LIVE LIKE A ROYAL
On my 30th birthday, lo so many years ago, I unknowingly committed one of the greatest fauxpas in the world of fashion etiquette: I wore a dollar store tiara to sip beer on the patio of the Gown and Gavel.
Unbeknownst to me at the time — because until this week, I didn’t care to know about British royal fashion etiquette — in the British Royal Family, tiaras are only to be worn by married women. The jewelled crowns take the place of daytime hats which are used to cover a woman’s hair, reports the BBC.
“For married ladies it was a sign of status and would show you were taken and not looking for a husband,” etiquette expert Grant Harrold told the BBC.
“For the gentleman, it was a clear sign not to make advances toward the lady in question.”
Perhaps you’re all royaled-out this week, but for those of you thirsting for more, I share with you a few interesting tidbits I recently learned about royal fashion etiquette. Why? Because it’s surprisingly practical and the Queen herself has created and implemented several rules from which we can all take note. As I’m always pointing out, what we wear and how we wear it speaks volumes about who we are and what we do. We might not think about it too much, but it’s there. So without further adieu, I present to you a few of my favourite royal fashion rules (there are many, so I won’t get to all of them).
The Queen and her gloves. Have you noticed she always wears them in public? That’s because she’s always shaking hands with commoners and being presented with bouquets of flowers and gifts from germy little kids. So the gloves are a barrier between her and germs. And you know what? I might start wearing them full time now, too.
The Queen and her bags. It’s been a running joke forever: what could the Queen possibly be carrying in those iconic Launer purses? Well, it turns out, it’s not what she’s carrying (lipstick and reading glasses *yawn*) but how she carries it that’s important. Instyle reports the Queen uses her handbag to send signals to her staff: setting the bag on the table is a sign she wants to leave an event, setting it on the floor or switching hands might mean she
wants to be rescued from a conversation. That sort of thing. When I inevitably become Queen of the Universe, I will follow the same protocol.
And on the topic of bags, clutches, often worn by Diana and now by Kate, can be used to shield cleavage when exiting a car in front of paparazzi, or as an excuse to not shake hands with those germy commoner kids, according to Cosmopolitan. See? Everything has a purpose.
Weighted hems. This one is brilliant and should be mandatory for all dress and skirt manufacturers.
“In her custom dresses, the
Queen has small, lead curtain weights sewn inside her hemlines. Though they weigh less than an ounce each, they keep her skirts from flying up if there were to be a sudden gust of wind,” reports Mental Floss. Why don’t all dresses have weights???
The Queen wears bright colours almost exclusively when appearing in public so that she is better seen by the throngs of people gathered to catch a glimpse of the royal. As a matter of fact, black is almost never worn by members of the Royal Family unless attending a solemn ceremony or event.
Nail polishes are to be pale and muted. The Queen has been wearing the same Essie shade, Ballet Slippers, since 1989, according to People — a colour preference she has passed on to Kate, who wore it at her own wedding. And while Kate may occasionally step outside the box by painting her toes a glammy red, it’s generally not done. Can I just say, thank you to them for this one? Every. Single. Time. I choose a pale pink or white, I am literally ridiculed by the manicurist. “It’s summer,” they say. “Lighten up!” You lighten up mumblemumblemumble.
Remember those Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon navy suede wedges Kate wore everywhere a few years ago? Ya, the Queen didn’t like them. As a matter of fact, the Queen reportedly doesn’t like wedges at all, which might explain why we haven’t seen Kate in a pair since. Which is too bad because wedges are super comfortable and made her seem even more accessible. But whatevs.
There are obviously way more (some that even pertain to men!), but I don’t have room for all of them. A quick Google search will teach you how you, too, can dress like a royal. Good luck!