Another majestic style masterclass from the queen of timeless fashion
From the moment she descended the steps of that plane in 1952 in a black dress and coat that had been brought on board for her after landing, the Queen has been using her wardrobe as a powerful communication tool.
That was no different yesterday, the eve of the 70th anniversary of her accession, at a low-key reception at Sandringham attended by local pensioners and members of the Women’s Institute.
Adhering to a timeless fashion formula that has served her well for decades, the Queen wore a Wedgwood blue crêpe shift dress with white brocade flowers, made for her by Angela Kelly, her personal assistant and style adviser. It was accessorised with her usual black Launer handbag, Anello & Davide shoes and the simple wooden cane that now accompanies her on engagements, and she departed the event in a dark green caped trench coat which any front-row fashion week attendee would be content to wear.
It is a style masterclass that has served as a template for other members of her family – as well as the rest of us – and been adhered to by some of the world’s best-dressed women. Just look at the Princess Royal, who, like her mother, buys new clothes rarely, instead maintaining and updating wardrobe treasures so they can be worn year after year. She’s been championing sustainability since before sustainability was a “thing”.
The Duchess of Cambridge is another disciple: when she steps out in a vibrant emerald dress or a pillar-box red coat, she is following the Queen’s approach of dressing in bright colours so that she is easy to identify by people eager to get a glimpse of them.
And you’d never catch the Countess of Wessex fidgeting with an awkward waistband or too-high heels. She looks stylish but never uncomfortable – that’s from the Queen’s sartorial rule book too. The lessons the Queen teaches are not about fashion, they’re more timeless than that; they’re about dressing to suit yourself, your lifestyle and your body so you’re not distracted by your clothes when you’re meeting another head of state, or trying to raise awareness for an important charity.
It is from her jewellery that we can glean the most enlightening messages, though, and through which we see her remembering her grandparents, her father, George VI, and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Her pearl and diamond earrings were a wedding gift from her grandmother Queen Mary in 1947, and her triplestrand pearl necklace a gift from her grandfather George V. She rarely leaves home without those pieces and wore both for her first appearance as the Queen at London Airport in 1952.
The pair of Cartier rose-shaped diamond brooches at her left shoulder were also a nod to Prince Philip, as they had been a wedding gift from the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1947. The jewellery serves as a reminder that, as we all celebrate her reign and seven decades of service, it is also a day of mourning, both for her father, and now her husband too.