Queen Elizabeth, Style Icon
Just in London for a day before heading back to Canterbury so there wasn't lots of time for adventures, but there was time for a visit to the King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace to see the special exhibition, "Queen Elizabeth II, Her Life in Style."
I'm not sure where I stand on the issue of the monarchy, but one thing that is indisputable is the late queen's style and use of clothes and accessories as tools of diplomacy, along with her championing British craftsmanship and design made her a fashion icon. This exhibition has proven so popular that the end date was extended by six months. Happily, I got my ticket shortly after the announcement of its opening was made.
The first gown on display was from the 1950, a gold lace, silk, tulle, and lamé gown by Norman Hartnell.
Once you're wowed by that beauty, you're taken inside a gallery that tracks the queen's wardrobe from her first birthday through the 2018 fashion week.
Though she was a minor royal at the time, a picture of the dress worn for her first birthday was released to the public. Her mother was a very stylish woman and seemed to have a keen sense of publicity.
The royal christening robe commissioned by Queen Victoria for her daughter, Princess Victoria, is the “official christening robe of the royal family." Elizabeth wore it for her christening and apparently kept a list of the royals who had worn it over the years.
Some of the daytime dresses and dress-up clothes worn were the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, were here, too.
Things get much more interesting when you get past the war years and into the 1950s. Princess Elizabeth loved the Dior look and her British designers emulated the wonderful nipped in waist and full skirt of the 50s fashions.
The two most famous pieces in the collection are her wedding dress and the gown she wore to her coronation, both by the designer Norman Hartwell.
For the wedding dress, he based his floral design on Sandro Botticelli's painting Primavera, symbolizing rebirth and renewal after World War II. The ivory duchesse satin gown featured a 13-foot silk tulle train, a heart-shaped neckline, and embroidery using 10,000 imported seed pearls, crystals, and silver thread. Because post-war clothing rationing was still active, Princess Elizabeth collected clothing coupons from the public and received an extra 200 coupons from the government to purchase the materials for the dress.
The white satin coronation gown features detailed hand-embroidered floral emblems representing the nations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. Originally designed to be white with silver and gold threads, Queen Elizabeth requested that colored threads be added to make the emblems stand out and be more easily recognizale.
There was an enormous gallery showing gowns that the queen had worn over the years.
The detail on some of them was incredible.
Queen Elizabeth worked closely with her designers, especially when she went on tour. Typically, a designer would bring sketches to the queen along with fabric samples. On a number of occasions, she would request specific additions, particularly motifs that would reflect the country she was visiting. Here is a touch of kelly green added to the straps and back ruffle for her trip to Ireland.
Gown, sketch and photo of the queen wearing a dress featuring beaded maple leaves for a Canadian trip:
Another gown for that trip featured apple blossoms and Mayflower, emblems of Nova Scotia.
During the state visit to Malaysia in 1989 her day ensemble by Ian Thomas was combined with a coat and slippers by the Malaysian firm Morle Dawis for a tour of the Sultan Mosque, ensuring that the monarch was dressed appropriately according to religious conventions.
Norman Hartnell's “cherry blossom" evening dress for her visit to Japan featured long draped sleeves in the manner of a kimono.
Occasionally the queen was presented with textiles or items of clothing on overseas trips. While in the Northwest Territories of Canada, she was presented with this jacket in the local First Nations style. She wore it over an evening gown for a reception at City Hall. I wonder how many times a jacket of this type has been worn with a diamond tiara.
One gallery featured daytime ensembles worn by Queen Elizabeth, including a display of hats, purses, and shoes.
Surprisingly, some of the queen's jewelry was on display, not just crowns that she wore on state occasions, but personal jewelry as well. This tiara, made by Garrard &Co Ltd was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth in 1954. The aquamarines in it were a gift to her from the President and people of Brazil on the occasion of her coronation in 1953.
Commissioned by the queen in 1971, this tiara incorporates 91 rubies which were originally set in a necklace given to Priness Elizabeth as a wedding present in 1947 by the people of Burma.
This brooch was given to Princess Elizabeth by her parents, King Geoge VI and Queen Elizabeth. It was worn in a photograph taken by Cecil Beaton of the princess holding newborn Prince Charles in 1948.
Made in the shape of a spray of wattle, Australia's nnational flower, this brooch was presented to the queen by the government and people of Australia to mark Queen Elizabeth II's first visit to Australia.
This bracelet, incorporating naval designs and the York rose, was given to Queen Elizabeth by Prince Philip to mark their fifth anniversary.
There were two small rooms which displayed full outfits: gowns, accessories and jewels. You could almost see Queen Elizabeth II in them.
Perhaps my favorite display was that of the dresses created for Queen Elizabeth's appearance at the 2012 Olympics, one for her and one for the stuntman who impersonated her jumping out of a helicopter.
Her sense of style was undeniable as was, apparently, her sense of humor.
As I was leaving the exhibition a security guard announced that for anyone interested, there would be a talk in the next room about the time that the queen met Marilyn Monroe. I headed over there and it was the guard herself who was giving the talk. The occasion was the premiere of the film "The Battle of the River Plate" and every star of note who was in England was rounded up to attend. Marilyn, in London filming "The Prince and the Showgirl" with Laurence Olivier, was there with her then husband, Arthur Miller. The day before the event, a note was sent to all the women who would be in attendance. They were advised of the dress code which stated that decorum must be observed and that no low cut gowns were allowed. Marilyn arrived at the premiere wearing a long cape over her dress. She was positioned in the presentation line and as the queen was about to enter the hall, Marilyn shrugged off the cape, revealing a very low cut dress with all her assets on full display. The gentleman in charge of the queen's appearance at the event (I forget his title) saw this happen and had a split second to decide what to do. He figured the queen would either be furious or amused, and he wasn't sure which it would be. He weighed the possibilities and decided that escorting Miss Monroe out of the theatre could create a PR nightmare, so he did nothing. To his relief, the queen found it amusing, though she was apparently taken back a bit when Marilyn launched into the very deep curtsy that she had
been practicing for weeks, revealing even more of her assets.
The queen told Monroe that she was amused to hear that they were neighbors. (Monroe and Miller were renting a house in Windsor.) According to the guard, Marilyn fantasized that the queen would ask her around to tea and they would become friends. That, of course, never came to pass. The guard shared another little tidbit which I found interesting. Marilyn was known for her love of Chanel No. 5 but when she learned that the queen wore White Rose by Floris, she switched to that and wore only that until her death.
This was a wonderful exhibition and it was such a joy to see these iconic outfits in person. It runs through the end of April, 2027 and is definitely worth the cost of admission.
Comments