Honoring Queen Elizabeth II for Her Legacy and Looks
Queen Elizabeth II, who died at the age of 96 on Thursday, was internationally known to be a leader of her country and a leader in fashion. Queen Elizabeth paved the way for womenswear in politics and diplomacy during her 70 years of reign through her colorful palette of suits and ability to dress appropriately for the establishment and personal enjoyment.
One aspect of fashion that Queen Elizabeth never appealed to was trends. She didn’t follow the latest “style,” she created them. Her colorful and classy approach to fashion diplomacy paved the way for the Duchess of Cambridge, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton, and many other politically-driven women to showcase their personalities through their career uniforms.
Queen Elizabeth became recognized for her style when she was coronated in 1953. Her ivory satin gown embroidered with diplomatic symbols such as English roses, Scottish thistles, Welsh leeks, Irish shamrocks, Canadian maple leaves, New Zealand silver ferns, Pakistani wheat, Australian wattles, and South African protea was an iconic wardrobe piece that is still remembered today.
With monochromatic outfits from head to toe, Queen Elizabeth forged a “look” that was unique all her own. Recognizable to her subjects in lilac, periwinkle, powder blue, tangerine, and rose, the Queen’s colors kept the British tabloids guessing and her subjects gushing.
““I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am.””
Queen Elizabeth’s legacy of fashion didn’t just turn heads; her style inspired books, awards, and even a front-row seat at London’s 2018 Fashion Week. Her colorful clothing palette influenced Sali Huges’ book, “Our Rainbow Queen,” and is one of seven publications chronicling her celebrated ‘look.’ The Queen’s style influenced young and old designers throughout her reign and became so synonymous with British fashion that in 2018 during London’s Fashion Week the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design was unveiled to recognize young and emerging designers of original and sustainable menswear, womenswear, and accessories.
In terms of sustainability and recycling, Queen Elizabeth was notorious for restyling and re-wearing clothing. Shown above is a plaid skirt she was photographed wearing while at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland in 1967 and again in 2017. We love a Queen who isn’t afraid to restyle a statement piece!
In collaboration with her fashion passion and role as a political figure, she elected to stop wearing real fur. Swapping real fur for faux fur, Queen Elizabeth’s designers announced this switch after fashion labels such as Coach, Prada and Versace dropped faux fur collections. Queen Elizabeth’s fur flip spreads a powerful message that using animal fur is cruel and production must end.
Queen Elizabeth II will be remembered forever for her legacy, looks, and reassurance that wearing the same outfit twice is just as nice.
Let us know which Queen Elizabeth II look is your favorite @theedgemag!