Everything you need to know about Dress Codes
- Dates: until 30 November 2025.
- Opening times: 10am to 6pm daily (last entry 4.30pm).
- Location: Kensington Palace (W8 4PX).
- Tickets: Entry is included in the standard ticket.
From court occasions in the Georgian era to housing many trendy royals, Kensington Palace has made its mark as the home of royal fashion.
The Palace’s latest exhibition, Dress Codes, shines a light on the royal fashion choices that have made a lasting impact. Through a carefully curated selection of never-before-seen garments, iconic historical outfits and contemporary pieces of clothing, this exciting showcase maps the evolution of royal fashion throughout the ages.
I took a closer look at some of the finest threads from the collection and discovered the powerful impact fashion can make when boundaries are pushed and dress codes evolve.
What will I see at the exhibition?
Spanning 500 years of royal and court fashion, see both recognisable and rarely-seen treasures from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. Highlights include a red wool two-piece worn by Princess Diana and a rare Japanese court suit dating from the early twentieth century.
Spread across three main rooms, each garment is paired with a description relating to the rules of royal court dressing and how the outfit follows, bends or breaks the code.
The exhibition features items worn by the ultimate spectator of royal dress codes, Queen Victoria, including a never-before-displayed black mourning bodice that was worn following Prince Albert’s death. Other outfits include a glittering red Bruce Oldfield gown worn by Princess Diana during a state visit to Saudi Arabia, showcasing the importance of dressing correctly for official duties.
Two outfits worn by Kensington Palace resident Princess Margaret, known for her style and for playing with royal fashion boundaries of the time, are on display in the UK for the first time. These are in the form of a 1978 Thea Porter evening ensemble and a colourful green embroidered gown by the Filipino designer Jose Pitoy Moreno.
Outfits that were made to last
A real stand-out of the exhibition is the Royal Family’s approach to making clothing last, a theme that remains ever-relevant in today’s sustainable fashion movement.
This can be seen through matching floral dresses worn by Queen Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret showing signs of being carefully altered over time. On display side by side, Princess Elizabeth’s dress features altered hems and seams to accommodate her growth, which may also have been passed down to her younger sister.
The thriftiness of the 1930s also presents itself through a carefully embroidered costume ball worn at Queen Victoria’s 1700s-themed ball, where the skirt and bodice are known to be made from re-used 1700s Spitalfields silk.
The evolution of men’s clothing
Men’s fashion is also prominent throughout the exhibition, displaying an exceptional collection of gold embellished and tailored pieces that conform to strict royal dress codes.
Working uniforms such as a Royal Parks inspector’s uniform stands tall behind the glass cabinet while a striking Japanese court suit dating from the early twentieth century demonstrates the global influence of European-style diplomatic uniforms.
Several outfits worn by the Duke of Windsor, known for his influence on the history of men’s fashion, also line the cabinets. A tartan suit inherited from his father shows the addition of a modern fly zip while another tweed suit includes country style fabrics and a belt, rather than traditional braces.
Samples of these bold and robust fabrics can be seen, and felt, in a connecting room between the exhibitions as well as soft textures with gold embellishments – it’s a true sensory experience!
Venturing into the modern world
Among the historic collection of royal outfits are several present-day recently acquired garments. These include a polka-dot draped gown worn by Dame Vivienne Westwood when she received her DBE for services to fashion in 2006. Complete with Westwood’s horned tiara she wore on the day, it fabulously reflects her rule-breaking values and politics.
In a first for Historic Royal Palaces, the final room displays clothing designed by the Young Producers, three local youth groups who have made contributions to the exhibition through fashion design and music creation.
Offering a contemporary perspective, the cutting-edge designs are inspired by items from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection and explore how dress codes can be reset and re-made for today.
What other exhibitions can I see at Kensington Palace?
During your visit to Kensington Palace, discover the Queen’s and King’s State Apartments, where you can visit and uncover the public and private stories of the royal families that have lived there.
Or glimpse into the early years of Queen Victoria’s life with the Victoria: A Royal Childhood exhibition, full of personal objects such as her doll’s house and a scrapbook made by her governess.
Don’t miss the famous landscaped Kensington Palace gardens on your visit. Stroll through the pretty Cradle Walk, filled with poppies, daisies and other native wildflowers, and see the Princess Diana statue in the Sunken Garden.
How to get to Kensington Palace:
The nearest Tube stations are High Street Kensington (Circle and District lines) and Queensway (Central line).
Various buses including: 9, 49, 52, 70, 452 and N9 stop close to the palace on Kensington High Street, Kensington Church Street and Bayswater Road.
If you’re looking to cycle, there are Santander Cycles docking stations at Black Lion Gate and Palace Gate, both at Kensington Gardens.
How can I get tickets to the Dress Codes exhibition?
Entry to the exhibition is included within the standard ticket price for Kensington Palace. Ticket prices start at £24.70 for adults.
The exhibition runs until 30 November 2025.