Fully Booked
The Trust is delighted to announce this unique event, an opportunity to spend an evening with Justine Picardie, who will be discussing her new book Fashioning the Crown: A Story of Power, Conflict and Couture.
Published ahead of the centenary of Queen Elizabeth’s II’s birth, and sumptuously illustrated, the book tells the story of the hidden history of the Crown and how it survived a tumultuous era between the two wars.
Unlike her distant ancestors, a queen is not shielded from enemies by suits of armour. The women of the House of Windsor- Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, Wallis Simpson who would become Duchess of Windsor and Queen Elizabeth II- faced abdications and assassinations, revolutions, the rise of fascism and war. Their sartorial decisions projected power and perpetuity, diplomacy and even defiance.
In this cinematic, vivid story of soft power and couture, Justine Picardie uncovers the fascinating, little-known lives of the couturiers behind the clothes, figures like Hardy Amies, Edward Molyneux and Norman Hartnell, and traces the ways in which visual iconography safeguarded the monarchy even when their reign seemed to be hanging by a thread.
Our venue for this evening will be Wolterton Hall, NR11 7LY
Please note that this event will take place in a private, historic venue that unfortunately does not have suitable access for guests with mobility restrictions.
Please note no tickets will be issued, your name(s) will be on a guest list at the door.
