Blenheim Palace Icons of British Fashion review

Imagine the most beautiful ballgowns, cutting-edge couture and quirky handbags hanging from trees, all against a backdrop of lavish ballrooms, banqueting tables and historic paintings that are hundreds of years old and you would still be amazed at the Icons of British Fashion exhibition at Blenheim Palace. It is nothing short of stunning, and well worth a visit for anyone interested in fashion – even children.

I went to Blenheim Palace for the first time this Easter holiday with my husband and six year old; we had gone mainly for the adventure playground and house itself and I hadn’t even realised the fashion exhibition was in the main house and not something that you pay extra for. As you walk around the palace – home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill – you will see the works of 12 British fashion designers, starting with Vivienne Westwood and including Stella McCartney, Lulu Guinness, Bruce Oldfield, Temperley and more. There are rows of mannequins, others standing alone in front of a statue or bay window, but the ones I liked most were arranged as if they were dancing at a party or enjoying a dinner party, kicking back (literally) with a drink. The juxtaposition of the brightly coloured dresses with the gilt and ornate paintings and historic furniture is a joyful storytelling of the importance of British fashion through the ages.

My daughter enjoyed the exhibition and picked out her favourite dress, though of course she was too young to appreciate any of the information around the exhibits, about the designers and fashion houses or the celebrities who, for instance, had worn this particular gown to the Met Gala or a pair of shoes that had appeared in Sex and the City (they even had Frank N Furter’s original platforms from the Rocky Horror Picture Show!).

The Icons of British Fashion exhibition runs until 24 June 2024 and is included in your palace ticket; it’s a lovely thing to either treat yourself to some grown-up time (you can also book an Icons of British Fashion afternoon tea) or to enjoy as part of a family visit.

It was our first visit to Blenheim Palace so we enjoyed seeing the palace itself, though you would need a guided tour or at least a lot more time (i.e. without a small child in tow) to be able to read enough information about each room to fully appreciate the historical importance and the detail of many of the artworks for instance. There is also a special Winston Churchill exhibition marking 150 since of the former Prime Minister’s birth, which my daughter didn’t want to do as she was a bit tired by this point (after a morning spent in the Adventure Play, which I will review separately) and also not remotely interested in the life of a man she had never heard of. So I whizzed through the exhibition, which consists of several rooms with everything from baby Winston’s cot and a lock of his hair as a little boy through his courtship of his wife, the pre-war years, war time and then Churchill’s later years which he spent much of painting.

There are plenty of other things to see and do at Blenheim Palace – you can also visit the chapel and stables, there are multiple cafes, beautiful views and walks over the grounds, a maze, butterfly house, walled garden and formal gardens, a miniature train to ride and of course the children’s play area. I’ll review these as part of a post on Blenheim Palace for kids – though I think the house itself would definitely be interesting for slightly older children and the Icons of British Fashion is such an explosion of colour, textures and shapes that anyone can enjoy, and there’s so much to do that visiting Blenheim Palace is a full day out for the whole family.

Also a quick note – you can buy a park and grounds ticket or a park, grounds and house ticket; the latter becomes an annual pass so for the same money you can come back as many times as you like for a year (though some events cost extra such as the Christmas light trail). It’s also worth noting that if you arrive in an electric vehicle, by public transport or on foot or by bike, you can save 20% on the combined park, grounds and house ticket price (it’s not valid for the park and grounds ticket) by using the code GREEN20. The new adventure playground costs extra – £7 for children and £5 for adults – and the miniature train is £1 per person each way.