Displayed among the priceless collections of furniture and tapestries, objets d’art and gilt-framed oil paintings of Blenheim Palace are mannequins draped in some of the most exquisite designs of British fashion.
Voluminous ballgowns and shimmering sequinned frocks, fine tailored suits, towering platform shoes and showstopping headpieces take pride of place against the baroque grandeur of one of the UK’s greatest stately homes, which is showcasing the work of 12 world-class designers and labels, including two beloved by the Queen and the Princess of Wales.
“It’s more palatial than any other palace I’ve been in,” says Bruce Oldfield, designer of Her Majesty’s coronation gown, as well as many other items in her wardrobe.
“If you think about the kind of environments my clothes inhabit, it’s an obvious venue for me to show my wares.”
‘I was incredibly flattered to be invited, especially to be up there with the others’ Alice Temperley
Alice Temperley, one of Kate’s favourite designers, tells us: “I was incredibly flattered to be invited, especially to be up there with the others. I feel very lucky to be there.”
Bruce and Alice were among VIPs at a special launch party for the Icons of British Fashion exhibition, where their work is on display alongside that by labels including Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Jean Muir, Lulu Guinness, Stephen Jones, Terry de Havilland, Barbour, Zandra Rhodes and Turnbull & Asser, the favourite shirtmaker of Sir Winston Churchill, who was born at the Oxfordshire stately home.
An exception has been made for French house Christian Dior, which has lent a few pieces by British couturier John Galliano.
ACHIEVING A DREAM
The exhibition, which takes over the ground floor of the home of the 12th Duke of Marlborough and is the largest show in its 300-year history, is the brainchild of Kate Ballenger, keeper of the palace and collections, who for years dreamt of combining the sumptuous surroundings with fashion.
She also wanted to pay homage to the palace’s fashion history, which has seen Christian Dior host two shows there, in 1954 and 1958, in aid of the Red Cross, and another in 2016 for its Cruise collection.
