How Queen Elizabeth Dressed to Be Seen, A Fashion of Power and Joy

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Queen Elizabeth, who died today aged 96, may not have invented the concept of royal dress – Victoria had her extravagant embellishments, Elizabeth I loved her “virgin” white dresses – but she certainly redefined it. The monarch championed the art of communicating through clothing long before Instagram accounts breathlessly curated the outfits of heirs like Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton.

From the austerity measures of the World War II era to her yet spare jewelry, Elizabeth captured the public’s attention and spoke to their fantasies through her lavish clothing.

Of course, she didn’t do it all alone: early in her mid-century reign, Elizabeth employed royal courtiers such as Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies to set the tone for her style. Hartnell designed her wedding dress in 1947, made from duchess satin bought with ration coupons.

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

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing her coronation dress, arriving with the Duke of Edinburgh to open Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand.

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Central Press/Getty Images

Her reign, which began in 1952, coincided with an important moment in fashion. Christian Dior had debuted his “New Look” — cinched waists, full skirts — five years earlier, and glamor began to creep back into a fashion industry that had been nearly destroyed by the war. Hartnell spent eight months creating her dress for the occasion, which featured intricate embroidery of Commonwealth emblems, pearls, sequins and crystals. He even sewed a four-leaf clover on the left side of her skirt for good luck.

The Queen was so fond of the dress that she did not let it rest in the archives. She wore it on six other public occasions, lest we forget that Kate Middleton did not come up with the idea of ”recycling” royal clothing.

“I can’t wear beige because then no one would know who I am.“

– Queen

In the early 60s, the queen followed trends. She playfully tried on hats and dresses with sweetheart necklines. But she made sure to infuse her outfits with her signature sense of color – lemon yellow, baby pink and turquoise. More than sixty years later, her daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex, would say that Elizabeth’s love of flash came from wanting to stand out in a crowd. “She needs to stand out so people will be able to say, ‘I saw the Queen,'” said Sophie. The Queen apparently once admitted that, “I can’t wear beige because then no one would know who I am “.

When she met Marilyn Monroe in 1956 at a movie premiere, the Queen managed to outshine the actress’ metallic va-va-voom dress. Such is the power of a dazzling tiara and jewels.

Elizabeth – and those who wore her – had an eye for timeless styles that spoke of royalty and elegance. When standing next to Jackie Kennedy (undressed herself) during a 1961 appearance, Elizabeth wore a tulle gown by Hartnell, with its voluminous fantasy skirt still in high fashion today.

As the 1960s turned into the 70s and Elizabeth entered her forties, the queen perfected the look that would define the second half of her monarchy: a vibrant, perhaps pastel, dress with heels, a handbag and pantyhose. never see a queen with bare feet.

The Queen hasn’t completely abandoned trends as she ages. When she met Jimmy Carter in 1977, she wore one many Nice caftan from California, but she wore it with white opera gloves, pearls and diamond dangling earrings like only a queen could. She matched Nancy Reagan’s over-the-top outfits with one of her own, wearing the megawatt Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara during a visit to San Francisco with the First Lady and the sparkling Jardine Star brooch as she pinned the president in 1989.

Her features became tabloid gold: Elizabeth reportedly disliked nail polish, so she used the “safe” shade of Essie’s Ballet Slippers, a pale pink that her hairdresser reportedly had ordered for her back in 1989.

The Queen is said to have preferred skirts over trousers, although Diana, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton all pushed that line from time to time. She has the final say on all royal wedding dresses, many of which are borrowed from her closet. Princess Beatrice chose a taffeta and organza gown on loan from Hartnell that was reworked to fit her by the Queen’s tailors Angela Kelly and Stewart Parvin in 2020.

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

It makes sense that a queen with such carefully crafted, easily recognizable dress sense would be contagious on several fronts; Elizabeth infamously preached a royal style Bible that others respected… sort of. She is said to have hated wedge heels. Although Kate Middleton has appeared in them, she was never around the Queen.

And if Elizabeth moved her bag from one hand to the other? Well, that supposedly meant — in the nicest way — the Queen was signaling to her retainers that she wanted any conversation she was caught in to end, according to royal historian Hugh Vickers, who passed the tidbit on to her. People in 2011.

A note on skirts: after Kate Middleton was photographed numerous times in 2011 with winds blowing her skirt, Stuart Parvin said Daily Mail he sewed weights in the form of curtain accessories to the Queen’s skirts to ensure this never happened to Her Majesty. Jenny Packham, a favorite designer of Kate’s, reportedly received angry letters from the Queen’s fans suggesting she do the same for the Duchess of Cambridge.

And when one is Queen there are certain sartorial benefits. Parvin — who, luckily for all of us, seems terrible at keeping secrets — let it slip in 2017 that Elizabeth employs a staff member whose sole job is to break in her shoes.

“The staff member wears a pair of beige cotton socks while doing this, and should only walk on the mat during the ‘break-in’ period. Evening Standard reported. Parvin told the newspaper: “Shoes should be immediately comfortable … it makes someone wear them. The Queen can never say ‘I’m not comfortable, I can’t walk anymore.’ “She has a right for someone to wear them.”

Perhaps her most touching public appearance was also one of her last. At the funeral of Prince Philip, who died in April aged 99, the Queen wore her Richmond brooch, one of her brightest, which was given to her grandmother in 1893. It brightened up her all-black outfit .

Despite the lack of pageantry of the ceremony due to the pandemic, Queen Elizabeth made sure to wear tradition on her sleeve. It was a fitting display of her method of dressing: every outfit makes a statement and with stories written in her wardrobe.

Unsurprisingly, the principles guiding all her fashion choices were most clearly on display at her Platinum Jubilee in June and impressive balcony appearances at Buckingham Palace; Her final wave to the masses saw her accept the cheers of the crowds in the brightest green.

In her last appearances in front of the camera, the colors were toned down, first in Edinburgh a few weeks later.

And finally, there was the Queen at Balmoral, naming Liz Truss as Britain’s next Prime Minister; as her final image, this is perhaps the most moving of all. She is dressed in her most comfortable Scottish holiday clothes – a tartan skirt and a cardigan – at home in front of the fire. No need for bright colors that day, and still smiling.