Royal Style in the Making

Coronation gown toile

Designed for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

See a rare surviving toile for the 1937 coronation gown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The toile is a full-sized working pattern for the completed gown, created by court dressmaker Madame Handley-Seymour.

As a favoured couturier of the dowager Queen Mary, Madame Handley-Seymour understood the rules and traditions of royal dress. This detailed silk satin prototype demonstrates her use of national floral emblems to create a sense of tradition and continuity at the start of an unexpected new reign.

18th century-style ballgown, 1964

Designed for Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

Also on display will be an 18th century-style ballgown worn by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. The gown was designed by Oliver Messel and made of silk brocade and lace, with wire, beading and cord decoration.

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon wore the dress to a Georgian-themed charity costume ball at the Mansion House in 1964.

Messel was a celebrated stage designer, known for his dramatic flair and imagination. Margaret's first experience of theatre had been Messel's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1938.

His talents in painting, sculpture, stage production, as well as his expertise in creating fairytale worlds, made Messel the perfect choice to design Margaret's ballgown. 

Evening dress, 1979

Designed for Queen Elizabeth II

Sir Hardy Amies designed this dress for Queen Elizabeth II to wear at a State Dinner during her official visit to Bahrain in 1979. It is made of silk chiffon embellished with gold thread, and its flowing kaftan shape is both fashionable and appropriate for a formal occasion. Elizabeth wore the dress on multiple occasions, including to a royal film premiere in the same year.  

Amies introduced a brighter colour palette to Elizabeth II's wardrobe to ensure she stood out during public engagements.

The royal partnership started in 1950 when Elizabeth, as Princess, placed a small order to Amies for her Canadian tour. Only five years later, Amies was award the Royal Warrant as official dressmaker to the Queen.

The pair would work together for 50 years. Amies created a fashionable and elegant working wardrobe, evolving Elizabeth II's image from fairytale princess to a 'business-like' modern monarch.