Hartnell To Amies: Couture By Royal Appointment

Organised by the Fashion and Textile Museum, the exhibition features gowns, daywear, suits and accessories worn by some of the most glamorous women in Britain.

Items of couture designed by Hartnell, Amies and others explore how the Queen's patronage of British designers helped propel London's fashion industry onto the international stage in the years following the Second World War.

The show features a range of pieces dating between the 1920s and the 1990s and, as well as designs and embroidery from the Queen's collection, it includes items from the wardrobes of Oonagh Guinness, Lady Anne Glenconner and Barbara Cartland.

Don't miss

Regarded as the 'father of modern British fashion photography', Norman Parkinson pioneered the use of exotic locations and unexpected props to produce extraordinary and unique images. Here, a display of archive photographs by Parkinson capture members of the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers. 

Commissioned by British Vogue in the year of the Queen's coronation, these pictures focus on the leading trends that dominated the Spring 1953 collections.


Venue details

Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Castle Street, Carlisle Cumbria CA3 8TP 01228 618718 www.tulliehouse.co.uk

Entry details

Free with National Art Pass (standard entry £7)

Mon – Sat, 10am – 5pm (until 4pm Nov – Mar)

​Sun, 11am – 5pm (from 12noon Nov – Mar)