The British royals have led the style brigade for decades, dazzling the public with their elegant and beautiful outfits. The Fashion Rules exhibition at Kensington Palace, sponsored by Estée Lauder, celebrates these style icons, spanning four decades of recent fashion and celebrating 10 notable designers who had the privilege and the challenge of dressing these elegant royals. The exhibition is included in the admission price when you visit Kensington Palace (hrp.org.uk/fashion), and children under the age of 16 go free.
Scroll to the bottom to vote for your favourite dress from the Fashion Rules exhibition
HM The Queen in the 1950s
This glamorous exhibition takes a nostalgic look back at recent decades of dress through the wardrobes of three royal women in their fashion heydays: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the 1950s, Princess Margaret in the 1960s and 70s, and Princess Diana in the 1980s.
The exhibition is spread across five rooms and features 21 exceptional couture gowns from leading designers including Christian Dior, Zandra Rhodes, Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies, Catherine Walker and Murray Arbeid.
Princess Margaret in the 1960s
These rare gowns are accompanied by photography and film footage revealing how these elegant royal women were representative of the spirit of the decades, reflecting and inspiring everyday fashions as they negotiated the rules of dressing fashionably within the 'rules' of a royal wardrobe.
No matter what the decade, royals have always been at the forefront of fashion. The Queen's outfits in the 1950s were full of elegance and grace – evening gowns were long with full skirts and nipped-in waists forming an hourglass silhouette. Dresses were embellished with beading and lace. The Queen also had other 'rules' to consider – from 'diplomatic' dressing to wearing light colours to ensure she stood out in black and white photography.
Princess Diana in the 1980s
The 1960s and 70s saw young Princess Margaret's style widely imitated – she embraced bold bright colours and the new 'slim look' seen in the purple Dior evening gown she wore for the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations. Shown together for the first time in this exhibition, her clothes reflect the rule-breaking of a more liberal era and the greater freedoms of her role.
The 1980s saw Princess Diana embracing a wardrobe full of sparkles, drama and glamour. She popularised many key looks of the time such as wide shoulders, dropped waists, bold trimmings and sparkling embellishment. Whatever the Princess wore had a huge impact on her public image and on British fashion.
The Fashion Rules exhibition is on now at Kensington Palace. Visit hrp.org.uk/fashion for more information.
Image credits: HM Queen early evening gown 1950s Norman Hartnell Copyright Historic Royal Palaces & Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2013. Princess Margaret, Christian Dior, 1977. Copyright HRP & Lord Linley & Lady Sarah Chatto. Evening dress Bruce Oldfield, 1986 Copyright Historic Royal Palaces & Linda Sarna and Roberta Hurtig.
Vote for your favourite dress from the Fashion Rules exhibition below.