Today is Style File Friday and it is the one-year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. It feels somewhat surreal to say that but we are a full year into King Charles III’s reign. While this does feel like a sombre day, I wanted to focus on a positive aspect of her reign. The late Queen was known for being a fashion icon through to her passing at 96. To celebrate that, we will be exploring Queen Elizabeth II’s most iconic outfits for Style File Friday.
Norman Hartnell’s Silver and Gold
Before we dive into the outfits themselves, I need to do my quarterly recommendation of Silver and Gold. This is Norman Hartnell’s biography and it is a treasure trove on royal fashion from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. While it was written at a time when people didn’t spill any particularly unflattering details about the Royal Family, Hartnell does share many of his interactions with different members of the Royal Family as well as specific details on different garments (such as The Queen’s coronation gown). This is a must-read!
Also, as you will see in this post, the Royal Collection Trust is a fantastic resource for Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion. Many of her garments are now held by the Trust and several have been staged in different exhibitions.
1947- Wedding Dress, Norman Hartnell
The then-Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress for her November 1947 wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten is arguably her first major fashion moment. She was required to save up rationing coupons to purchase the materials for the gown as Britain was still under Post-War rationing.
Hartnell was inspired by Botticelli’s Primavera and featured incredible details. The Royal Collection Trust shared in an exhibition:
Hartnell visualised a bridal gown of fine pearl embroidery in a floral design, and cites as his inspiration Botticelli’s painting of Primavera, trailed with garlands of flowers. The dress was made from duchesse satin, ordered from the firm of Wintherthur, near Dunfermline.
Attached at the shoulders was the magnificent 13-foot embroidered silk tulle full court train. The silk for the appliqués was produced at Lullingstone Castle, Kent and woven by Warner & Sons. Hartnell first drew out the embroidery design with his head embroideress, Miss Flora Ballard, and describes how ‘the motifs had to be assembled in a design proportioned like a florist’s bouquet’.
Cecil Beaton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
1953- Coronation Dress, Norman Hartnell
Is there a better known gown from the twentieth century? I think that The Queen’s 1953 coronation gown is certainly a strong contender for the title. The RCT has displayed it only three times:
the dress was created in the finest white duchesse satin, richly embroidered in a lattice-work effect with an iconographic scheme of national and Commonwealth floral emblems in gold and silver thread and pastel-coloured silks, encrusted with seed pearls, sequins and crystals.
What I find most fascinating about her 1953 Hartnell gown is that Her Majesty actually rewore the gown six times, including to open parliament in both Canada and New Zealand in tours following her coronation. While it obviously is not like a favourite sweater that you wear every day, it speaks to her approach to fashion that she rewore such an important garment.
1959- Evening Gown, Hardy Amies
The Queen wore this stunning Hardy Amies evening gown while she was in Nova Scotia on her 1959 tour of Canada. This was the last grand scale tour of Canada and her fashion appropriately reflected that. This is a grey silk organza gown and is decorated with embroidered mayflowers and satin bow details at the back. Many commentators will cite the late Diana, Princess of Wales as the first royal to pioneer “diplomatic dressing” but this gown is a perfect example of Her Majesty’s own skill- the mayflower is the official provincial flower of Nova Scotia.
While the then-Prince Charles was the star of his Investiture, The Queen’s yellow day dress from the event remains one of her best-known daytime outfits. In the latter half of this decade, we see Her Majesty’s fashion slowly shifting and evolving. This silhouette is a fantastic example of 60s fashion (rather a mature version of a Mary Quant design).
this ensemble of pale primrose yellow comprises a silk crepe long-sleeved coat and matching tunic, both applied with pearl and bugle bead embroidery. The striking hat of the same pale primrose yellow silk consists of a crown entirely embroidered with pearls and bugle beads. To the crown is attached a panel of silk with lines of embroidery which covers the back of the head to the nape of the neck.
This is another Hardy Amies ensemble and is representative of a major milestone in Her Majesty’s reign. She wore this dress and coat to her Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s cathedral during her Silver Jubilee in 1977. While the outfit was only partially spotted on the way to the service as The Queen and Prince Philip rode in the Gold State Carriage, Elizabeth emerged afterwards to walk throughout the crowds and great well-wishers. (The image of The Queen during her walkabout was shown frequently during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.)
This 1999 patchwork style evening gown from Karl-Ludwig Rehse is an outlier in Her Majesty’s wardrobe but it remains well-known. She very rarely wore pieces that are this bold and outgoing, and if you look up media commentary from the time, it was absolutely unexpected. I do think it is unfortunate that we never saw this gown again.
While Her Majesty almost exclusively wore coat and dress ensembles for public appearances in the last decade of her life, this Angela Kelly outfit was perfect for one of The Queen’s last public appearances. She wore this light blue ensemble for her first balcony appearance during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations where she appeared with her cousin, The Duke of Kent, to watch the flypast during Trooping the Colour.
Angela Kelly, who served as Personal Advisor to The Queen (Wardrobe), designed this pale blue coat and dress (with matching hat) specifically for the Platinum Jubilee. The coat and hat both feature a braided and diamanté trim. It is clear that Her Majesty approved of the look, as she chose to wear it for her official Platinum Jubilee portrait.
What looks would you include in a list of Queen Elizabeth II’s most iconic outfits?
I’m the Historian, and I am here to celebrate all things history, style, culture!
What to expect:
Sunday- Culture, including books, ballet/arts, and travel Monday- History including book recommendations, documentaries, and interesting histories! Wednesday- History Bite (a short bite of interesting history) Friday- Style File Friday, including fashion history, favourite pieces, and resources.
