The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection contains around 12,000 items worn by royalty and courtiers. Maria Jordan and Ruth Howlett of charity Historic Royal Palaces discuss the challenges involved in looking after them.

Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) is the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, the Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace. We have an in-house conservation studio and dedicated team of over 30 conservators who are responsible for the care of a wide range of historic objects including state beds, tapestries and paintings.

The team includes 4 textiles conservators who care for the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection – around 12,000 items worn by royalty and courtiers from the 17th century to the present day. Clothing worn by some of the country’s most charismatic royals including George III, Queen Victoria, Princess Margaret and HM The Queen, all form part of the collection.

The collection has evolved over many years to include unique items such as William III’s bright green stockings and red silk vest, a tweed sports suit created for Diana, Princess of Wales, a safari suit worn by Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as The Duke of Windsor), ceremonial swords and royal wedding confetti. The majority of these items are entrusted to us on long-term loan, including items from the Royal Collection, or donated to the collection. Occasionally we have acquired items, such as a magnificent 18th century silver court mantua, presented to us by The Art Fund, and a pair of Queen Victoria’s undergarments, bought at auction in 2009.

The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection is based at Kensington Palace which is currently undergoing a £12 million renovation. The project will enable many more costume items to be on public display at the palace from 2012 although we are mindful of carefully balancing this ambition with conservation needs. We regularly ‘rotate’ items on display which allows us to ‘rest’ objects, protecting them from too much exposure to light - textiles’ greatest enemy - and over-handling, another potential cause of damage to historic costume. On average, items are displayed for six to 12 months, and then rested for three years, depending on the condition of the individual piece.

Preparing costume for display requires great care and consideration and is therefore time-consuming as we need to be certain that items are in a stable state before they are exhibited. Recently we treated some royal baby shoes and bonnets prior to display in the Enchanted Palace exhibition at Kensington Palace, and prepared George’s III’s fragile coronation robe so that it could safely be loaned for an exhibition in Versailles.

As well as carrying out any necessary treatment work in advance, we carefully assess how an item will be displayed within an exhibition. A good display mannequin, in conjunction with clever mounting, can go a long way in supporting a potentially fragile item. Low light levels in display spaces are essential, as is keeping the general environment stable. Humidity should be kept constant and damp absolutely avoided to prevent mould developing on fabric and metal fastenings from rusting. Appropriate storage also makes a great difference to the longevity of an item – we make sure that items can be instantly viewed by opening the store without being handled.

Amongst the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection are a number of ‘perquisites’ – items given to loyal royal household staff upon the death of a king or queen. Such fine fabrics were often recycled, and a common discovery is that these ‘perks’ have been altered and worn by those who had inherited them. The size may have been adjusted, the outfit has perhaps been remodelled to fit the latest fashion, or pieces of coveted lace have been removed for use in other garments or accessories. By examining and researching the age and twist of the threads we can identify when and where changes may have been made. We then decide whether to try to undo any changes and return the item to a more original state, or allow the interventions to remain: even alterations are a significant part of an item’s history. Either way, we often explain to our visitors through interpretation how the item has changed over time.

Recurring problems seen in historic costume include perspiration marks, food stains and dirty hemlines on sweeping skirts. We recently acquired at auction a beautifully embroidered summer dress that belonged to the young Queen Victoria. It’s more recent history is unknown, but the outfit was clearly well used and features some significant staining. We shall shortly consider the most appropriate conservation treatment options. This fragile dress will need a stitch support, and we will consider whether we can gently spot-clean or wet-clean the item, to reduce some of the stains. Additionally, the garment’s skirt and bodice construction has, at some point, been stitched together, and pieces of embroidery have been cut from the skirt and repositioned to patch the underarms. We therefore need to decide how much of the outfit’s original appearance we might restore and what we might retain of the later alterations.

With ‘best practice’ in mind, our approach to conservation treatment is to carefully consider all the options before beginning any work. We do not take any decisions lightly; we agonise over the best course of action and document every piece of work. The complete repair and restoration of an item may not be achievable or even desirable. Sometimes flaws themselves tell an important story. For example, George III’s turquoise silk waistcoat, displayed at Kew Palace, where the king was confined during his illness, is clearly blotted with food stains. Probably one of the last items of clothing the king wore before his death in January 1821, the stains are rather poignant, revealing that the monarch was greatly weakened by his illness. The waistcoat is also one of the earliest examples of costume adapted for illness. In the last months of the king’s life, pieces of fabric were inserted into the waistcoat sleeves to give more mobility and make dressing easier. We have allowed these alterations to remain. In this instance, and in many others, we’d prefer to treat the item to prevent further deterioration, rather than attempt to make it look ‘as new’.

Our next challenge will be preparing contemporary fashion for display at Kensington Palace in the next phase of Enchanted Palace in autumn 2010. We take as much care with these new creations as we would with any other collection items - after all, they may be the precious heritage pieces of the future!

For more information about HRP and the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, please visit www.hrp.org.uk