The “wow” factor on display in The Nash Gallery, the largest room featuring Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style at The King’s Gallery in London
In Case You Missed It: Part I: Inside the Blockbuster Exhibition of Queen Elizabeth’s Fashion Collection
The first installment of my Royals Extra on the wildly popular exhibition at The King’s Gallery in London featured lots of luxe. In this installment I’ll add a touch of haute couture but write mainly about clothes that were practical, informal, even quirky. I’ll also draw on a recent interview with the curator of the show, Caroline de Guitaut, for her views on why the Queen’s collection has resonated so strongly with visitors. And I’ll share some insights into Caroline’s training and perspective that have suited her to orchestrate the exhibition.
“Complementary rather than competitive”
“Tailoring, of course, is the absolute foundation of British fashion, what we’re renowned for still internationally,” de Guitaut told me. The foremost designer known for expert tailoring was Hardy Amies, who began working for the Queen in 1951. Outside the Palace, Amies and the more established Norman Hartnell competed for upper-class customers and were often rivalrous. But “being patronized by the Queen as official dressmakers, she often asked them to work together, so they had to,” said de Guitaut. “It was a sort of complementary thing rather than competitive.”