Visitors get glimpse of queen's wardrobe in palace show

By Anna Tomforde Jul 23, 2006, 16:28 GMT

London - The annual opening of the State Rooms in Buckingham Palace this summer holds a special treat for visitors who will be able to discover the secrets of the wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth II.

The queen, who turned 80 in April, is marking her milestone birthday with the largest-ever display of her evening dresses and personal jewellery.

For thousands of visitors expected to stream to the Palace from July 26 to September 24, the unique exhibition will be part of the tour of the State Rooms.

Covering almost seven decades, the exhibition is also a journey through time.

Visitors will see 80 spectacular gowns, dating from the 1940's to the present day, that have been worn by the queen for both official engagements and private family events.

It shows the work of leading British couturiers Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, as well as other designers who worked for the queen in more recent years.

The selection of jewellery includes private gifts given to the queen by her family, as well as famous and historic pieces, such as the Vladimir Tiara, the Delhi Durbar Necklace and two brooches set with stones from the famous Cullinan Diamond.

Since her accession to the throne in 1952, the queen has made 256 official overseas visits to 129 countries.

The exhibition shows how her designers took into account changes in climate and local customs, for instance during the queen's first major Commonwealth Tour of November 1953.

One of the most beautiful evening dresses designed for that tour by Hartnell is of gold tissue overlaid with fine lace.

Hartnell frequently incorporated national colours, emblems or flowers into his designs as a compliment to the host country.

For the banquet given in her honour by Haile Selassie on the 1965 state visit to Ethiopia, the queen wore an elegant gown in bright green, one of the colours of the Ethiopian national flag.

Amies followed the tradition, embroidering Californian poppies on a dress created for the queen's visit to America in 1983.

Hartnell, who first worked for the then Princess Elizabeth in the 1940's, produced many of the finest evening dresses in her wardrobe.

Among the earliest in the exhibition is a black velvet and satin gown, which shows the influence of Christian Dior's New Look.

The exhibition contains magnificent examples of Hartnell's signature style of the 1940's and 1950's full-skirted dresses in sumptuous silks and duchesse satins, embellished with virtuoso embroidery.

Also included is Hartnell's kingfisher-blue silk and lace dress with matching jacket, worn by the queen for the wedding of her late younger sister, Princess Margaret, in 1960.

An ivory silk dress striped with silver sequins, worn for a performance by opera star Kiri Te Kanawa on a visit to New Zealand in 1963, is typical of the simple lines produced by Hartnell during the 1960's.

But perhaps the most theatrical of all his creations is a full- length coat of silver tissue, richly embroidered with pearls, iridescent sequins, beads, paillettes and crystals.

It was made for the state visit to France by the queen and Prince Philip in May, 1972, and has been worn on several other occasions, notably the State Opening of Parliament in 1976.

Amies began designing clothes for the queen in the early 1950's and established his name with the deceptive simplicity of his accomplished tailoring.

His grey satin full-skirted gown, exquisitely decorated with a fern motif in beads, crystal and pearl, was worn by the queen in 1957 at a dinner given for her at the White House by President Eisenhower.

Among other designs by Amies is a turquoise-blue shift made for the state visit to Germany in in 1965.

The silver embroidery on the bodice was inspired by the rococo splendour of Schloss Brühl in the Rhineland, where the state banquet in the queen's honour was held.

In the 1970's the queen awarded her patronage to Ian Thomas, who was an assistant designer to Hartnell before setting up his own salon.

Thomas' flowing chiffon dresses from the 1970's reflect the relaxed style of the decade.

Among other examples of his work is a simple yellow crepe dress with flared skirt and panels of embroidery, worn by the queen at a state banquet for the Emir of Qatar in 1985.

The exhibition concludes with dresses by John Anderson, who worked for the queen between 1988 and 1996, and Stewart Parvin, who first designed for her in 2000.