Fashion Museum Bath Snapshot

So, I finally fulfilled my pilgrimage to the Fashion Museum in Bath! As an historian who is really digging into style and fashion history, it was one of the most fitting museums for me to visit. Although it is quite a quiet museum, I cannot recommend it enough for anyone interested in historical fashion (or royal women at the moment). You can expect multiple posts in the near future, but these were two of my favourite pieces at Fashion Museum Bath!

Both of these pieces are from the Royal Women exhibition! I will be sharing pieces from the permanent exhibitions, as well, but these really stood out to me.

This tartan ballgown of Queen Alexandra’s is one of my favourite pieces in the entire museum. Obviously, my personal love of tartan is playing a role, but it so perfectly encapsulates the fashion of the time, as well as the role that fashion played in the consort’s role. Historians believe that Alexandra wore this dress at Holyrood when the court moved to Scotland during the year, emphasising the messages that fashion can send. (Seriously, I would wear this at Christmas….)

This black lace dress also belonged to Queen Alexandra. What makes this dress special though, was that it was only very recently discovered in the last few months! The finder in question graciously donated the dress to the collection, so it will stay with the Fashion Museum, but it is such a wonderful stroke of fate. The beading is just stunning, and the velvet panels on the skirt are incredibly striking in person. If you removed the sleeves, it wouldn’t be the most out of place dress at a formal event!

I am really excited to write about my Fashion Museum experience, because I was lucky enough to chat with one of the museum curators. (Dream come true!!) I also came away with two fantastic books to keep up my research. I did get the Royal Women exhibition catalogue, which I am really happy I splurged on. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to, but the background information on each of the royal women as well as the pieces is invaluable. I also now am the proud owner of Kate Strasdin’s Inside the Royal Wardrobe: A Dress History of Queen Alexandra! It was nearly $100 CAD when I looked at ordering it online, but with the exchange rate, it was under $40 CAD to buy it at the shop. I will shortly be digging into this!

Have you been to the Fashion Museum Bath? And if you could go to any museum, which would it be? 

Cheers,
The Historian
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