Susan North

Anne Kjellberg

Queen Maud of Norway was renowned for her stylish dress. Daughter of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, she was born a princess and became Queen of Norway in 1905. She had exemplary taste and a strong interest in fashion, and her royal lifestyle required appropriate dress for every occasion. Her wardrobe includes a range of stunning creations dating from her wedding trousseau of 1896 to the latest Worth designs purchased just months before her death in 1938. Queen Maud's clothes document an extraordinary era of fashion history, from the decorative but elaborate dress of the Victorian era to the streamlined chic of the 1930s: clothes for the modern working monarch. Her wardrobe encompasses the public and private like no other collection, from sumptuous state gowns and elegant evening dresses for official occasions to riding habits, winter sportswear, and simple tailored suits for afternoons in the garden with her grandchildren. Maud engaged with contemporary fashion throughout her long life, and commissioned many of the great designers of the day, notably, Worth, Blancquaert and Morin-Blossier. Her wardrobe illustrates the impeccable standards of couture dressmaking and tailoring of the period. Flawlessly beaded gowns, perfectly cut and hand-finished suits, beautifully embroidered and appliqued dresses all exemplify the superb workmanship of the era. Style and Splendour showcases some of the most spectacular garments now in the collection of the National Museum of Art/Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Oslo, and sets them properly in the context of Queen Maud's life and times.

Anne Kjellberg

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