GUCCI IN THE HOUSE
Rummaging around in the attic is seldom glamorous, but if you live at Chatsworth House, the 16th-century Derbyshire seat of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, it can be rather magical. This month, the lavish stately home opens its most ambitious exhibition to date, exploring 500 years of fashion and accessories as worn by the house’s inhabitants and guests. Curated by renowned vintage fashion connoisseur Hamish Bowles, and sponsored by Gucci, the sartorial treasures include clothing, livery, jewellery and fancydress costumes (plus textiles, portraits and photographs), and evoke the fascinating characters that have populated the house, such as supermodel Stella Tennant and her grandmother Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire; Deborah’s sister Nancy Mitford; Adele Astaire, sister of Fred; Kathleen ‘Kick’ Kennedy; and Bess of Hardwick, one of the most powerful women of the 16th century. “This exhibition proves how much historical objects are an incredible source of inspiration for creating the present,” says Alessandro Michele, creative director at Gucci. Might there be a Chatsworthian influence on the catwalk in the near future? We can only hope. KIM PARKER
House Style: Five Centuries Of Fashion At Chatsworth, 25th March to 22nd October 2017. Admission included in the price of entry. More details and tickets at Chatsworth.org/book-tickets-and-prices