‘Only now can her stories can be told': How to see Queen Elizabeth II fashion exhibition at Buckingham Palace
The late Queen’s thoughtful fashion choices are celebrated in a remarkable exhibition at Buckingham Palace – and Yorkshire plays a key role in that. Here is what to expect and how to get tickets. Yorkshire Post Fashion Editor Stephanie Smith reports.
Celebrated couturier Hardy Amies once declared: “When we have a Queen on the throne, women and fashions will follow the trends set by her.” And so it proved to be, throughout the late Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkable 70-year reign.
In public, Queen Elizabeth was the ultimate power dresser who wanted - and needed - to be seen, choosing light and bright structured clothes to stand out against the crowds.
But in private, on her estates or enjoying her beloved equestrian pursuits, her personal style was restrained and practical, that of a no-nonsense British country woman, favouring sturdy outerwear, tweeds and knits in an earthy palette of greens and browns, weather firmly in mind.
Whatever Queen Elizabeth wore, her choices were thoughtful. She understood that fashion and clothing were not simply adornment, but were packed with influence and meaning, and were part of the machinery of monarchy.
Buckingham Palace is to celebrate the late Queen’s fashion and style legacy when it opens its doors on April 10 for a remarkable major exhibition, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, presented by the Royal Collection Trust, the charity caring for the Royal Collection.
On show will be around 200 exhibits from her personal wardrobe throughout her life, many on display for the first time, with clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes, accessories, sketches, swatches and correspondence, giving insight into the late Queen’s close involvement in the shaping of her look.
The book highlights not just celebrated designers but also the hidden hands whose craftsmanship helped define the outfits of her reign.
Born Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York on April 21, 1926, her christening gown is on display for the first time. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1841, and worn by 62 royal babies until 2004, when it was deemed too fragile and the Queen gave Royal dressmaker Angela Kelly the task of making a replica. This, as Kelly later told, was dipped in Yorkshire Tea to get the perfect shade.
When the Queen’s betrothal to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was announced in July, 1947, rationing was still in place, so the government allowed her an additional 200 clothing coupons (a serviceable woollen dress needed 11 coupons) to make it.
Norman Hartnell's design saw thousands of tiny pearls and crystal beads form the white roses of York. After the wedding at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947, the dress was sent off to be exhibited in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield, among other cities.
The Queen favoured British brands, and wore Burberry, which makes its iconic trench coats in Castleford, throughout her reign, especially for country pursuits. The exhibition features a hooded riding cape from around 2010, and a Burberry Check silk scarf from 2013.
To celebrate its Royal connection - it was awarded a Royal Warrant in 1955 - Burberry has launched four designs inspired by Queen Elizabeth II and created in collaboration with Royal Collection Trust.
There is a belted car coat made in Castleford from organic cotton gabardine in holly green, and a new green colourway of the Burberry House Check, inspired by the Old Stewart tartan worn by the Queen. It features on the silk lining of the coat, on a cashmere scarf, and on a silk twill scarf hand-painted with a picture of Balmoral Castle.
Also from Yorkshire are the Queen’s military tunics, worn notably for Trooping the Colour - the sovereign’s official birthday parade in June - and made using scarlet Melton cloth by AW Hainsworth in Pudsey.
“The design of the Queen’s military tunics was based on the scarlet tunic of the British Army’s Guards Division,” writes Caroline de Guitaut, exhibition curator, surveyor of the King’s Works of Art, and author of Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, the book that accompanies the exhibition.
“The Queen’s tunics also refer back to Queen Victoria’s military tunics, created for her in around 1855. As the first female sovereign since the eighteenth century, Queen Victoria’s military tunic had been based on masculine uniform but feminised through the softened shoulder line and exaggerated tailored waist and peplum, which also facilitated riding side-saddle.”
Eveningwear was the showstopping component of the Queen’s wardrobe, and the exhibition reflects the evolution of special occasion fashion trends from the full-skirted 1950s gowns of Amies and Hartnell to the vibrant relaxed glamour of the 1970s and the bold, block-colour tailoring epitomised by Angela Kelly and Stewart Parvin later in her reign.
Off-duty, the Queen’s tweed riding jackets and skirts, her tartans and silk headscarves all become her iconic country look, much copied, admired and reimagined by fashion designers across the globe.
“It was not only the Queen’s choice of clothes and the highly publicised awards she bestowed, but also her attendance at textile and fashion events that generated publicity for the British fashion industry,” writes de Guitaut.
“The Queen Elizabeth Award for British Design was initiated in 2018 to recognise emerging designers of exceptional talent who can also demonstrate strong community engagement and sustainable practices.”
The book has a foreword by Dame Anna Wintour and interviews with designers Christopher Kane, Erdem Moralioglu and Richard Quinn, highlighting how Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe continues to influence style.
For international tours, she liaised closely with British fashion designers to create thoughtfully diplomatic ensembles. New research unites original sketches with finished pieces, revealing the keen interest the Queen took in preparing and recording her wardrobe for these occasions.
It is only now, as the late Queen's fashion archive comes under the care of Royal Collection Trust, that the story of these thoughtful style choices can be told, says de Guitaut.
“In the year that she would have turned 100 years old, this exhibition will be a celebration of Queen Elizabeth's uniquely British style and her enduring fashion legacy."
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style opens at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. on April 10. Tickets cost £22 for an adult and are available here: Royal Collection Trust.
The book Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style by Caroline de Guitaut costs £40, royalcollectionshop.co.uk.
The Royal Collection Trust x Burberry collaboration is available at Burberry.com and through Royal Collection Trust Shops.