Exhibition about Princess Diana and more: Your evening dress exhibited for the first time

The Kensington Palace houses a very special show of royal history from this week – tells through fabrics, cuts and embroidery. The exhibition “Dress Codes”, which has been accessible to the public since Thursday, presents a unique collection of royal wardrobe, many of which have never been exhibited before.

The clothing, usually carefully kept in high-tech camps of the Hampton Court Palace as part of the “Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection”, not only give an insight into the fashion of past epochs, but also tell the history of the British royal family with all its traditions and conventions.

Princess Diana (1961-1997), who once lived in the Kensington Palace, applies special attention. “Which person could represent the absolute championship of the dress code better than Diana, the princess of Wales?” Asks curator Matthew Storey. Among other things, the exhibition shows her iconic evening dress made of green silk velor in the tuxedo-style of Catherine Walker, which she wore with formal family events and for her famous photo shoot with Mario Testino before it was auctioned for charitable purposes in 1997.

A glittering red evening dress by Bruce Oldfield, which Diana wore in 1987 when visiting the state in Saudi Arabia, will be seen. The dress that covers her arms and neckline demonstrates the importance of cultural -sensitive style at the time on official occasions. The dress was never to be seen publicly at the time and, according to the British tabloid newspaper, was probably worn by a private dinner.

Another highlight is her striking red Jasper Conran suit from 1984, which she wore to baptize the cruise ship “Royal Princess”. The bright color ensured that they stand out in the crowd – a closer look now reveals a little known detail: golden anchors on the buttons as a tribute to the maritime occasion.

The most touching exhibits include two suitable Liberty print flower dresses made of cotton, which were worn in 1936 by Princess Elizabeth (1926-2022) and her younger sister Princess Margaret (1930-2002). These rare pieces are shown for the first time in the Kensington Palace and are a personal example of recycling and repairing clothing in the royal family.

“The dress that young Elizabeth wore shows charming signs of adaptation to meet the growing princess, including changed hems and seams,” explains Storey. “The recognizably worn material indicates that it was later passed on to their younger sister, which reflects the economic attitude of the 1930s.”

The exhibition also illuminates royal rebels such as Princess Margaret, by which two dresses that have never been shown in the United Kingdom are presented: a first semicine from Thea Porter from 1978 and a colorful green evening suit by the Filipinian designer Jose Pitoy Moreno from 1980.

A particularly rare exhibit is a black mourning corset by Queen Victoria (1819-1901), which has never been shown before. It dates from the early years after the death of Prince Albert (1819-1861) and was apparently given a page in whose family it was passed on until it was recently acquired by the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at an auction.

“The fringes at the waist show that Victoria itself still had a waxing eye for fashion in 1870, in the first decade of her lifelong mourning time,” explains the curator. The corset is made of black crepe, which absorbed light and made it appear even darker.

In addition to women’s fashion, the exhibition also shines with men’s clothing, including two suits of the late Duke of Windsor – King Eduard VIII (1894-1972). A Rothesay-Tartan suit originally belonged to his father, King George V (1865-1936), who bought him in 1897. Eduard had the suit modernized and equipped with a zipper. Another iconic tweed suit from 1932 was apparently worn by the then Prince of Wales as a rebellion act – his fashionable trouser envelopes annoyed the king so much that he asked his son whether he was wearing her because “it rained”.

The exhibition “Dress Codes” runs from March 13th to November 30th and is included in the admission price for the palace.