No-fuss Duchess refuses to be used as a clothes horse
THE Duchess of Cornwall has never seen herself as a fashion leader. But then, she’s had no need. As an attractive, confident woman, she has never used the latest trends to carve out an identity. Nor has she needed her clothes to attract men.
That’s not to say, however, that she doesn’t have her own views – and her own specific style.
I remember, as Vogue editor, commissioning Mario Testino to photograph Camilla and Charles for their first wedding anniversary in 2006.
Camilla was adamant then that she did not want clothes provided for her, and brought in her own. There was no fuss, she just knew what she liked and what suited her – and did not want to undergo a Vogue transformation.
I applaud her for that. It’s hard to be in the public eye and not feel that you have to be some kind of clothes horse. She hasn’t bowed to that pressure and tried to change herself.
It’s a look that’s both polished, appealing and smart. She loves the simple, pared-back clothes of Anna Valentine and the femininity of Edina Ronay, both small British brands. Like any selfrespecting upper-class Englishwoman she loves her pearls.
She has a good eye for colour, too. She knows a deep blue – like the Vivienne Westwood dress she wore to the London Palladium in 2013 (above left) – will bring out the colour of her eyes.
She also tends towards icy colours – pale blues, pale pinks, blush tones and cream that work with her hair and complexion.
She always gamely dresses the part, but I suspect she’s happiest in informal country clothes. The Barbour jacket, the Dubarry boots and a pair of corduroy trousers are far more Camilla’s style than the glittering frocks.
One of her greatest strengths is she’s happy in her own skin. It’s one of the things I suspect her husband admires most in her.
Times have changed since her last Vogue photoshoot. We now know Camilla will be crowned Queen alongside Charles, a prospect which is no longer in the distant future.
The stakes have also risen. There’s far more scrutiny over what someone in that position wears – and her choices will also tell us something about how she will want to be seen as Queen.
Will she stick with her own tried-and-tested wardrobe, or will we see a new version of the Duchess of Cornwall emerge?
I suspect the former. She’s walking a fine line between remaining true to herself, while realising she is poised to step into a more highly scrutinised role.
Whatever the case, the choice will have been hers – and hers alone.