UK Queen Elizabeth's fashion through the ages goes on display

One of Elizabeth II’s royal robes is prepared for the exhibition. [Photo/IC]

To celebrate UK Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday, a special exhibition billed Fashioning a Reign: 90 Years of Style from The Queen's Wardrobe, will be staged at Her Majesty's three official residences from 23 July to 2 October 2016, including two outfits she wore during her historic state visit to China in October 1986.

"The pink silk evening dress embroidered with sprays of Tree Peony blossoms, the national flower of China and a revered symbol in Chinese art and culture was worn for a State Banquet in Beijing," says the curator, Caroline de Guitaut at the Royal Collection, which manages the public openings of the official residences of The Queen.

"The Queen was the first British reigning monarch to visit China on a state visit and it is a very key piece of her wardrobe on display here," she adds.

Another piece which has strong connection to China is the purple ensemble designed by the late Hardy Amies, one of the leading couturiers who worked for the Queen.

Her Majesty was famously photographed for wearing this ensemble when she visited the Great Wall of China, with The Duke of Edinburgh in 1986.

The show, at Buckingham Palace, featuring over 80 dresses and 60 fashion accessories, examines how clothes and fashionable dresses support Her Majesty in various different roles as head of the state, head of arm forces, and head of commonwealth.

It will present the fashions of ten decades, from the 1920s to the 2010s, showing the unique requirements of royal couture, from ceremonial and military attire to ensembles worn at family celebrations, such as weddings and christenings.

Early childhood, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's wedding, the Coronation, and wardrobes created for royal tours and State Visits will all be represented.

It is the first time that both The Queen's wedding and Coronation dresses are on display together, illustrating the requirements of these two forms of royal outfit – state and family.

Dresses on display also include the one she wore for the Thames River Pageant, part of the celebrations marking The Queen's Diamond Jubilee in June 2012. Another very recognizable outfit is the one she wore when she appeared at the opening ceremony of London Olympic Games, as well as in a short film "Happy and Glorious" in which The Queen seemingly abandoned protocol to jump out of a helicopter and parachute with James Bond.

To contact the reporter: wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com

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