House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth
The most ambitious exhibition ever to be staged at Chatsworth comes to a close on 22 October 2017, starring a stellar roll call of iconic women connected with Chatsworth throughout the centuries.
House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth sees the grand rooms of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire dressed with couture designer dresses; tiaras and headdresses; christening and wedding gowns; coronation robes and 19th century fancy dress; livery and uniforms along with a wealth of ephemera. The effect is to reveal the cast of characters that have graced the rooms of Chatsworth, from 18th century fashion innovator Duchess Georgiana and Duchess Deborah, one of the famous Mitford sisters, through to Adele Astaire, sister and dance partner of Fred, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, sister of JFK and former model Stella Tennant.
Wedding dresses
The inception of House Style came about when Lady Burlington (daughter-in-law of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire) was searching the Chatsworth textiles archive for a christening gown for her son, James. On seeing the sheer number of boxes in the store, all filled with clothing and textiles amassed over the centuries, she asked the Duke and Duchess if she could invite an expert to take a look. The expert turned out to be Hamish Bowles, Editor-at-Large of America Vogue, who visited a number of times over the years until it became apparent that the archive was of such value and scale that it needed to be shared with visitors.
Six years in the making, House Style features a timeline spanning the length of the Chapel Corridor boasting more than 100 items alone from personal letters; a gold brooch belonging to Duchess Georgiana; gloves and silk evening bags to miniatures, photos and the 11th Duke’s crocodile shoes. Among the many highlights along the visitor route is the Painted Hall’s juxtaposition of a Coronation Gown from 1937 with the wedding dress of Stella Tennant, granddaughter of Duchess Deborah.
Six dresses from ‘the party of the century’ have also been reunited for the first time since they were worn to the Devonshire House Ball in 1897. Every season, the 8th Duke of Devonshire and his wife Duchess Louise hosted a number of parties. For Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, they staged the costume ball of the century. The London photographic firm of Lafayette was invited by the Duke of Devonshire to set up a tent in the garden behind the house to photograph the guests in costume during the ball, and many of these wonderful photographs are on display in House Style.
Sponsored by Gucci, the exhibition also features two dresses designed by creative director Alessandro Michele personally for the Duchess of Devonshire and Lady Burlington.
Mario Testino
One last footnote in the New Gallery is the film featuring rare moving footage of Adele Astaire dancing in Ireland, discovered in the Chatsworth archive in 2015, now made into a film by artist TJ Wilcox and shown here for the first time. Adele, sister and dance partner of Fred, married into the family in 1932 when she wed Lord Charles Cavendish. Duchess Mary recalled the family’s unforgettable first meeting with her son’s fiancé. ‘All gathered, like stone pillars, in the library: the heavy doors opened and there stood this tiny girl, beautifully dressed. We waited for her to approach us, but instead of walking she suddenly began turning cartwheels. Everyone loved it.’
The exhibition runs until 22 October 2017, and is included in the price of entry to the house.
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