How Queen Elizabeth Dressed, Fashion of Power and Joy

Royalist The Daily Beast is the go-to newspaper for all things royal and royal. Subscribe over here To get it in your inbox every Sunday.

Queen Elizabeth, who died today at the age of 96, may not have defined the concept of royal dressing—Victoria’s over-embellished, Elizabeth I loved her “virgin” white gown—but she certainly redefined it. Long before Instagram accounts started breathing down the outfits of heirs like Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, the royal mastered the art of sartorial communication.

From her World War II-era austerity to her frugal pearls, Elizabeth captured the public’s attention, and captured their imaginations, with her stunning wardrobe.

She didn’t do it alone, of course: early in her reign in the Middle Ages, Elizabeth employed royal courtiers like Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amis to develop her style. Hartnell She designed her wedding dress in 1947, made from duchess satin bought with ration coupons.

The war played an indelible role in the style of the young Elizabeth; As a teenage princess, she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the women’s branch of the British Army. Her military uniform helped shape the image that would define her for the rest of her life: dutiful, service-oriented, and perhaps a little serious.

In the year Her reign, which began in 1952, coincided with a turning point in fashion. Five years ago, Christian Dior launched the “New Look” of cinched waists, full skirts—and glamour—into a fashion industry battered by war. Hartnell spent eight months creating her gown for the event, which featured intricate embroidery of Commonwealth emblems, pearls, sequins and crystals. A four-leaf clover was sewn into the left side of her dress for good luck.

The Queen loved the gown so much that she didn’t let it rest in the archives. Lest we forget that Kate Middleton did not invent the idea of ​​”recycling” royal clothing, she wore it to six other public events.

In the early ’60s, the Queen followed trends. She playfully tried on pinbox hats and sweetheart neckline gowns. But she made sure to follow her outfit with her signature color sense – lime yellow, baby pink and a splash of turquoise. Sixty years later, her daughter-in-law Sophie of Wessex Counties says Elizabeth’s love of glamor comes from her desire to stand out in the crowd. “She needs to stand out so people can say ‘I see the Queen,'” Sophie said. “I can’t wear a bikini because no one knows who I am,” the Queen once said.

In the year Such is the power of blind tiaras and jewels.

Elizabeth – and those who wore her – looked to timeless styles that spoke of elegance and beauty. In the year In 1961, Elizabeth sported a tulle gown by Hartnell as she stood next to Jackie Kennedy (she did not veil herself).

In the year As the 1960s approached the 70s and Elizabeth entered her forties, the Queen perfected the look that defined the second half of her reign: a bright, perhaps pastel coat dress, heels, a handbag and pantyhose – a man would. Absolutely See Barefoot Queen.

The Queen has not completely abandoned trends in her old age. When she met Jimmy Carter in 1977, she wore it. so true A California-cool caftan, but accessorized with white opera gloves, pearls and dangling diamond earrings as only a queen could. In the year In 1989, she matched Nancy Reagan’s outfit with a megawatt Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara when she knitted the president during a visit to San Francisco with the first lady and her adorable Jardine Star puppy.

Her specialty was gold jewelry. Elizabeth found her nails repulsive, so she went for the “safe” shade of EC “Ballet Slipper,” her pale pink hairdo in 1989.

The Queen is said to prefer skirts to trousers, although Diana, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have pushed back on that boundary from time to time. She has the final say on all royal wedding dresses, most of which are borrowed from her own closet. Princess Beatrice In 2020, she chose a taffeta and organza gown on loan from Hartnell, which was reworked to fit her by the Queen’s dressmakers Angela Kelly and Stuart Parvin.

Meghan Markle chose her own Givenchy gown, but in 2018 She took the diamond and platinum tiara band from Elizabeth for her wedding in 2019. And Kate Middleton wore a Cartier tiara from her big day in 1936, courtesy of her mother-in-law.

It’s reasonable to assume that a queen with such a meticulous, discerning dress sense would be a stickler on some fronts. Elizabeth nominally preached the royal style Bible that others respected. She reportedly hated heels. Although Kate Middleton appeared in them, it was never around the Queen.

And what if Elizabeth moved her purse from one hand to the other? This was supposed to mean that the Queen was telling her administrators that she wanted to end any discussion that involved the Queen, according to royal historian Hugh Vickers. People In 2011

In 2011, Kate Middleton was photographed struggling with a gust of wind up her dress, Stuart Parvin said. Daily Mail Weights were sewn into the queen’s dresses in the form of curtain replacements so that this would never happen to her majesty. Kate’s favorite designer, Jenny Packham, has reportedly received angry letters from the Queen’s fans, suggesting she do the same to the Duchess of Cambridge.

And there are certain sartorial advantages when one is a queen. Parvin—fortunately for all of us, seems to be terrible at keeping secrets—in 2017, Elizabeth hired a maid to break her shoes.

“The worker wears a pair of beige cotton ankle socks while doing this, and only walks on the mat during ‘break time.’ Night routine He reported. Parveen told the paper, “The shoes should be comfortable immediately… She’ll find someone to wear them. The queen can’t say, ‘It’s easy, I can’t walk anymore.’ “She has the right to make someone wear it.”

Perhaps her most touching public appearance was one of her last. At the funeral of Prince Philip, who died in April aged 99, the Queen wore the Richmond brooch, which had been given to her grandfather in 1893.

Although there will be no show due to the pandemic, Queen Elizabeth has made sure to wear tradition on her sleeve. Her style of dressing was a fitting showcase: each outfit made a statement and a story was written through her clothes.

It was a surprise that the majors who guide all her fashion choices were on the platinum jubilee in June and the headliner was at Buckingham Palace. Her final wave to the crowd saw her receive the crowd’s cheers in bright green.

The colors softened in her last performance in front of the camera, first in Edinburgh a few weeks later.

And finally, there was the Queen at Balmoral, appointing Liz Truss as Britain’s next Prime Minister. As for her last picture, this one is probably the most moving of all. She’s dressed in her most comfortable Scottish holiday outfit – a tartan skirt and cardigan – at home in front of the fire. That day there is no need for bright colors, and still smile.