'The Favourite' corset dresses go on display at Kensington Palace

LONDON (Reuters) - A selection of costumes worn by the cast of period film “The Favourite” went on display at London’s Kensington Palace on Friday, in the same rooms where the royal characters the movie is based on once walked.

Olivia Colman, soon to be seen in hit Netflix drama “The Crown”, plays Britain’s 18th-century Queen Anne in the costume piece with plenty of laugh-out loud moments, a role for which she has won critical acclaim as well as award accolades.

The British actress portrays her as a frail, insecure and childish queen, easily swayed by her friend Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, played by Oscar winner Rachel Weisz.

That relationship is soon tested with the arrival of maid Abigail, played by fellow Academy Award winner Emma Stone, who also begins to vie for the queen’s attention.

“Kensington Palace is the place where these women lived, loved and Queen Anne died here in 1714,” Historic Royal Palaces Collections Curator Matthew Storey told Reuters.

“The costumes by three-time Academy Award winner Sandy Powell took inspiration from the styles and silhouettes of the fashions of Queen Anne’s day but used modern fabrics and techniques and to bring alive these women’s stories.”

On display are elaborate corset dresses the actresses wear in the movie and their male co-stars’ intricately-detailed outfits, looks for which costume designer Sandy Powell used a variety of materials such as brocade, denim and African prints.