Palace fashion: Westwood and McCartney in Blenheim takeover

British fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney and Zandra Rhodes are being celebrated in a new exhibition at Blenheim Palace.

The journey begins in the 300-year-old Great Hall that features designs from the late Dame Vivienne and creative partner Andreas Kronthaler.

From there, each of the palace's significant rooms has been transformed by a different designer.

Each designer looked around the palace and picked a room.

And that is what makes the exhibition so unique.

There are no stuffy spaces crammed with random items or looking embarrassingly sparse. This sprawling exhibition that takes over the whole palace is wonderfully immersive.

The concept behind the exhibition came from keeper of the palace, Kate Ballenger.

"We wanted to create a group show that celebrated the best of British fashion," she explained. "So I invited the designers to the palace where they could pick a room, respond to the space and then we let them bring their vision to life."

Luckily for Ms Ballenger, all of the designers picked different rooms.

"We had an egalitarian approach of 'first come, first served' and fortunately it worked out perfectly and it made my life a lot easier given no one wanted the same space."

Ms Ballenger, who has been planning the exhibition for the past year, was conscious of creating something that could reach a new audience.

"Most of our exhibitions are historical and so we wanted to create something that would appeal to people who don't usually visit historic properties," she said.

As well as a look back at some of the best in British fashion history, part of the exhibition is about the future and upcoming innovation in the industry.

In the library, Stella McCartney's Uppeal, a vegan apple-based alternative to animal leather is part of her display. The fabric is made from the waste of northern Italy's juice and jam industries and debuted very recently at McCartney's Winter 2023 runway show.

The Oxfordshire palace, known for being the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, is also using the fashion exhibition as a chance to celebrate the former prime minister's style on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

While most designers have decorated their rooms with historic pieces, British shirt-maker Turnbull & Asser have unveiled an entirely new collection that captivates Churchill's traditions, sartorial choices, and disposition.

One of the most interesting items on display is an original outfit that Churchill commissioned during World War Two.

At the height of the war, Churchill asked Turnbull & Asser to create a one-piece garment that was generously cut, had breast pockets to keep cigars in and roomy side pockets.

The outfit, which became known as the famous siren suit, had a particular wartime appeal as it could easily be slipped on during air-raid sirens while keeping the wearer's modesty.

Other items in Churchill's tribute capsule include a special smoking cap created by hat designer Stephen Jones.

The traditional velvet cap features embroidered initials, button and tassel and a hand-embroidered clementine in honour of his wife Clementine.

Beyond Churchill, the palace also has its own history with the fashion world.

It has hosted several fashion shows and photo shoots over the years, including Christian Dior, who hosted two shows in 1954 and 1958 in aid of the Red Cross and then again in 2016 with their Cruise Collection.

Icons of British Fashion will run until 30 June at Blenheim Palace.