The fashion tips that turned Queen Elizabeth II into a global style icon – and the colour she wore but secretly disliked
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth was a style icon with a signature look that was instantly recognizable around the world.
And in the last episode of the program Daily Mail’s Palace Confidentialhost Jo Elvin and a panel of royal fashion experts reveal the secrets of Her Majesty’s unique fashion sense.
Known for her bold, monochromatic looks, Elizabeth’s signature style was something that took shape over time with the help of a handful of trusted advisors.
As a young girl, the Queen often wore the same clothes as her sister, Princess Margaret, which, as Jo noted, gave her a very ‘cute look’ that made her ‘look younger than her age’.
Images of puberty during World War II mechanic outfit suggested once again a practical, no-nonsense ruler.
“He could knock an engine out of this suit,” said Claire Ciscotti, the Daily Mail’s deputy royal family editor. ‘I think she’s always had this kind of thrifty nature when it comes to fashion.
In a way, I don’t think she cares that much about fashion, but I do think she dresses for a purpose. If he was in the country it was tweed and plaid, if he was seeing people it was bright colours. I just think fashion is not at the forefront.
Presenter Jo Elvin added: ‘She wasn’t sitting around dreaming of outfits, desperate to get to Prada, like her sister. ‘He understood the iconography of the Queen and exactly what she should wear.’
Queen Elizabeth’s three iconic color block outfits; Her Majesty (lr) bright pink (2007), sky blue (2017) and lime green (2017)
Queen Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth) with her husband Prince Philip Mountbatten in her iconic wedding dress on 20 November 1947
Elizabeth’s wedding dress was presented to Queen Elizabeth II at the King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace. Elizabeth: Her Life in Style is the star of the new exhibition
The dress was adorned with 10,000 seed pearls, which a member of designer Norman Hartnell’s team traveled to America to buy, the Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English said.
Rebecca explains: ‘Apparently he used war coupons to buy silk. Many brides all over the country tried to gift her their coupons and coupons so that she could have a more extravagant dress.
‘This was illegal so they had to turn back and the dress itself was made of this exquisite silk. ‘It was woven in Britain from Chinese silkworms, not Japanese or Italian, because they were our enemies during the war.’
But what Elizabeth was really known for was her use of color. This became even more evident in 1994 with the appointment of Angela Kelly as dresser.
Rebecca English said: ‘It’s only fair to say that Angela is very, very on board with changing the Queen’s fashion direction.
‘People say to me, ‘You should have seen them together.’ They actually really had fun with it too. It wasn’t often that the queen somehow broke free.. And Angela once said that they felt like sisters without crossing boundaries, that she instinctively knew what worked for her.
‘This is the case with Queen Elizabeth. There were very few people in his life he could trust. But once he trusted you, he implicitly trusted you.
Someone once told me that Angela would try to push him a little. The Queen would stick to one coat cut or hat shape, but Angela would often try to change things up a bit.’
The Queen’s style hasn’t changed much throughout her adult life, favoring classic pieces that can be worn again and again; She continued to stand out with her favorite designers from the 1950s until her death – but over time her color choices became bolder.
The Mail’s royal editor Rebecca English reveals the Queen likes mauve
However, Her Majesty reportedly disliked the color purple, despite it being historically considered a regal hue.
But despite being known for its bold color palette, Rebecca English reveals that Her Majesty is not very fond of purple, which is often considered the most noble color.
Rebecca said: ‘This week I spoke to someone who has dressed the Queen for many years and I said: ‘Oh, did she have any favorite colours?’ And they called me blue, pink, lilac.
‘But he didn’t really like purple because he thought it was the color of mourning. She wore purple, but preferred lilac, less keen on deep purple. But Blue was definitely my favourite.’
Although bold hues made it easy for the public to spot him, the monarch favored softer colors like beige away from royal duties.
Presenter Jo Elvin explained: ‘While out and about, he once said: ‘If I wore beige, no one would know who I was.’
‘Solid colors made up just one per cent of the Queen’s wardrobe in 2012, but there was still a time and place for beige, so there was a time and place for beige. When the Queen wanted to go in disguise to the Windsor All Balmoral grounds.’
As the panel explained, Catherine, Princess of Wales looks like she’s taken a leaf out of the Queen’s style guide by using the ‘colour soaking’ technique.
Fashion designer Amanda Wakeley OBE said: ‘I think our current Princess of Wales does it even better because she goes a step further and the shoes are the same color as the coat or dress and hat.
‘It’s really eye-catching. Melania Trump does this pretty well too, but I think Catherine does it sensationally.
‘What I loved about the Queen, you know, was that she did this color block, the hat, the coat, the dress, and then it was always black shoes and black lounge chair.
‘But if it was raining, Fulton would take his umbrella; The edges of the transparent umbrella were decorated with the color of the dress and hat. And I thought that was a very nice touch.’
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