The Last Debutantes: 1958 A Season of Change

The 'coming out' season for the daughters of the aristocracy was a long-standing tradition in Britain. Yet fifty years ago, in 1958, it came to an abrupt end. Political activism, teenage culture and the onset of the swinging Sixties - combined with the impact of the recent war - meant that the debutantes' days were numbered.

Set in the opulent grounds of Kensington Palace, this exhibition will take people on a glamorous tour back to the final days of court presentations. There are amazing dresses and accessories to ogle over, displayed alongside personal memoirs and original photographs.  

All in all a picture is painted of the fashions, parties and stories of the season that would be the last of its kind. It ends questioning the ways in which these social changes threatened the British upper-class way of life.