Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe, Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace, until 2nd October 2016

A display of dresses from Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe on display at Buckingham Palace.
Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.

This year visitors to Buckingham Palace are given an extra special treat with this exhibition. It is a wonderful way to mark The Queen’s 90^th birthday and to celebrate her patronage of British fashion design from the replica of the original Christening gown worn since 1841 by succeeding members of the Royal Family to this year’s bright green outfit worn at Trooping the Colour.

Queen Elizabeth II standing in the White Drawing Room, Buckingham Palace. Official portrait by Cecil Beaton, 1968
Royal Collection Trust / (C) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.

It explores every aspect of The Queen’s official life, including the robes that she and Princess Margaret wore to their parents’ coronation, her wedding dress and Coronation gown as well as her military attire. The specially created dresses and outfits for State visits and overseas tours such as the stunning evening dress her Majesty wore to on her first state visit to Germany in 1965 and which was inspired by the rococo decoration at Schloss Bruhl reveal the care and attention that goes into the detail of such outfits each time.

A display of evening wear from Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe on show at Buckingham Palace.
Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.

Also one sees the outfits the Queen has worn for family occasions such as the wedding of Princess Anne, the Investiture of the Prince of Wales in 1969 and the celebrations of her various Jubilees.  It is a hugely colourful exhibition as so many of The Queen’s clothes are in bright, strong colours so that she is easily visible to all, especially in a crowd.  There is also the striking dress she wore in the James Bond sequence that was a highlight of the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012. The corridor lined with examples of The Queen’s hats is rather a trip down memory lane as you will recognise many of them.  I must say that the song Ah, yes, I remember it well from Gigi came to mind.

Crystal and lace peach beaded cocktail dress by Angela Kelly. The dress and headpiece were worn by The Queen when she appeared in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics with James Bond.
Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.

This display is a really happy, nostalgic and heart-warming experience that aptly reflects the life and reign of a very special lady indeed – our Queen!

A display of The Queen’s hats from Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe at Buckingham Palace.
Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk

A display of dresses on show at Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen’s Wardrobe at the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace, including Her Majesty’s wedding dress by Sir Norman Hartnell, 1947 (far left)
Royal Collection Trust /© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.

Please remember when purchasing a ticket that you can

Enjoy free re-admission for a year by asking us to treat your ticket purchase as a donation.

The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity.