[dropcap type =”circle”]A[/dropcap] major new exhibition celebrating three centuries of fashion at Blenheim Palace is being sponsored by the luxury shopping outlet Bicester Village.
Opening in February, ‘A Passion For Fashion – 300 Years of Style at Blenheim Palace’ will showcase unique and historic items from the Oxfordshire stately home’s own priceless collection.
The exhibition will be spread throughout the Palace with displays in 11 separate locations.
Blenheim Palace’s Head of Marketing, Stephanie Hendley, said: “We are delighted Bicester Village has agreed to be the main sponsor for this ambitious exhibition – one of the largest we have ever staged here at Blenheim Palace.
“Bicester Village is hugely popular, with an international reputation for its high fashion and designer brands, and is the perfect partner for this journey through haute couture at the Palace,” she added.
Among the objects on display will be 17th century false eyebrows made from mouse skin, a pair of King Louis XIV’s shoes, the wedding dress worn by American heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt when she became the Duchess of Marlborough and examples of Christian Dior dresses which featured in their Cruise fashion show at the Palace in 2016.
Royal garter robes worn by the 4th Duke will be on display as well as photos, programmes and sketches from the first Dior show at the palace in 1954.
The new exhibition will also highlight examples of clothing worn by the young Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim Palace, alongside underwear and night clothes through the ages.
Other major contributors to the exhibition include; The Ashmolean Museum Oxford and Catriona Pearson, Cheryl Burgess, Ede & Ravenscroft, Christian Louboutin, The Hereford Museum and Althea Mackenzie, The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, and Ali Wells, Philip Blake-Jones, Stephen Jones Milliner, Magda Koza, Lady Rosemary Muir, Newbridge Silverware, Kerry Taylor Auctions and Christina Stambolian.
For more information visit www.blenheimpalace.com