I felt that the archive was very justified in needing to be shown, because it's so important, it needs to be shared and with audiences," says de Guitaut whose bold idea was swiftly approved.The resulting exhibition, opening this month in Buckingham Palace, not only traces the story of Britain's longest-reigning monarch through clothing worn in all ten decades of her life, both on- and off-duty, it presents a vital history of the British fashion industry.Some 200 items include clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes and accessories alongside never-before-seen design sketches, fabric samples and handwritten correspondence including some from Her Majesty that reveal the behind-the-scenes process of dressing the Queen.De Guitaut doesn't know if the Queen was aware that her wardrobe and records would be archived and ultimately exhibited. "It was a decision made by His Majesty the King," she says with a smile He was one of very few people allowed into the inner sanctum of her private dressing room but says he found her "utterly charming and easy".Many believe the Queen wasn't interested in fashion, that this was the territory of her younger sister and her impeccably dressed mother. Actually, says Parvin, she deeply admired beautiful fabric and design and clearly understood the power of clothes. "The Queen was never perceived to be fashionable