Erdem Moralioglu follows in the footsteps of other fashion designers in being inspired by the showboat estate Chatsworth and its stylish residents…
The showboat estate Chatsworth, the so-called “Palace of the Peaks”, is a Hollywood star in its own right and has been the backdrop to the BBC drama, Death at Pemberley, The Wolfman, (starring Anthony Hopkins), The Duchess, (starring Kiera Knightley) and of course Pride and Prejudice, also starring Knightley.
Built in 1549, in the neo-Renaissance style of a French chateau, it comprises some 300 rooms, of which 30 are open to the public. The baroque interiors and diverse art collection comprising Rembrandt, Reynolds, Freud and Da Vinci is also a thriving commercial venture and it serves as the home of the Cavendish family and the Dukes of Devonshire; it is the 11th Duke of Devonshire and his wife who are the present incumbents.
Photograph: Gucci.
Fashionistas will know that the former Gucci creative director, Alessandro Michele, an ardent anglophile, chose Chatsworth as the location for the 2017 Gucci Cruise campaign, starring Vanessa Redgrave (pictured above). The advertising campaign was part of a three year cultural initiative co-signed between Gucci and Chatsworth. Michele said of the house, “Chatsworth is unlike anywhere else in the world. A place of charm, history and rituals. It is a piece of England, of Europe and the contemporary world, all at the same time. You can see history everywhere, yet everything is alive.”
Arguably it is Chatsworth (rather than Buckingham Palace) that has been home to the most gossiped about and glamorous women of the last 500 years. Its cast of characters includes Nancy Mitford, Adele Astaire, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, Deborah “Debo” Devonshire and Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, the latter known as “the empress of fashion” in the 18th century. Their style and eccentricity was brought to life in an exhibition entitled “House Style: Five Centuries of Fashion At Chatsworth” in 2017. Curated by Hamish Bowles, international editor-at-large at American Vogue, the exhibition took six years to research and featured a feast of ballgowns, uniforms, livery, tiaras and christening outfits in a layering of art history, fashion, textiles and design.
The house did nothing to diminish its female inhabitants who were all high-spirited style icons. The late Debo Devonshire was its most endearing with her love of insect jewellery (so on trend this season), and hens (as channelled in the Gucci adverts). In her book All in One Basket Nest Eggs, she recounted, “At Chatsworth, clothes were hung far into a cupboard the size of an ordinary room in any normal house. Some French numbers of the 1950s and 1960s still hold their own in any company; quality incomparable; style timeless…”
This summer “Erdem: Imaginary Conversations” is a new exhibition at Chatsworth celebrating the image and legacy of the late dowager Debo Devonshire through the SS24 collection of Erdem Moralioglu, the culmination of a longheld dream for the designer. “I have always wanted to create a collection on Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire and the history of Chatsworth. I have long been fascinated by her story and found the archives at Chatsworth to be endlessly inspiring.”
Erdem was given permission by Chatsworth House Trust, the charity that looks after the house, garden and collections at Chatsworth, and the Devonshire family to dedicate his SS24 collection to Duchess Deborah and was allowed access to the extensive archives for research and development. Archival fabrics from the collection including historic curtains that once hung within Chatsworth were repurposed and reimagined into the collection.
The exhibition explores the house as a source of inspiration in dialogue with Erdem’s collection. Visitors are welcomed into the Duchess’s world while understanding how the past informs the present in the process of creating a contemporary fashion collection. The exhibition begins in the Wellington Bedroom, where Duchess Deborah’s inspirations and passions are displayed alongside looks from Erdem’s collection that honour them.
The Leicester Bedroom is a dramatic combination of large swathes of draped textiles from the Devonshire archive set among mannequins wearing pieces from Erdem’s collection featuring the archival curtain material. Of note in the Wellington Dressing Room next door, is a single exhibit in a case by the Polonaise bed, of the Duchess’s cherished Elvis slippers. She was a massive Elvis fan and one of his songs was played at her funeral – How Great Thou Art.
In the Queen of Scots’ Bedroom visitors are greeted by a large portrait of the Duchess by John Ulbricht. In the Alcove Bedroom, select pieces from the Duchess’s legendary jewellery collection of insects are displayed in cases alongside pieces from Erdem’s collection, featuring bejewelled and embroidered textiles. It is almost as if the insects have taken flight from their cases and landed on the garments.
Entering the Queen of Scots’ Dressing Room, visitors are transported to a cutting room in Erdem’s atelier. Fabric boards and maquettes are joined by the toiles that were the starting point for the collection, together with garments from the Duchess’s couture collection.
The exhibition ends in the Queen of Scots’ Lobby. Cases are filled with material that once belonged to the Duchess, including letters, objects and photographs of particular inspiration to Erdem. A recording of the Duchess’s voice, used in the SS24 soundtrack of the show, plays in the background, and Lucian Freud’s portrait of the duchess, Woman in a White Shirt, brings her voice to life.
For anyone with an interest in fashion history and a love of Erdem’s designs, this is a must-visit. The collection is also available to buy online.
Need to Know: “Erdem: Imaginary Conversations” is on until October 24 and is sponsored by FarFetch. Tickets cost from £35; www.chatsworth.org.
