Dress Codes – Decoding the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection

Name: Dress Codes
Start: 2025-03-13
End: 2025-11-30
Location: Kensington Palace

Where? Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, Kensington When? 13th March to 30th November 2025 10 AM to 4 PM (Wed-Sun, 2nd half Jan-Feb); 10 AM to 6 PM (Wed-Sun, Mar); 10 AM to 6 PM (Mon-Sun, Apr-Aug); Last entry 1 hour before closing Price? Included in the cost of admission · See hrp.org Usual entry cost: Adults £27.20; Children £13.60 (5-15); Infants free entry (under-5) Parking: Nearby car parks Buses: 9, 49, 52, 70, 94, 148, 274, 452 Bus fares Trains: The closest station is Queensway Central Other nearby stations: High Street Kensington Train fares

Explore some of the remarkable Royal and court fashions in Kensington Palace's new Dress Codes exhibition, and discover the impact that fashion can have when boundaries are pushed.

The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection has grown to over 10,000 objects spanning 500 years. Some of the items are instantly recognisable, while others are rarely-seen in public. Among the treasures on display will be pieces worn by Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Diana and Dame Vivienne Westwood.

Princess Elizabeth's Liberty print dress and Princess Margaret's Filipino evening gown — Elizabeth's Liberty print dress (© Liberty/HRP) & Margaret's Filipino evening gown (© Jose Pitoy Moreno/HRP)

Matching dresses worn by Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret

When Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret were still young girls they often wore matching clothes, and the exhibition will include two Liberty print floral cotton dresses from 1936 - now on display at Kensington Palace for the very first time.

When Princess Margaret was older she was famous for pushing the boundaries of Royal fashion, as evidenced by a Thea Porter evening ensemble from 1978 and an embroidered floral evening gown by Jose Pitoy Moreno, that she wore in 1980.

Dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana's Bruce Oldfield dress and Reville court dress — Diana's Bruce Oldfield dress (© Bruce Oldfield/SWNS/HRP) & Reville court dress (© Reville/HRP)

Items from Princess Diana's wardrobe will include a glittering red gown by Bruce Oldfield that she wore during a state visit to Saudi Arabia in 1987, and a green silk velvet dress by Catherine Walker that she liked to wear to formal family events, and later auctioned away to raise money for HIV, AIDS and cancer charities.

Rare survivors from Queen Victoria's wardrobe

The exhibition will also include one of Queen Victoria's black mourning bodices, dating from the years immediately after the death of her beloved Prince Albert.

Early 20th-century Japanese Court Suit coatee (© HRP)

Other highlights include an incredibly rare Japanese court suit decorated with gold embroidered paulownia flowers, and a chic black-and-white Reville court dress that was worn by Lady Annie Holcroft to her presentation at Buckingham Palace in 1928.

Also on display is the black polka dot gown that Dame Vivienne Westwood to the palace when she collected her DBE for services to fashion.

Pieces designed by Young Producers

The final room is the result of a year-long collaboration between Historic Royal Palaces and three local youth groups, and will showcase some of their designs that were inspired by the items in the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection - demonstrating how the collection can still be an important source of inspiration today, and help to pave the way for a new generation of young designers.