From the block colour twin-piece suits to the dazzling gowns, the Queen was well known for her wonderful wardrobe. But with every iconic outfit, what might not be quite so obvious are the carefully selected accessories she matched with it to complete her look.
Some of these accessories were fashion friends to the Queen for many decades, while others carried a special and symbolic meaning.
While the Queen had the entire royal collection of jewellery at her fingertips, she would go back time and again to her trusty pearl earrings. Simple yet sophisticated, there is one particular pair gifted to her in 1947 by her grandmother, Queen Mary, that accompanied her all around the world and to countless royal weddings, christenings and engagements.
Like her outfits, the Queen’s umbrellas always had a splash of colour as well as a clear dome so she could be easily seen. She favoured the birdcage-style umbrellas from Fulton, which earned a royal warrant in 2008, and it’s thought Her Majesty had more than a hundred umbrellas in a whole rainbow of colours!
The Queen’s jewellery collection was among the most impressive in the world in terms of beauty and value, but some of her most prized possessions in that collection are her brooches, often gifted to her or commissioned for special occasions. This brooch, made with sapphires and diamonds set in platinum was one of her most treasured.
The silk headscarf complemented some of the Queen’s best casual looks at outdoor events over the years, especially at the Royal Windsor Horse Show. Her love for pretty, classically elegant scarves dated back as far as the Forties. Her sister Princess Margaret was also a fan.
Well before the pandemic, the Queen was mindful of the passing of germs between hands, so understandably favoured a pair of gloves for public duties when she had to shake a lot of hands. Cornelia James was the manufacturer behind the Queen’s official royal gloves which were typically made of either pure cotton with a brushed suede finish, or a lighter Swiss jersey, and which were practical yet stylish.
Shiny patent leather shoes completed the Queen’s best outfits as well as keeping her comfortable when in the past she may have had to stand for hours at a time.
Made bespoke for Her Majesty’s size 4 feet, with a 21/2 inch heel, the Queen often wore the same pair for many years, even reheeling them when they wear out rather than buying a new pair. But when she did have to invest, a team of four staff at Buckingham Palace reportedly nicknamed ‘Cinders’ helped wear in her new shoes for her!
Launer handbags had long been on Her Majesty’s arm as a pivotal part of her dress code. It’s widely known that the Queen used her bags to send signals to her staff, moving her bag from left arm to right when she wanted to wrap the conversation up and placing it on the floor if she wanted to be rescued immediately.