Queen Elizabeth II – Her Life in Style

The new exhibition on the life and fashion of Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace has opened to mark what would have been her 100th birthday. Unlike my friend, I needed a bit of convincing that this was the place to visit while in London, but I was happy enough to tag along. Buckingham Palace itself was the big draw for me, although the King’s Gallery is actually located next to it rather than inside the palace. So it is only part of the bigger picture and not the palace itself. Too bad really, I had imagined it quite differently.

Anyway, we had purchased our tickets well in advance, as is recommended. This new exhibition is extremely popular and has already been extended due to demand. It will now continue for another six months until 18 April 2027. Who would have thought that the former Queen’s style would be so well received?

Advance tickets allow entry within a fifteen minute time slot. Once inside, there is a strict security check, but after that you are free to explore the gallery and the shop. There is no access to any other part of the palace.

The exhibition provides every visitor with an audio guide, which is available only in English. It is well worth taking advantage of. While there is plenty of information displayed throughout the exhibition, the audio guide offers additional remarks and insights.

The tour begins with a selection of dresses from the Queen’s childhood and youth. Unfortunately, the first room is so narrow that I found it impossible to take any good photographs. There were so many women jostling for a place to admire the Queen’s childhood wardrobe and read the accompanying information that I was hard pressed to see anything myself. From there, we moved on to the 1940s and the Queen’s contribution to the war effort. I found her uniform quite dashing.

There was also an evening gown from this early period and it certainly has the look of a debutante dress. I much preferred the velvet cape with its hood though. It looked so soft and comfortable that I would happily wear something similar in winter.

Both Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress and coronation gown were given their own glass cabinets, complete with extended information via the audio guide and display panels. Even the shoes were displayed alongside the dresses. It is unbelievable how much storage space the Queen must have had.

The coronation dress looked similiar to the wedding dress while also being entirely unique, as it incorporated the national flowers of countries across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In this way, all the nations were represented during this special occasion. The exhibition showcased these flowers in embroidery frames beneath the dress. As you can see, it was not completely white, as lightly coloured threads were used to highlight the floral motifs.

Her evening gowns were displayed in a colourful array. Since most were sleeveless, I assume they dated from the 1960s. Information boards described the gowns and the occasions for which they were worn in greater detail.

There were also several day dresses from this period, and one evening dress with shoulder straps. The latter looked quite daring for the Queen.

She took this evening gown with her on a tour of Canada in 1959.

During the 1960s, the Queen’s dresses began to feature small sleeves and blocks of colour. Sometimes a designer’s sketch was displayed alongside the finished garment. The embroidery on one gown was inspired by maple leaves, not that I could really tell, but the Queen wore it during a another visit to Canada in 1967.

There was always more to a dress than met the eye, or at least my eye. Each one conveyed a message to the nation she was visiting or the guests she was receiving.

Here is another example of a sketch displayed alongside the finished dress.

By the 1970s, the Queen’s style had changed noticeably. Personally, I find it almost impossible to picture her wearing some of these outfits. However, several ladies behind me were old enough to remember them, so she must certainly have worn them. The leather jacket, for example, was worn during a visit to Canada, where she met with First Nations communities.

Dating from 1960 is this ceremonial mantle commissioned for the Order of the British Empire. Students from the Royal College of Art submitted designs for the mantle, and the design by Marion Foale was ultimately selected.

The final room displayed a large collection of day dresses, all coordinated by colour, creating a particularly attractive presentation.

Some hats were displayed beside the dresses, while most were arranged in a separate glass case behind the display. The hats were wonderfully exuberant and extravagant. Of course, the Queen always needed to stand out through colour and appearance, so such opulent headwear made perfect sense.

If you are interested in fashion, this exhibition is a must see. The attention to detail that went into the Queen’s wardrobe is astonishing. There is much to learn from this look behind the scenes, seeing what kind of message each outfit conveyed. It might have been even more interesting to know all of this while she was actually wearing them. At the time, however, I paid little attention to such things.

In any case, it is a pleasant exhibition and you can easily spend a good hour exploring this piece of living history. Yours, Pollybert

 

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style
The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace
Tickets for Queen Elizabeth II: Her life in Style