Royal Fashion
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style
To mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London is hosting the largest & most comprehensive exhibition ever mounted of the late Queen’s wardrobe. On until 18 October, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style charts the remarkable story of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch through clothing worn in all ten decades of her life — from birth to adulthood, from princess to queen, and from off-duty style to diplomatic dressing for the global stage. It was the Queen herself who famously said: ‘I have to be seen to be believed’. From the day she became sovereign, in 1952, at the age of 25, she clothed herself with exactly that purpose in mind.
The Queen was not a mannequin at the mercy of her couturiers, but presided over her wardrobe with clear autonomy & a strong sense of style, creating a look that became instantly recognizable to a global audience. Alongside clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes & accessories, this dazzling exhibition shows never-before-seen design sketches, fabric samples & handwritten correspondence that reveal the behind-the-scenes process of dressing the most famous woman in the world and sheds new light on the Queen’s close involvement in the creation of her apparel. Highlights in the exhibition include her christening robe, wedding dress and coronation dress, the ensemble worn for Princess Margaret’s wedding, and a great many sparkling evening gowns.
www.rct.ukReader Comments
Caroline
The Queen had an intimate understanding of how fashion could lend itself to diplomacy, a trait that, while its origins certainly lay in earlier reigns, she developed into nothing short of an art form. Colour or embellishment communicated messages of respect to her host nation before she had even uttered a word in her speech. Two examples on display in the exhibition are her evening gown in the colours of the Pakistan flag, worn in Karachi during a state visit in
Tim
The fashion collection of Queen Elizabeth II of is one of the most comprehensive single-owner collections of British fashion and the most extensive of any queen regnant or consort in the Royal Collection, numbering over 4,000 items. It contains clothing & accessories of all types worn on the global stage during the Queen’s entire life from birth to her final years. It spans the period from 1926 through 2022, thus providing a remarkable & unique insight into the evolution of British fashion in the 20th century — from the demise of the court dressmaker in the early decades of the century to the rise of British couture from the 1930s and ultimately the establishment of the British fashion designer from the 1970s onwards.
Cecilia
The Queen’s coronation dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, the leading British couturier at the time, can be considered one of the most significant pieces of British dress created during the 20th century. It is both traditional, in its designated form as a piece of coronation clothing, and contemporary in its design.
Michelle
Apart from the exhibition catalogue (£40), the Royal Collection Trust’s museum shop offers various upmarket sartorial products so that you, too, can dress like a queen, off-duty of course. Items on sale include a black Launer Traviata bag (£3,445), a Burberry car coat (£2,190) with a matching cashmere scarf (£435), and Dents leather gloves (£95) in either green or navy.