The changing fashions of the late Queen Elizabeth II will be showcased in a major exhibition next year at Buckingham Palace.
The exhibition will feature around 200 items, including dresses and jewellery, hats and shoes, and is billed as the largest exhibition of the Queen’s clothing to date.
The exhibition, which will include items from her childhood until the end of her long reign, will be held on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of her birth.
Among the many items in the exhibition “Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style” will be a wedding dress designed by Sir Norman Hartnell in 1947.
Queen Elizabeth’s wedding dress from 1947 will also be presented at the exhibition (Source: ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST)
The exhibition, which will open in the Royal Gallery at Buckingham Palace next spring, will show the life of Queen Elizabeth through the clothes she wore at public events and in private moments.
The ‘archive’ of clothing owned by the late Queen, who died aged 96 in 2022, is now in the care of the Royal Collection Trust, which announced the exhibition.
One of the earliest surviving pieces of clothing from her wardrobe is a silver lamé and tulle bridesmaid dress, which she wore aged eight in 1934 to the wedding of her uncle, the Duke of Kent.
Clothing could also serve as a diplomatic message, such as a green and white dress made for a state dinner in Pakistan in 1961, which incorporated the country’s national colors.
Looser, colorful dresses depicting the fashion trends of the 1970s will be part of the exhibition, along with designer sketches and handwritten letters about the choice of clothes.
The exhibition will also feature the late Queen’s everyday clothing, including riding jackets, tartan skirts and headscarves.
“In the year she would have turned 100, this exhibition will be a celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s uniquely British style and her lasting fashion legacy,” said the exhibition’s curator, Caroline de Guitaut.
She said the exhibition will use fashion to “tell the story of a life filled with thoughtful style choices – from her personal involvement and understanding of the subtle power that clothes carry, to the exquisite craftsmanship of each garment”.
