The lovely fashion sense of ladies changed nearly irrevocably under Queen Elizabeth II. We switched from painful heels to cosy trainers, embraced power shoulders, slithered around in slip dresses, and revolted in our miniskirts.
The lovely queen’s fashion, however, hardly changed during it all. She persisted in following the fashion norms she had learned from her mother and grandmother from the time she reached adulthood as a young woman in the 1940s until her passing. She always carried a hat, gloves, a well-chosen brooch attached to her left shoulder, and a durable yet stylish handbag that was rumoured to have contained Clarin’s lipstick and a crisp £5 note.
Making it through nine decades with such a unique commitment to a particular style of wearing is an impressive accomplishment. Even more amazing is the fact that her style evolution is fascinating and never dull. Even in her ninth decade, she could surprise us with an outfit (like the time she wore a Burberry headscarf on a train to Sandringham) or use the perfect colour at the right time to lift our spirits as a country, like when she wore calming, uplifting turquoise, which also happened to be the colour of medical scrubs during the first Covid lockdown.
The lovely queen’s fashion did not set a new standard for fashion by making us all want to wear whatever the latest outfit she was wearing; instead, she worked on a different level and created a look that was exclusively hers. She received a special mention on Vanity Fair’s 2016 International Best Dressed list, which is not surprising.
Nevertheless, there are dozens of instances of Queen Elizabeth II exemplifying the ladylike elegance, glam, and power attire of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s without ever acting rashly. Like her, her outfit was reliable, stunning, and majestic—never surprising, yet always current.
When I interviewed Stewart Parvin, her favourite couturier in later life, for my book Lovely Queen Fashion 70 Years of Majestic Style, he told me that “she always stands out whenever you see a photograph of her, no matter what era it is from, and it is not just because she is the Queen, it is because she looks beautiful.” “I do not dress the lovely queen fashion Hardy Amies, who created Elizabeth’s fashion from the 1950s until the 1990s, emphasized. The Queen gets ready by herself. When we provide her with clothing, a difference is made.
Elizabeth II personally paid great attention to her attire because, as she put it, she had “to be seen to be believed.” This motto explains her obsession with vivid colours from head to toe. The lovely Queen fashioned her ideas. According to novelist and former Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Justine Picardie, “She had a firm decision about who she wanted to marry and fell in love as a teenager. Therefore, she chose how she should look.”
There are innumerable tales of her husband proposing designers for her to visit when he liked their clothing on other ladies or of him having the last say on whether a new hat or dress was appropriate. If there was anybody whose judgment she valued more than her own, it was her husband.
Although none of us can relate to the events and scrutiny the lovely queen fashion had to dress for, we can all learn from the spirit that made her a style icon unlike any other: the commitment to finding a way to be “you” amid a plethora of options, the love of making other people smile with your clothing, and the appreciation of exquisite craftsmanship. Oh, and a nice purse is always beneficial.
The lovely queen’s fashion rarely stirred up controversy with her attire. Still, when she wore this hat to the 2017 State Opening of Parliament, it appeared to replicate the EU flag during the height of the Brexit discussions, sparking a flurry of theories on social media about its hidden meanings. Later, Angela Kelly, her dresser, described it as a “coincidence.”
The 2012 Bond Girl Moment:
Her Majesty consented to dress like a Bond Girl for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, and she required a matching ensemble. Angela Kelly decided on a vivid coral hue that would be striking without endorsing a particular nation. Stuntman Mark Sutton wore a second, covert version of the glitzy ensemble when he parachuted into the stadium.
The 1969 Investiture of Prince Charles:
In 1969, the lovely queen’s fashion outfit for Prince Charles’ investiture as Prince of Wales was dominated by her hat, as was so frequently the case with her appearance. Norman Hartnell referred to the “medieval helmet” as a “labour of love” for milliner Simone Mirman, who adorned it with hundreds of beads and pearls.
The Wedding of Prince Edward, 1999:
For his 1999 wedding, Prince Edward deviated from the customary royal wedding dress code by telling guests to wear evening gowns and no headgear. Naturally, the lovely queen fashion stepped up to the occasion, sporting a feathered headgear and a dazzling lilac frock.
LFW, 2018
When Her Majesty attended her first fashion show in 2018, she looked stylish in a blue tweed skirt suit inspired by Chanel. She accessorized with classic pearl earrings, demonstrating to fashion editors how it is done.
The Wedding of Prince William, 2011:
The lovely queen’s fashion lemon yellow coat’s sunray embellishments were intended to exude happiness and light as she attended William and Kate’s wedding. Sales of HM’s adored Launer purses increased by 60% after she was seen carrying one at the wedding, introducing millions to her distinctive style.
With John and Jackie Kennedy, 1961. The lovely queen rarely followed trends, as evidenced by this tulle ball gown from 1961. While Jackie Kennedy embraced the elegant, streamlined look which was becoming fashionable, Elizabeth II stuck to 1950s frou-frou romance, which now looks like it could be straight off the Molly Goddard catwalk.
Although the lovely queen was well-known for her elegant evening attire, she was also an expert at looking put together in a more relaxed setting. Given that the meeting was held at her cherished Scottish estate, Balmoral, Her Majesty wore a simple outfit consisting of a button-down shirt and cardigan, paired with a pleated skirt in Balmoral tartan, for her final public appearance, where she appointed Liz Truss as the 15th prime minister of the Queen’s reign.
At Windsor Castle, the lovely queen’s fashion seemed upbeat as she met with President Ignazio Cassis of Switzerland. She accessorized her ensemble with her trademark pearl necklace and chose a stunning blue and green paisley dress for the reception.
The Queen wore a vivid green dress and a turquoise brooch as she taped a speech to the nation during the pandemic, her first such speech in decades aside from her yearly Christmas speech. Many thought her choice of clothing colour was a gesture to NHS employees.
Lovely queen fashion has traditionally been admired and criticized for its attire. Ordinary people have always been captivated by royal dress, from Isabeau of Bavaria’s voluminous skirts that required doorways to be expanded to fit them to Kate Middleton’s impeccable taste in high street style. However, Marie Antoinette was the monarch who most influenced the fashion revolution. Marie Antoinette introduced trends that are still imitated by leading fashion designers today, from her extravagant pastel gowns embellished with ribbons and bows to her simple muslin clothes that drew both awe and derision.
In 1770, Marie Antoinette was just 14 years old when she first travelled to France to assume her position as dauphine. The contents of her trousseau, which Austria had purchased for 400,000 livres, were manufactured in Paris. When the little princess was introduced to the astute courtiers at Versailles, this was crucial to ensuring she looked the part.
Marie Antoinette wore an exquisite Austrian wedding gown on the day she arrived in her new country. However, the young princess was forced to take off this gorgeous garment as a symbolic gesture of abandoning her Austrian habits and adopting everything French. After being down to her underpants and dressed in a French manner, Marie Antoinette was said to become “a thousand times more charming.” The change was underway.
Marie Antoinette’s “Minister of Fashion” was Rose Bertin:
Marie Antoinette, like many other well-known fashion luminaries, hired a stylist. Rose Bertin was selected as her “Minister of Fashion” (1747-1813). Marie Antoinette had elevated a commoner named Marie Jeanne “Rose” Bertin to become her favourite dressmaker and fashion stylist at the Court of Versailles. Naturally, Bertin became a wealthy woman in her own right by drawing in additional affluent customers from the Queen’s close circle. Vigee Le Brun, a portrait artist, and the Princesse de Lamballe, Marie Antoinette’s best friend, were among her clientele.
Bertin was also credited with popularizing puce, which is a dark shade of purple, red, and brown that resembles a flea. King Louis XVI shouted, “That is puce!” when he first saw his lovely Queen wearing Bertin’s puce-colored masterpiece. Because it was difficult to soil, puce gained popularity despite its fairly obscene link with the despised insect. The hue was so popular with the bourgeoisie that fabric dyers were scarcely able to meet demand.
However, it was Rose Bertin’s more informal muslin creations that the Queen preferred when she was at the Petit Trianon that created a stir. In a beautiful royal portrait of the French Queen painted by Vigee Le Brun (who was also a client of Rose Bertin), Marie Antoinette is shown wearing a simple, unstructured dress made of white muslin tied at the waist with a ribbon sash, loosely curled hair, and a beribboned straw hat. The dress, known as the chemise á la Reine (or robe Goulele), was made especially for Marie Antoinette by Rose Bertin in 1781.
In addition to France, affluent women in England and other parts of Europe adopted the chemise á la reine. The Empress Elisabeth Alexeievna of Russia (1779-1826), Jane Buller, Lady Lemon (1747-1823), wife of an English lord and Member of Parliament, and Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier (1758-1836), wife and laboratory partner of French chemist and nobleman Antoine Lavoisier, are notable women who have been portrayed in art as adopting this fashion. The white flowing gowns of the Regency period (1818–1820), which were equally loose, unstructured, and somewhat exposed, are thought to have been modelled after the chemise à la reine.
Marie Antoinette adopted a more sombre stance toward women’s attire by the time she turned thirty, as seen by the photographs created of her during that time. The lovely French Queen of Fashion gave her “Minister of Fashion” instructions to design more sombre attire for her. In favour of velvet headpieces in deeper tones of red and blue, Marie Antoinette decided to discontinue wearing flowers in her hair.
Today, Marie Antoinette’s style is instantly identifiable. However, why has this one woman left such a lasting impression on the fashion industry, a legacy that other queens have not been able to match? Maybe that is because she was the epitome of a “girly girl.” She made the most of her love of pretty girlie things, especially in the years before having children. Her sense of style appeals to the inner child in all of us—the one who thinks everything should be pink and who can never have enough ribbons.
It was hard to blame Marie Antoinette for her overindulgence in fashion. She arrived in France as a youngster, and her marriage failed for eight years. Marie Antoinette naturally threw herself into something like clothes to distract herself from the reality that she was not succeeding in her only duty, which was to bear the next King of France. Her biographer, Antonia Fraser, also claimed that her education was woefully insufficient for a French lady of fashion. Thus, it should come as no surprise that she had to find non-political forms of entertainment.
Many of us would have done the same if we had been in her pastel silk shoes. The fact that she is now cherished as one of history’s most admired fashion experts rather than just an unfortunate casualty of the French Revolution does her memory a great credit.
