Passion for Fashion: 300 Years of Style at Blenheim Palace

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, Blenheim is the only non-royal house in England to hold the title of palace. As the storied residence of the Dukes of Marlborough—and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, the legendary prime minister and a style icon in his own right—Blenheim Palace was home and host to an almost innumerable cast of chic and colorful characters. A Passion for Fashion: 300 Years of Style at Blenheim Palace provides an amusing and in-depth look at some of the clothes, underclothes, shoes, and accessories worn by many of the more flamboyant players in Blenheim Palace’s 300-year history. The book also offers an interesting—and cautionary—look at the role that arsenic, lead, mercury, and even mousetraps played in the fashions of the day. The book examines adult and children’s fashions of the Palace’s early period from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well as the contemporary styles of renowned designers including Christina Stambolian, Stephen Jones, Christian Louboutin, and more recent houses like Dolce & Gabbana. Blenheim Palace’s ongoing relationship with the House of Dior is also celebrated with a look at their early catwalk shows of the 1950s and the launch of Dior’s Cruise collection, which took place at Blenheim Palace in May 2016. Lavishly illustrated with 150 color images, A Passion for Fashion brings 300 years of Blenheim style to vivacious life.