Princess Diana’s, Queen Elizabeth’s Never-before Seen Gowns to Be Exhibited at Kensington Palace
LONDON — An exhibition about never-before-seen royal fashion is coming to Kensington Palace next year from March 13 to Nov. 30.
“Dress Codes” takes a closer look at the inner workings of the British royals and what they wore.
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The exhibition charts how dress codes have evolved over centuries and decades with the likes of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana.
On display there will be some hidden and forgotten treasures.
They include two Liberty print floral dresses belonging to the-then Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, that they wore in 1963; a glittering red Bruce Oldfield gown worn by Princess Diana in 1987 for a state visit to Saudi Arabia; evening gowns worn by Princess Margaret, a Thea Porter number and another from Filipino designer Jose Pitoy Moreno, and a bottle-green velvet dress designed by Catherine Walker that Princess Diana wore in the July 1997 issue of Vanity Fair.
The exhibition also will feature a black mourning bodice worn by Queen Victoria in the early years following the death of her husband, Prince Albert.
The late monarch was born at Kensington Palace and spent her childhood there.
The exhibition contains other items of historical significance borrowed from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, which preserves historic dress from the 16th century to the present day.
The collection recently acquired Dame Vivienne Westwood’s black polka dot dress that she wore to Buckingham Palace to collect her damehood, otherwise known as a DBE or Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
“Kensington Palace has always been the home of royal fashion, from court occasions in the Georgian period, to its stylish former residents, to our exhibitions today,” said Matthew Storey, curator at Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that manages royal palaces.
Historic Royal Palaces has teamed with three local youth groups and invited them in to work on the exhibition by designing clothes, making music and setting the scene in the final room of the showcase.
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