see.
The exhibition will also explore the Queen’s close working relationship with Norman Hartnell, Britain’s leading couturier who was chosen to create her wedding dress in 1947, and her coronation dress in 1953. Both gowns are on display, along with pieces from world-renowned British designers Erdem Moralioglu, Richard Quinn and Christopher Kane. Contributing pieces to the exhibition, they have either been designed for the Queen herself, or inspired by her unique signature style.
“The wardrobe of her late Majesty is a snapshot of a very long life of duty,” explains says Erdem. “In so many ways it’s a time capsule. It captures a very specific and important moment in history.”
“Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe is one of the most significant living archives in modern history,” agrees Christopher. “From the decline of the court dressmaker to the rise of couturiers like Hartnell and Hardy Amies, her garments tell the story of Britain and its changing identity through fashion. For designers and students, it offers a masterclass in silhouette, construction, repetition, symbolism and, perhaps most importantly, restraint.”
Changing Times
Another highlight of the exhibition is the priceless collection of evening wear, offering exquisite examples of the evolution of fashion trends throughout the Queen’s reign. From the crinoline-skirted gowns of the 1950s by Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell, to the fluid 1970s printed dress by Ian Thomas and the classic British tailoring and off-duty style of her later years, the exhibition works as a timeline for British fashion at its very finest. And for those wishing to explore the royal wardrobe further, an official publication, Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, also accompanies the exhibition, written by curator, Caroline de Guitaut, with a forward by Dame Anna Wintour CH, DBE.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace until 18 October. Tickets cost £22 for adults and are available at www.rct.uk. The official publication, Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, published by Royal Collection Trust, costs £40 and is available at www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk and all good book shops.
