Chatsworth House to host fashion exhibition

Chatsworth House, the residence of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and a frequent location for period film dramas, is to host one of its largest exhibitions next year, ‘House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth’.

Curated by American Vogue's international editor-at-large Hamish Bowles, the exhibition will explore the history of fashion and adornment, as well as give unprecedented insight into the depth of the Devonshire Collection and the lives of renowned style icons from Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, the 18th century “Empress of Fashion” to Stella Tennant.

The exhibition will bring to life individuals from the Cavendish family, including Bess of Hardwick, one of the most powerful women of the 16th century, Adele Astaire, the sister and dance partner of Fred Astaire, Deborah Devonshire and Nancy Mitford, two of the Mitford sisters and John F Kennedy’s sister ‘Kick’ Kennedy.

House Style will be woven throughout the stately homes, including the largest and grandest room of the Baroque house, the Painted Hall, the Chapel and the lavishly decorated State Music Room. The exhibition will cover art history, fashion, jewellery, design and textiles, and will tell the story of the Devonshire Collection and the role fashion played in the protagonists' lives.

The fashion exhibition will be organised by theme, including Coronation Dress; The Devonshire House Ball, Bess of Hardwick and the Tudor influence, The Georgiana Effect, Ducal Style, Country Living, The Circle of Life, and Entertaining at Chatsworth.

Highlights will include a Givenchy bolero worn on the Duchess of Devonshire's wedding day, uniforms, coronation robes and fancy-dress costumes, and historic and contemporary couture from Christian Dior, Gucci, Helmut Lang, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane, Margiela, Erdem, and Vetements.

‘House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth’ to open in 2017

“To be let loose in the wardrobe rooms, the gold vaults, the muniment room, and the closets, cupboards, and attics of Chatsworth, in search of sartorial treasures has been a dream come true for me,” said curator Hamish Bowles. “Chatsworth is a real treasure house and the characters of generations of Cavendish family members who have peopled its rooms and gardens and landscapes is revealed as vividly through their choice of clothing and adornments, as through the canvases and lenses of the great artists and photographers who have memorialised them through the centuries.”

Bowles added: “In House Style, we hope to bring these compelling and fascinating people and the very different worlds they inhabited to life, through the clothes and the jewels that they wore.”

Sally Ambrose, Chatsworth’s head of visitor services and marketing, said: “House Style is a landmark exhibition for Chatsworth that has been years in the making. Fashion is interwoven into the fabric of the Cavendish family history, and the house itself has been at the centre of international style for decades.

“This exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to see the story of Chatsworth, through the styles and fashions of the people who have lived and stayed here. House Style will stay true to the history and tradition of Chatsworth, whilst also including modern day concepts and designers, appealing to style aficionados, casual observers and those with an interest in heritage and culture alike.”

To coincide with the exhibition, Rizzoli will publish ‘House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth’, with a foreword by the Duke of Devonshire, featuring photographs by Mario Testino, Cecil Beaton, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel, Tim Walker, Ellen von Unwerth, and many previously unseen pictures from the Devonshire personal photograph albums.

‘House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion at Chatsworth’ will run from March 25 to October 22, 2017, and will be included in the price of entry to Chatsworth House.

Images: courtesy of Chatsworth House