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Dress Codes: Decoding the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection

Start Date 13 March 2025
End Date 30 November 2025
Venue Kensington Palace
Location London, UK
Curator Matthew Storey
Two historical dresses on display. (Left) Pink ballgown dress with floral embellishments. (Right) Historical gown. blue with a red stripe in the centre of the gown.
Mannequins all wearing historical clothing in hues of black, green, yellow and green.
Six male and female mannequins wearing historical garments with hues of gold, black, pink and pink.
A collection of clothing from Lady Diana's collection. In hues of green, red and white outfits made up in dresses, blazers and skirts.
Royal children's floral dresses complete with short sleeves and Peter Pan collar. Dresses are in a red, blue, and green floral print.
Queen Victoria's bodices in black with black beads and buttons.

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 will showcase 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.

Images courtesy of Kensington Palace, London, UK,© Historic Royal Palaces.