Imaginary Conversations

Imaginary Conversations is a new exhibition in the guest bedrooms at Chatsworth celebrating the legacy of the late dowager Duchess Deborah Devonshire (1920-2014) and the Devonshire Collections, and how they inspired the Spring Summer 2024 collection of fashion designer Erdem Moralioglu.

The exhibition examines the house as a source of inspiration for Erdem, welcoming visitors into Duchess Deborah’s world and revealing how the history and archives at Chatsworth informed the creative process for this new fashion collection. Fascinated by her story and style, Erdem was given permission by Chatsworth House Trust and the Devonshire family, to dedicate his Spring Summer 2024 collection to Duchess Deborah. As part of the research and development process for the collection, Erdem and his design team were given access to the extensive archives at Chatsworth. Archival fabrics from the collection, including historic curtains that once hung within Chatsworth, were reimagined into the collection along with the shapes, silhouettes and styles of the pieces Duchess Deborah wore.

The resulting exhibition, set within the Regency Guest Bedrooms at Chatsworth, offers a remarkable insight into both Duchess Deborah’s life and Erdem’s design process, showcasing the inspiration, craft and tools involved in translating the life and legacy of an individual into a fully realised fashion collection. As the exhibition title suggests, the creative process is much like a conversation between designer and subject, resulting in a collection inspired by Duchess Deborah’s personality, values and passions, as much as her wardrobe.

Throughout the exhibition, the boundaries between the house, the duchess’s archive, and Erdem’s own material and collection, are frequently blurred, interspersed and interwoven. Imaginary Conversations reveals the biographical and anthropological power of fashion to tell ongoing stories that bring together people, time and place.

About the exhibition
The plan, at the time of publication, is for the exhibition to begin in the Queen of Scots’ Lobby. Cases will be filled with material that once belonged to Duchess Deborah, including letters, objects and photographs of particular inspiration to Erdem. A recording of the duchess’s voice, used in the Spring Summer 24 fashion show soundtrack for the launch at the British Museum, will play in the background, and Lucian Freud’s portrait of the duchess, Woman in a White Shirt, will bring her voice to life.

Entering the Queen of Scots’ Dressing Room, visitors will be transported to a cutting room in Erdem’s atelier, seeing up close the tools and processes involved in designing a fashion collection. Fabric boards and maquettes will be joined by the toiles that were the starting point for the collection, together with garments from Duchess Deborah’s own couture collection.

In the Queen of Scots’ Bedroom, visitors will be greeted by a large portrait of Duchess Deborah by John Ulbricht.

In the Alcove Bedroom, select pieces from Duchess Deborah’s legendary jewellery collection of insects will be displayed in cases alongside pieces from Erdem’s collection, featuring bejewelled and embroidered textiles, as if the insects have taken flight from their cases and landed on the garments.

The Leicester Bedroom will be a dramatic combination of large swathes of draped textiles from the Devonshire archive set amongst mannequins wearing pieces from Erdem’s collection featuring the archival curtain material. The interplay of textiles gives the impression that the garments are emerging from the very fabric of the building itself.

In the Wellington Dressing Room next door, attention will be drawn to a single exhibit in a case by the Polonaise bed – Duchess Deborah’s legendary, cherished Elvis slippers.

The exhibition will conclude in the Wellington Bedroom, where Duchess Deborah’s own inspirations and passions are to be displayed alongside looks from Erdem’s collection that honour them. At various points throughout the exhibition, largescale projections will play the Spring Summer 24 catwalk show, immersing visitors in the live experience and bringing the fashion show back to its spiritual home.

Images courtesy of Chatsworth House, India Hobson, and Erdem Moralioglu.