Hartnell to Amies: Couture By Royal Appointment @ The Fashion and Textiles Museum

The Fashion and Textile Museum know how to put on a good exhibition. I managed to catch this one -  Hartnell to Amies: Couture By Royal Appointment -  just before it finished. And wow was it worth it. It was a comprehensive celebration of Norman Hartnell Hardy Amies and Frederick Fox's life and work and how they impacted the world of fashion. The clothes speak for themselves, but it was the details that really made it for me, including gorgeous fashion illustrations and the most exquisite embellished swatches, including examples from the Queens wedding dress. To see these designs up close was just magical.

Hardy Amies, 1940 - A prince of Wales check fine woollen suit

Hardy Amies, circa 1962 - a abstract printed navy silk ensemble

Norman Hartnell circa 1957 - a black and white printed, silk three piece suit

Norman Hartnell, circa 1946 - An embroidered pale bronze satin evening dressNorman Hartnell circa 1945 - and embroidered black silk velvet evening coat

Norman Hartnell circa 1952 - chartreuse beaded evening dress

Hardy Amies, circa 1952 - a layered grey chiffon evening dress with delicate bead and sequin embroidery

Norman Hartnell, 1953 - an embroidered sky blue and white silk faille evening dress with matching coat

Norman Hartnell, 1956 - Satin organza wedding dress, with silver corded lace bodice and appliqués. Created for Lady Anne Coke.

Hardy Amies, 1981 - a cream silk taffeta wedding dress, with long sleeve and a draped bustle

Hardy Amies, circa 1960 - a dark red and black printed glazed man-made satin cocktail dress

Norman Hartnell, circa 1962 - a black lace cocktail dress with full skirt and velvet bows

Hardy Amies, circa 1952 - a copper coloured strapless cocktail dress with a wide full pleated skirt

Norman Hartnell, circa 1966 - a brown silk satin, white and crystal bead, geometrically embroidered short evening dress

Hardy Amies, circa 1988 - an off white William Morris patterned evening dress

Hats created by Frederick Fox

Frederick Fox, 1977

Hardy Amies, circa 1980 - a pink chiffon and net embroidered cocktail dress

Norman Hartnell, 1950s - a selection of costume jewellery

Norman Hartnell, 1929 - an embroidered silk satin wedding dress, inspired by Boticelli's paintings in the National Gallery. Worn by Miss Oonagh Guinness

Norman Hartnell, 1957 - two examples of embroidery panels for dresses worn by the Queen on state visits.

Norman Hartnell, 1961 - further examples of embroidery panels fro dresses worn by the Queen

Norman Hartnell - Embroidery samples from the Queen's wedding dress

Hardy Amies illustrations

James Bond and The Queen at the Opening Ceremony - the best bit??

This woman is awesome! I cannot think of a better entrance. Well done Danny Boyle for having the balls to ask. But high five to The Queen for saying yes. It was so unprecedented that it blew my mind. 'Good Evening Mr Bond' never sounded so good!

It will definitely be my  go to clip whenever i need cheering up (along with Homer Simpson singing SpiderPig... if you don't know what I'm talking about, you tube it!!)

(Reuters)

The Queen's Jewels...pt2

i couldn't resist working with some more of The Queen's to-die-for jewels. If you want to know more about them, check out the detail here.

The Queen's Jewels

The Queen's Garter Badge. ''Originally made for George IV, the badge was given as a wedding present to Prince Albert from Queen Victoria who wore it after his death''.

Pair of emerald and diamond earrings. ''One of Queen Mary’s Cambridge emeralds was matched by Garrards, who also supplied the 22 brilliant-cut diamonds at a total cost of £350. The earrings, first worn for the Delhi Durbar, were inherited by The Queen in 1953''.

The Queen's Garter Star. ''Originally a present to King George VI on his marriage, it was given to Princess Elizabeth by her father at the time of her investiture with the Order of the Garter in 1947''.

Emerald, diamond, platinum and gold bracelet. ''The bracelet, made for Queen Mary to wear at the Delhi Durbar, incorporates three of the Cambridge emeralds and is en suite with the necklace''.

The Vladimir Tiara, Russia,c.1890. ''Made for Grand Duchess Vladimir, aunt of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, the tiara was smuggled out of Russia during the Revolution by a British diplomat. In 1921 it was sold by the Grand Duchess’s daughter, Princess Nicholas of Greece, to Queen Mary, who adapted the tiara to take fifteen of the celebrated Cambridge emeralds as an alternative to the original pearls. The tiara was inherited by The Queen from her grandmother Queen Mary in 1953.''

The dress is a Norman Hartnell cream silk gown with full skirt, lattice and foliate beaded embroidery. Worn for official portraits of The Queen taken by Baron in 1957.


All the jewels and descriptions are from the awesome Dress for the Occasion, Royal Site.