Exhibition: A Century of Style: Queen Elizabeth II’s Exhibition in Buckingham Palace Extended by Six Months

A landmark exhibition celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s enduring influence on British fashion, that opened at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace in London in April 2026, will now be extended till 18 April 2027, due to popular demand.

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style has been presented as the most extensive display of the late monarch’s wardrobe ever staged, featuring around 200 items—half of them making their public debut. Tickets are on sale via the Royal Collection Trust website.  Due to ongoing high demand, visitors are encouraged to book tickets well in advance as no tickets are held back for on the day walk-ups.

Queen Elizabeth II on Princess Margaret’s Wedding Day, Cecil Beaton, 1960.
© Cecil Beaton / Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Hat worn for the wedding of Princess Margaret, Claude St Cyr, 1960.© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Paul Bulley

Three leading British designers—Erdem Moralioglu, Richard Quinn and Christopher Kane are featured, each contributing a piece inspired by the late Queen’s distinctive style. Their works, drawn from previous collections, are shown alongside related garments from the Queen’s archive. All three designers also provide reflections for the exhibition’s official publication, Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, which includes a tribute by Dame Anna Wintour and an essay by Professor Amy de la Haye of the London College of Fashion.

Exhibition curator Caroline de Guitaut said the retrospective demonstrates the “symbolism, tailoring and British craftsmanship” that defined the Queen’s wardrobe. 

The exhibition charts Queen Elizabeth II’s attire across all ten decades of her life, from couture evening gowns to the tailored countrywear that became synonymous with her off-duty style. Many of the garments—now part of the Royal Collection—are accompanied by original sketches, fabric samples and annotated design drawings, some bearing notes penned by the late Queen herself.

Ensemble worn for the wedding of Princess Margaret, Norman Hartnell, 1960

Highlights include an apple-green Norman Hartnell gown worn at a 1957 state banquet for US President Eisenhower, and the blue crinoline-skirted gown and bolero chosen for Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960.  Items from her private wardrobe are also featured, such as a 1950s Harris tweed jacket and Balmoral tartan skirt, as well as the green coat designed by Angela Kelly and worn in her later years.

Transparent rain coat, worn over a patterned silk day dress and coat, both by Hardy Amies, 1970s.© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Jon Stokes

One of the more unexpected pieces on display is a clear plastic raincoat created by Hardy Amies in the 1960s, considered a precursor to the Queen’s later transparent umbrellas edged in colour to match her outfits. Amies would go on to produce futuristic designs for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Evening gown by Norman Hartnell, 1957. Worn for a state banquet given for President Eisenhower at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. Here displayed in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Credit: © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Paul Bulley

A previously unseen Hartnell sketch for a silver lamé dress designed for a 1972 State Visit to France is also shown, bearing the Queen’s handwritten note indicating that it was later re-worn for the opening of parliament in Canberra—evidence of her long-standing practice of repeating outfits.

The silver lamé beaded shift dress is shown in photo below.

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace,  extended until 18 April 2027.

Royal Collection Trust will offer £1 tickets to visitors receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits, alongside concessions for young people aged 18 to 24, as part of its commitment to widening access to the Collection.

Hardy Amies launches AW16 collection for the Modern Man while LONDON show ROOMS AW16 MEN off to PARIS Jan. 22 - 26.

Now that the four-day London Collections: Men fashion showcase last week had drawn to a close, the British Fashion Council is leading a team of London-based menswear designers and labels across the English Channel for the LONDON show ROOMS AW16 MEN PARIS

The Event will open on Friday 22nd January until Tuesday 26th January 2016, and will be held at:-

Le Loft, 3 Cour Berard

Impasse Guemenee (off 28 Rue Saint Antoine)

Paris 75004

Among the labels showing will be Agi & Sam, BOY London, Christopher Shannon, CSB London, E. Tautz, James Long, Jasmb London, Lou Dalton, Maharishi, Sibling, to name a few.

Click HERE for full details.

While London menswear designers often have been labeled as experimental in their approach, one established house that continues to offer sophisticated sensibility with a modern attitude is Hardy Amies.

Hardy Amies' new Autumn Winter 2016 Menswear collection, designed by head of design Darren Barrowcliff, showcases an eminently wearable collection designed for the modern man.   

This new range features rich woven fabrications with a mature and restrained autumnal colour palette: camels, greys and burnt browns.

Modern menswear classics are reinvented with cashmere tuxedos in cognac and deep black hues, simplified by offsetting the block colour fabrics with clean line satin shawl and peak lapels.

Wearability is key, with lighter weight fabrics that look and feel warm to the touch allowing versatility to create a climatised offer. 

In addition to the contemporarhy formalwear offering, tailoring cut a smart silhouette featuring overcoats in durable wool twill, or a Herringbone belted alpaca wool car coat, and essential outerwear in camel and mink pressed cashmere.

For Autumn Winter 2016 classic Hardy Amies anthracite grey wool cargo suits are styled with fine knitwear creating a pared back and relaxed look for the modern man. 

All images here from Hardy Amies Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.

Win a trip to the Cotswold and Holiday like Hardy!

London’s Savile Row tailoring establishment Hardy Amies are running a travel campaign this month and have partnered with luxury boutique travel agent, Black Tomato (which specialise in tailor-made holidays and luxurious travel itineraries for Japan, California, New York and the UK) so that we can all #holidaylikehardy.

The prize?

They are offering the chance to win a luxury mini break to Thyme at Southrop Manor in the Cotswold, courtesy of Black Tomato, with a £1,000 Hardy Amies travel wardrobe of clothes to take with you, a personal shopping experience in Harvey Nichols and a £500 Case Luggage voucher for luxury luggage.

To enter, go to Hardy Amies website or click HERE for full details.