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Dress Codes

Decoding the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection

Discover never-before-seen royal and court fashion treasures in Dress Codes, a new exhibition at Kensington Palace.

Explore the codes and conventions of royal clothing, and the powerful impact fashion can make when boundaries are pushed and dress codes evolve.

Among the highlights of this exciting new exhibition are pieces worn by a young Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales, Dame Vivienne Westwood, Princess Margaret and Queen Victoria.

Dress Codes showcases both recognisable and rarely-seen treasures from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, a collection of 10,000 objects spanning 500 years, cared for by Historic Royal Palaces.

Stunning items from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection on display in 2025 include an extremely rare Japanese court suit dating from the early 20th century, and a never-before-seen 1920s Reville court dress worn to Buckingham Palace.

Alongside these spectacular examples of royal and court dress, discover how dress codes can be reset and re-made for today through designs by our Young Producers, aged 14-17. This new partnership with local youth groups paves the way for a new generation of young people to contribute to the arts and fashion industries.

Dress Codes has been generously supported by our Associate Partners, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Avis Charles Associates.

 

When

Until 30 November 2025


Ticketing Information


Included in palace admission. (Members go free, no pre-booking required)

Buy Kensington Palace tickets

Watch the Dress Codes trailer

Promotional video for the Dress Codes exhibition at Kensington Palace.

Follow the transcript of the Dress Codes trailer on YouTube. A link to open the transcript can be found in the video description.

A couture-clad history lesson of the highest calibre.

Tatler

Highlights

A group of young people are shown around a collections store

Image: Young Producers visit the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Hampton Court Palace. © Historic Royal Palaces

Pieces designed by Young Producers

In a first for Historic Royal Palaces, the charity has partnered with three local youth groups, with 25 participants aged 14-17 acting as Young Producers on the exhibition. The Young Producers have been an intrinsic part of the development of the exhibition, which has included influencing the exhibition design, making creative responses through storytelling, fashion design and music creation, all of which feature throughout the exhibition to offer a contemporary perspective to the objects.

The final room showcases clothing designed by the Young Producers, inspired by items from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection and showing how dress codes can be reset and re-made for today. The partnership demonstrates how the collection is an important source of inspiration today, paving the way for a new generation of young people contributing to the arts and fashion industries.

The works were created over a year-long collaboration between the Young Producers, fashion and music industry professionals and Historic Royal Palaces’ experts, through a series of workshops and on-site tours of the historic collections.

Generously supported by our Associate Partners

Dress Codes has been generously supported by our Associate Partners, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Avis Charles Associates.

The Blavatnik Family Foundation

Avis Charles Associates

Read more on our blog

A woman sitting down conserving an elaborate court suit laid out on a table. Behind her windows look out towards a large garden.

Embracing two worlds: Conserving Bi-cultural heritage with a rare Japanese court suit

Textile Conservator Kaori Motaung shares her experience conserving a rare Japanese court suit from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection.

A conservator attends to a gold 1920s wedding dress, tiara and shoes on a mannequin.

A gold 1920s wedding dress for the bride who wanted to shine

For a glittering twist on 1920s wedding dress inspiration, look no further than the Hon. Ursula Mary Lawley's gold wedding ensemble.

The most iconic uniform in London

Second female Yeoman Warder uniform, with AJ Clark

Yeoman Warder Amanda Jayne (AJ) Clark talks us through her uniform, and what it means for this iconic item to be on public display.

Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection

Over 10,000 items of historic dress

The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection includes 10,000 items dating from the 16th century to the present day - all cared for by Historic Royal Palaces.

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