The Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina has more than just opulent furnishings and massive rooms. One of the best things, in my humble opinion, is the ability of the estate to offer more experiences to their visitors. The Biltmore management team is superb at enticing visitors back to the estate time and time again by offering new experiences.
One of my favorite things that is offered at The Biltmore has to be the different costumes that they have featured in the house over the past few years. From Downton Abbey to famous films to the current exhibit Glamour on Board – Fashion from Titanic the Movie the Biltmore offers visitors new and unique experiences .
My sister, Paula, is a Titanic freak of sorts. I think she would agree. She loves the movie and anything and everything related to it so when I found out that they were having this exhibit AND that she had wanted to take some vacation AND that it was her birthday in April I knew this was the perfect gift. The stars aligned and she and her husband made a trip to visit and she and I spent the day at The Biltmore celebrating her birthday. We did the special guided tour, had lunch and then went back and toured the house a bit more leisurely. It was fabulous.

Perhaps my favorite outfit from the exhibit was this first one that was on display on the tour. Love it. This is the dress that Rose makes her first appearance in on the docks in the movie and the tie to Edith Vanderbilt is strong. The dress is patterned after a dress in the January 1912 issue of Les Modes magazine which Edith had in her possession. We were thrilled to see a photocopy (the magazine is not on display due to the age) of that same dress.
The estate borrowed 50 + costumes from 20th Century Fox and they are placed throughout the massive house in various rooms, in various poses and all very elegantly presented.

Most will remember this iconic scene from the movie and the dress that Kate Winslet wore was even more beautiful in person.
George and Edith Vanderbilt had a tie to the Titanic and actually had tickets to be on board that fated vessel. However they changed their plans at the last minute to travel on the RMS Olympic instead to get back home to the Biltmore earlier. George claimed they were homesick and the earlier sailing date would get them back to their beloved estate earlier. Unfortunately many who loved the Vanderbilts did not know of their change of plans and feared that they too were among those lost at sea when the Titanic sunk.

One of the most elegant and lovely of the costumes caught my eye – maybe because of the color?
Our tour guide was really great at giving us all the details about the clothing and the stories behind the movie, the characters and the tie ins with the Vanderbilts. It was really enlightening and such a great way to learn more about this time period as well.
One of the things that fascinated me the most was the “wigs” on each of the mannikins. Our guide told us that they were made of watercolor paper and I was intrigued by them. The details and styling were simply amazing.
Our guide told us that the coat in this costume was sized several sizes larger than actress Kate Winslet wore in order to achieve the vulnerable look that the director was going for in these scenes.

Imagine trying to walk in this hobble skirt style. I don’t think I would have been very successful at it.
Earlier this week I shared a tea set that was in the Tapestry Room and of course there was the perfect setting for that tea set. I lingered here for quite awhile.
I could almost imagine learning how to properly “take tea” from these fine ladies.
Glamour on Board: Fashion from ‘Titanic’ the Movie” is exclusive to Biltmore Estate and will not travel to other sites. The exhibition is included with admission to the estate and will run through May 13. An extra 90 minute guided tour is also available for purchase and for the die hard Titanic fans this is a must. I would highly recommend a visit while the exhibit is there.
To find out more about The Biltmore Estate and this exhibition in particular feel free to visit their website at www.biltmore.com or call 800-411-3812. To read an excellent article about the exhibit please click here to read a piece from the Citizen-Times.
Have you visited this exhibit or any like it? I would love to hear all about it in the comments. Remember that our Comments for a Cause this month is Imagination Library. Each comment made on any blog post this month means a 50 cent donation to help get books in the hands of children.
18 Comments
Leave a commentThanks for the travelogue! What a great memory. The only thing I would add to make it even more perfect would be a chance to actually try on one of the fabulous dresses. I KNOW that’s impossible but wouldn’t it be fun just once to dress like that?!
I would NOT choose the hobble skirt to try on. That one looked impossible to walk in! Thanks for coming down and for being my guest. I had such a great time!
I love these fashions. It was such an elegant time, wasn´t it? Of course we wouldn´t have the freedom of movement we have now in our more casual outfits. But it is fun to go back for a day! I went to a Titanic exhibit in Liverpool last fall which was interesting. Your sister would like that one too.
It was an elegant time and dressing for dinner and for all occasions seems to be a thing of the past. There are so many great Titanic exhibits and last year being the 20th anniversary of the movie made them very popular .
l just nominated you for the Real Neat Blog Award because you have areal neat blog!! xo
What fun to see this fashion show, and especially for Paula. A belated happy birthday to your dear sister.
It was a lot of fun. Her birthday is actually the 15th so you aren’t belated at all! 🙂
I also LOVE the Titanic and it’s story! We saw a couple of the costumes on display at the Titanic Museum in Branson, but these fascinate me! So gorgeous!!
I bet the costumes you saw in Branson were pretty cool as well. It is just such a neat way to showcase some history at the same time that has ties to the Vanderbilts.
Just exquisite. And what a lovely and perfect birthday gift for your sister. I can imagine she was thrilled to be able to take this tour. P.S. Thanks for taking us along too. 😉 I loved it.
Glad you liked it as well. We had a great day and it was really a fun exhibit to share with her.
Pretty amazing! I’ve been to Biltmore a few times, but never during anything like this.
It is another fun way to visit because it gives another dimension to the tour. I love the costume idea and they have really done an exceptional job with this one.
I would have so loved to see this exhibit. I’m a huge Titanic fan and saw the movie several times.
I’ll have to take a look at the calendar and see what they offer over summer. 🙂
They are going to have a Chihuly outdoor installation which should be amazing! I can’t wait!!!
That orange (red?) dress is my fav – gorgeous! We went to an exhibit there of costumes from movies like Sense & Sensibility, Frankenstein, etc. back in 2016. I think you saw that too?
That dress was red even if the color does not show it and it was beautiful. I did the movie costume tour as well as the Downton Abbey one and loved them all. They are so good at bringing exhibits to make your visit different every time. But I am really looking forward to the Chihuly exhibit!
Whoa, that is super cool how they did the hair… WOW!