Fashion Figures: What Does The Queen Wear In Her Fashion Bag?

Image source, image caption, (image source · Getty Images)

Her Majesty the Queen never goes after trends on whim. As Norman Hartnell, the royal designer, said firmly to the New York Times in 1953, "The Queen and her mother don't want to be the leader of fashion. That's what nobody does."

In other words, the Queen is above fashion. Her exclusive style has not changed since she ascended the throne - so there is no regretful 70s printing or decoration and hem without consideration. The Queen's style has always maintained the essential imprint of her identity - although it seems that she has no intention, the Queen's style has subtly spread all the information needed. The queen's style represents such things as unshakable authority, diplomatic skill, and strength and luxurious elegance when needed.

　 Image caption: The Queen recently wore a headband of her own style when meeting Obama, which indicates her mood in an informal occasion at that time (photo source · Getty Images)

In Luella Bartley's book The Guide to British Style, she listed some joking dress codes of the upper class: "Don't wear clothes that look new; pursuing unrealistic fashion will only freeze you to death; if you have to try this fashion, you will lose yourself; tradition is the most important; The country must accommodate it. " The Queen's uniform represents these principles. Her image has always adhered to these norms - and has a high voice.

The queen's choice of tailor is often the one who sets the tone. For example, Obama attended the Queen's 90th birthday celebration at Windsor Castle. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in front of everyone to meet with guests. The Duke waited by the Range Rover alone. The Queen wore a light blue dress with her unique label and a practical headband under her chin. The underlying mood tone has been set - an informal, friendly and familiar atmosphere.

The queen's headscarf is not gaudy, suitable for any weather, has a rural style, and is very practical - since the 1940s, when the young Princess Isabel and her sister Princess Margaret took a picture in a royal equestrian performance, it has become the image symbol of the royal family. In that picture, Isabel and Margaret are wearing scarves with flowers. This image is also loved by Jacqueline Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn. In recent years, it has also been favored by design brands such as Dolce&Gabbana, and adopted it as a fashion element of catwalk. The Queen not only represents herself, but also represents the whole tradition. She is a woman representing the country and a respected grandmother. The similarity with Brenda (the nickname given to the Queen by the working class) in image will only add to its charm.

　 "Always tactful"

In terms of striped tweed petticoats, the Queen is more casual. Since the 1950s, the Queen has not changed much in this respect - a tweed coat or women's two-piece sweater, and a pleated plaid skirt. Granite grey, red and black tartans are of personal significance to the royal family. They were created by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert after they acquired Scottish territory. This timeless dress of the Queen conveys a potential message, not only about the Queen's character, but also about her class - after all, in some circles, change, fashion, trend and show off are all clumsy expressions of the upstart's psychology.

　　 The image annotation text, since the 1950s, the shape of the Queen's striped tweed shirt has not changed - a tweed coat or women's two-piece sweater, and a pleated plaid skirt (photo source · Getty Images)

When Nancy Mitford explored the subtle criterion of "going up and not going up" in the 1950s, she pointed out many complicated signs in British society to distinguish the upper class from the lower class. Although most of these norms are outdated and appear snobbish, the eye-catching and undesirable norms still prevail in the upper social circles. The perfect and informative country dress code, to a large extent, belongs to the story of the king tailor.

"The Queen is always decent. Its attraction lies in its British temperament, which is a classical and eternal elegance," said Caroline de Guitaut, the curator of the British "Fashion and Governance" exhibition. This exhibition covers the dress styles involved in the Queen's 90 year career. "This exhibition is about memory," said Dejito. "The time of the clothing exhibition covers most of the 20th century to the 21st century, including many important moments in the Queen's life and our lives."

As the highest exposure and attention rate woman in history and the longest reigning monarch, the Queen has been the focus of mass media since its development, from the earliest color photos and news films to the emergence of television and the Internet. She ascended the throne in 1953, when she was only 25 years old. The Queen's coronation dress was made by Hartnell, and was decorated with various complicated emblems and insignia symbolizing the British island and the British Commonwealth, including the elaborate Welsh leek pattern, which was carefully embroidered on the skirt.

　 The image is annotated with words. The Queen's coronation dress is decorated with various complicated emblems and badges symbolizing the British islands and the Commonwealth (photo source · Getty Images)

It is worth noting that the dress of this young queen in her twenties has created a graceful and beautiful image, and how her young and attractive image has influenced the morale and psychology of the whole nation during her early reign. For a century since the war years, the young Queen Isabel is a symbol of hope and modernity. Her holding the throne was in the heyday of British fashion design, which created favorable conditions for her. Although the Queen herself has no intention of creating trends, she has been imitated by many people. Some dressing attempts of the Queen are even an adventure. Dejito said: "Some hats worn by the Queen in the 1950s and 1960s are very experimental and challenging."

　 The image is annotated with words. The Queen's unchanging clothes convey a potential message, not only about her personality, but also about her class (photo source · Getty Images)

　　 In the 1950s, the Queen wore more and more Hedi· Costumes designed by Hardy Amies (according to Dejito, its design is a kind of reserved elegance) and Hartnell (whose style is more flamboyant) appear in newsreels. It was Hartnell who designed the daily eye-catching clothes of the queen at that time, mostly long skirts with narrow waist. In the 1960s, at the wedding of her sister Princess Margaret, the Queen wore a water blue taffeta evening dress and matching blouses and gloves. Her hat was inlaid with two blue roses to symbolize Margaret's surname.

Power dress

The potential information contained in the official diplomatic dress worn by the Queen on her overseas visit has also been fully considered. Each set of clothing worn by him shows diplomatic meaning through embroidered patterns, signs or colors, and is designed to show respect to the host country. During a visit to Australia, the Queen wore a skirt with Australian national flower acacia tattooed on it; When I visited Nova Scotia in 1957, I wore a dress with Mayflower patterns; When she visited the West Coast of the United States in 1983, her clothes were decorated with Giffonia poppies; More recently, at the annual "Ghillies Ball" dance in Balmoral at the end of the 1960s, the queen wore a dress with oyster patterns and shoulder straps. Etiquette is also a factor to consider in dressing - the Queen has visited the Pope of the Vatican seven times, each time wearing a black dress and veil, which is a dress etiquette that every female member of the royal family must observe.

　　 The Queen's style has not changed since she ascended the throne - there is no so-called regretful mark of the 1970s for her (photo source Getty Images)

Most of the royal clothing is now produced by Angela Kelley in the studio of Buckingham Palace. This outline is a version of the loose straight dress that the Queen first wore in the 1960s. This full body dress and the matching hat are very popular with the Queen. They are mostly worn in public, which has become her personal label and has a high recognition.

"This is a dialogue between the queen and the designer. The queen needs to distinguish it from us through clothes," said Dejito, "because if the queen goes to a certain place, we must see her, otherwise the queen's trip will lose its meaning. People hope the queen can be different. So the style of the Queen's dress has always followed such a pattern - a daily dress, a jacket or formal coat, plus a hat and necessary jewelry. You won't see many patterns. What you see is a main outfit with bright colors, and the matching hat and jacket, the shape of the hat is very recognizable. " Recently, the shape of the royal hat also provided inspiration for cake baking. Marks and Spencer, a British supermarket, launched a series of cakes inspired by the royal hat for the Queen's 90th birthday.

Image caption: The Queen's bag was designed by the British brand Lauer, who owns 200 handbags designed by this brand (picture source · Getty Images)

The Queen's dress has some rules to follow - the sole of the shoe must be two feet, the skirt must be longer than the knee, and the weight must be added to avoid accidental exposure in strong wind. The brim of the hat should be small and made high (it is rare to see that the queen does not wear any headdress - headscarf, hat or crown headdress will be worn - unless the queen is indoors). The colors of the clothes are bold, such as light blue, lemon yellow or coral, etc. - the silhouettes of the clothes will be carefully cut to keep proper. The Queen's dress style has become a standard for female leaders, and has been emulated by such women as Margaret Thatcher, Merkel, Nicola Sturgeon and Hillary Clinton. This image style conveys such a message about power - balance and height, which cannot be confused.

　　 Image caption: This full body dress and its matching hat are very popular with the Queen, and they are mostly worn in public, which has become her personal label (photo source · Getty Images)

Also representative is the queen's handbag, which is probably the most familiar thing in the queen's wardrobe. These handbags are also designed and manufactured by the British brand Launer. It is said that the Queen has 200 handbags of this brand. These handbags have long hand straps to facilitate the Queen to shake hands with others. There has always been speculation about the contents of the Queen's handbag. Some commentators said that the Queen always kept a folded five pound note in her bag for Sunday church donations, as well as a lipstick and a mirror. Others said that there was also the Queen's mobile phone inside, which was used to call her grandchildren. It is said that the Queen will also use her bag to communicate subtly with her subordinates - for example, if she puts her handbag on the table during dinner, the signal may be that she wants to end the activity as soon as possible. In a recent official family photo, one of the Queen's great granddaughters held her big handbag proudly, as if to emphasize - and slightly satirize the mythical talisman like status of the Queen's handbag.

When the situation requires - such as a dinner party or a high-profile scene - the Queen will always appear in front of the public as a royal beauty. Her evening dress decorated with pearls, snow-white fox fur cape, and crown shaped headdress with dazzling jewels are a grand and symbolic combination. In fact, this image is a popular style this year (Alexander McQueen, Saint Laurent, Gucci and Valentino have all incorporated this royal element into their spring and summer clothes this year), which seems to indicate that the fashion message of the 90 year old Queen of the British royal family is still playing its unique magic.