Fashion Rules, at Kensington Palace...

Now this is the kind of sport I like, ROYAL DRESSING. Never mind Wimbledon or the World Cup, the new exhibition at Kensington Palace - Fashion Rules - is the type of event I'd camp outside at all night, ensuring I'd be first in. But seeing as it's at a Palace, I thought I'd be more civilized and just attend the press preview.This is one of those moments when I remember how lucky I am to be doing what I'm doing. Give me a collection of exquisite royal dresses from the most iconic eras in history - namely the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s - and I'm in sartorial heaven. Suffice to say, I loved Fashion Rules.Pieces from the wardrobes of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales stand tall and statuesque behind glass cabinets. For some of the dresses, it's their first time on public display. I gasped with utter astonishment the moment I entered the first of three rooms - the Queen's room - at the sheer beauty of the gowns.Wondering around, you start to realise the significance of the exhibits name, for each dress has its own 'fashion rule' annotated on a plaque next to it, and put all together, they make up a well-rounded check list from each era on how the royals dressed (check out some of my favourite rules below).

***Worn by the Queen in 1961 whilst on a tour of Pakistan and India. Designed by Norman Hartnell***

 ***Worn by the Queen in 1963 for the opening of the New Zealand parliament. Designed by Norman Harnell***

Cassie Davies-Strodder told me that: “We wanted to show these three women because they’ve all got a personal connection with the Palace – the Queen actually spent time here as a newlywed with Prince Phillip – and then we wanted to show them in the eras where they were most fashionable, so the collections led us to the Queen in the 50s, Princess Margaret in the 60s and 70s and Diana in the 1980s.”

***Worn by Princess Margaret at a film premiere in London in 1951. Designer unknown***

 

***Above and below: Caftan and turban worn by Princess Margaret in 1976 in Mustique. Designed by Carl Toms***

I asked Cassie how they created the illusion that the pieces were floating, or being worn by an invisible model, and she explained:

They are perspex forms and a bespoke one is made for each dress, then they're padded out to support the dresses in the right way. Then they cut away at the perspex all the areas where there isn't a dress, so that all you see is the dress. It's just the object speaking for itself.

And when I asked about steaming the dresses, Cassie told me that: "You have to do it quite a distance. You have to use purified water, and a steamer that has never had un-purified water in it before."

***Above: Worn by Diana in 1986 at a dinner for the President of Greece. Designer by Murray Arbeid

Below: Worn by Diana in 1991 in Brazil. Designed by Catherine Walker***

***Above and below: Worn by Diana in 1986 in Kyoto. Designed by Zandra Rhodes***

Some of my favourite fashion rules...

1950s rules:

- Hourglass shape

- Full skirt

- Embellishment

- Hollywood Glamour

1960s and 70s rules:

- Diaphanous fabrics

- Quant (as in Mary)- like collar

- Eastern influence

- Narrow skirt

- Glamour

1980s rules:

- Dropped waists

- Sparkles and drama (my favourite!)

- Wide shoulders

- Asymmetry

I really do urge everyone with an interest in fashion, history of fashion and the royals to go and check Fashion Rules out. It's an amazing example of how fashion has defined the world for a long time. For tickets, click onto the Historical Royal Palaces website.