Costumes made for “The Crown”
Can you think of a more appropriate setting to view costumes from a show about British royalty than the grand estate of an American industrial baron? Forty iconic costumes from two seasons of “The Crown” find an ideal backdrop at Winterthur.
The exhibition provides a behind-the-scenes look at how costume design is used to heighten drama and to re-create history in the hit Netflix series. Focusing on the creative work of award-winning designers Michele Clapton and Jane Petrie, the collection offers close-up views of reproduction pieces as dazzling as Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation robe to original designs in the spirit of midcentury couture, such as ensembles for the Duchess of Windsor inspired by Schiaparelli and Mainbocher. There’s also a royal treasury’s worth of crowns, tiaras, and jewelry pieces.
After you’ve imagined yourself in one of Princess Margaret’s chic cocktail dresses, Jackie Kennedy’s state-banquet showstopper, or Antony Armstrong-Jones’s leather motorcycle jacket, explore the architecture and decorative arts of Winterthur’s period rooms that represent styles ranging from 1640 to 1860. Or take in the late-summer beauty of the estate’s grounds and gardens, where a special exhibition of garden follies is on view.
Enjoy lunch at the Visitor Center’s Garden Cafe; a splendid traditional tea at the historic DuPont Hotel in downtown Wilmington provides an appropriately regal way to end the day.
Textile curator Elizabeth Lay, a faculty member of the GW Corcoran–Smithsonian Master’s Program in Decorative Arts and Design History, serves as the tour leader.
Fringe stop at about 7:25 a.m.
