The allure dresses, tailored suits, other outfits and the royal ceremonial dress collection are all on display at Kensington Palace in London this week.
The exhibition “Dress Code” displays 34 pieces worn by royals such as Queen Victoria, Diana and Princess of Wales, as well as clothing worn by debutants, diplomats and others in court as “to demonstrate the breadth of the collection.” He was a collection curator of the charity Historic Royal Palace in 1998, and manages six palaces, including Kensington and Hampton Court Palace. Here you will find a dress collection with 9,925 objects, including clothing, sketches, diaries and related materials.
The exhibition begins with a red silk beaded gown by Bruce Oldfield, made for Diana to wear during her 1987 state visit to Saudi Arabia.
Sitting in the front yard of the collection's archive space, Story said the gown was chosen because it reflected the theme of the show. It “complies with the rules of the evening dress,” he said. “But she also wore it on her tour of the Middle East, so she spoke to her plans to take the royal tour, and her long sleeves and high neckline made her suitable for Middle Eastern culture.”
However, other works were broken by custom, such as the Prince of Wales in the early 1930s, the future King Edward VIII, and the Houndtooth Tweed Suit worn by the Duke of Windsor. The suit said it “she reflected a relaxed style wearing soft brown country fabric in town.
He then added that the trouser cuffs, known as the British turn-up, were “youthful, fashionable acts of rebellion” by Prince George V for the “hate turn-up.”
Several of the exhibits have recently been acquired, including a black polka dot cotton drape gown and a pink striped taffeta dress that British designer Vivienne Westwood wore at Buckingham Palace when he became commander of the British Empire's orders in 2006. Libby Thompson, the collection's textile treatment protection supervisor, says that the newly acquired works may require treatment because they have not undergone a conservation process.
Consider another newly acquired piece for the first time on display. Worn by Queen Mary's Maid of Honor, a 1920s gold glitter dam wedding dress created by popular London designer Elizabeth Handley Seymour. The tiara headdress was “very crushed so it had to be reshaped and took a little time to look at the source material and see what shape it should be,” Thompson said. Some of the flower petals made of paraffin wax had to be rechecked using glue applied at the tip of the pin.
For Story, the most important piece on the show is Queen Victoria's black silk bodice in the late 1860s or early 1870s. This is because they have not survived since the time of Prince Albert's death in 1861 until 1900.
Made from black silk panels, boning down around the waist, he said, “I'm starting to get very familiar with what it was like to meet Queen Victoria.”
The entrance to the exhibition, which will be held until November 30th, is scheduled for time and is included in Kensington Palace tickets available from the historic Royal Palace website. Prices vary, but adult tickets cost £24.70 ($31.10).
