Blenheim Palace is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Emanuel will be contributing to the exciting new, 'Passion for Fashion – 300 years of Style,' exhibition opening on 12th February, 2017. The exhibition is a celebration of three centuries of Blenheim related fashion and style. Emanuel will be allowing items from her personal archive to be on display for the very first time and the dress-making process for Princess Diana's wedding dress will be documented from initial sketches and designs, right up to the finished article. The late Princess of Wales was one of four Lady Diana Spencers related to the Duke of Marlborough and his family.
Elizabeth Emanuel says: “I am thrilled to be able to contribute to this new exhibition at Blenheim Palace. I am delighted to be able to lend such precious items which were an integral and important part of the making of the Royal wedding dress. It will be lovely to see them displayed for visitors to see at the Palace.”
She continues: “The exhibition marks the start of an exciting year as I am looking forward to the launch of my new brand later in 2017.”
Emanuel's artefacts will be surrounded by Blenheim Palace's own priceless collections and displayed alongside 18th, 19th and 20th century items of clothing, shoes and accessories on loan from the Hereford Museum and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.
The exhibition will be mounted throughout the Palace with displays in 11 separate locations, and there will be a special digital display featuring the recent Dior S/S17 Cruise collection catwalk show which took place in the State Rooms in May 2016.
A Passion for Fashion will look at the outerwear and underwear which would have been worn by family members, as well as some of the more unusual accessories used by them - false eyebrows made from 'mouse' skin, fans, wigs and scalp scratchers and a look at King Louis XIV's obsession with shoes and how the styles he favoured have been adopted by the fashionistas of today.
This captivating exhibition will also highlight examples of clothing worn by Victorian children, including the young Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace.
“This fascinating exhibition will give visitors a unique insight into Blenheim Palace's fashionable past and will highlight the leading role the Palace and its many occupants have played in the changing face of fashion through the ages,” said Antonia Keaney, curator of the exhibition.
“In addition to the beautiful – and sometimes incredibly impractical – fashions of the past, we will be bringing the exhibition right up to the present day to include iconic items from the Palace's more recent history.” she added.
