Style & Splendor: The Wardrobe of Queen Maud of Norway 1896-1938

by Anne Kjellberg, Susan North

In the late 19th century, women wore bustles, corsets, and ankle-length petticoats under skirts that swept the ground. By the 1930s, some of the same women were wearing trousers, short skirts, and simple draped dresses. Nowhere is this extraordinary transition more beautifully and extensively documented than in the wardrobe of Queen Maud of Norway, the granddaughter of England's Queen Victoria. One of the best-dressed women of her age, she took every opportunity to indulge her passion for clothes.

Style and Splendour showcases some of Queen Maud's most spectacular garments. Using photographs of her magnificent clothes and accessories, most made by the foremost designers of her day and now preserved in Oslo, the book tells the story of the evolution of women's fashion from the 1890s to the 1930s. AUTHOR Anne Kjellberg is curator of Queen Maud's collection at the National Museum of Art/Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Oslo. Susan North is curator in the Department of Furniture, Textiles and Dress at the V&A and author of Historical Fashion in Detail.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction, Fashion History, History, Historical, Royalty

112 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2005

Reviews

[Pancha · Rating 4 out of 5]

These dresses are absolutely gorgeous. My only complaint is the photos only whetted my appetite. I wanted more angles of each gown, close ups, construction details, etc.

Side note: this book came to me via Link+ from the Loyola Marymount University library.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous collection of photographs detailing the clothing and fashions of Queen Maud of Norway, and her times. The photography here is stunning, and the clothing a beautiful sampling of styles of the Belle Epoque through the Art Deco periods. The coronation gown that she wore is simply amazing, and beautifully detailed.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of a mixed bag for me. Some of my favorite Edwardian gowns are in this, along with a few very garish 1920s and 1930s dresses that I didn't like at all.

[Shallowreader VaVeros · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fashions in this book Re exquisite.

[Goldkehlchen20 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely lovely collection, and one can learn a lot about the person of Queen Maud from this detailed look into her wardrobe.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good photographs and great dresses. Wish there were more pictures of Queen Maud in them.

[Edie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is remarkable about this collection is that we have a good chunk of Queen Maud’s wardrobe in excellent condition. Some dresses were only worn once or twice or not at all. They range in age from 1896-1938. Needless to say, that covers a lot of ground. They also suit a variety of purposes from coronation gowns to skiwear. The text gave the purpose of the items, a description of it, and something about the makers of these creations.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to order this off eBay and eventually ended up buying an old library copy, but it was worth every effort. Gorgeous photos of a gorgeous wardrobe. My favourites are the Edwardian gowns, but the others are lovely too.

I hope they do another exhibition again soon and bring out another book. :D

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book & worth every penny it cost me!