One won’t be wearing that to Harry’s wedding!
Day the Queen sat next to the queen of fashion on the front row
IT is normally outlandish designs on the catwalk that are responsible for causing jaws to drop at London Fashion Week.
But yesterday’s ripple of astonishment was created by the presence in the front row of a surprise special guest... the Queen.
And her choice of outfit – a duck-egg blue wool tweed suit – befitted a stylish woman in her 90s taking her place among fashion royalty. Next to her in the front row was Dame Anna Wintour, arguably the most influential woman in the industry.
Dame Anna, 68, editor-in- chief of American Vogue, is said to have inspired the film The Devil Wears Prada. In what would normally be considered a breach of royal protocol, she refused to take off her trademark oversized sunglasses as the two sat side by side.
The Queen, 91, was attending the British fashion industry’s biggest annual event for the first time to present the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, to be given annually to an emerging British fashion designer.
Her visit to London Fashion Week headquarters in The Strand in London had been kept strictly secret and her sudden appearance for the show by the award’s first recipient, Richard Quinn, caused an audible gasp.
She was escorted by British Fashion Council chief executive Caroline Rush and accompanied by her closest confidante, Angela Kelly, who designed her outfit.
As music blared from speakers and the models made their way past the Queen in bright fabrics, she looked slightly bemused at first but could later be seen chatting animatedly with Dame Anna.
At the end of the show, she clapped briefly but politely as the fashion crowd cheered the designer. Miss Rush gave a speech in which she described the Queen as a fashion icon who challenged many of the norms. ‘ Throughout your reign you have embraced fashion, using its power of diplomacy to communicate understanding between cultures and nations,’ she said.
‘Having visited the exhibition of your wardrobe at Buckingham Palace, we learnt that you had to challenge some of the norms, some of the dress codes that had been designed for men, making us in awe of how you have reflected the changes in our society.
‘Your Majesty, I know that you do not wish to be known as a fashion icon, but for all of us in this room, who have the utmost respect for you, and also for the hard work, diligence, cultural impact of our industry, we know that you undoubtedly are.’
Presenting her award to London- born Quinn, the Queen said: ‘From the tweed of the Hebrides to Nottingham lace, and of course Carnaby Street, our fashion industry has been renowned for outstanding craftsmanship for many years, and continues to produce world- class textiles and cutting edge, practical designs. As a tribute to the industry, and as my legacy to all those who have contributed to British fashion, I would like to present this award for new, young talent.’
Quinn described receiving his award as an ‘absolute honour’ and said he was touched that the Queen’s first visit to London Fashion Week had been to his show.
But when he was asked which royal he would like to design for, he admitted it would be Prince Harry’s fiancee Meghan Markle. ‘I think she’s at the head of that new wave of royals,’ he said.