When the history of the house is so well documented, why host the exhibition now? The concept was born when Lady Burlington (who is married to the next Cavendish in line) browsed the Chatsworth textile archive for christening gown fabric for her son. She invited Hamish Bowles, editor-at-large for American Vogue to view the extraordinary amount of clothing amassed at the house; he then decided that such a culturally valuable collection should be shared with the public. Bowles, who curated the exhibition, worked alongside creative directors Patrick Kinmonth and Antonio Monfreda, the duo who brought us the 2005 exhibition of photographs of Princess Di by Mario Testino, as well as the Met Museum’s 2004 Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century.