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Style Icon: Queen Elizabeth II

09/16/22 | Royal Family, Style Icons

Power dressing- The Queen's unique style BBC News

via BBC

London Fashion week starts today and while it is going ahead this season is going to be quite different.    I shared The British Fashion Council’s official statement on Twitter but essentially everything on Monday (the day of the funeral) is cancelled, and the whole week will be toned done, focusing solely on collection presentations and catwalks.  I am still speaking to a few brands about what this means for the shows I am going to but fingers crossed I will still get to attend a handful.

As an American in England it is a very surreal time to be living in London and the period of National Mourning following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is like nothing I have ever seen.  Some people are waiting in line for more than 24 hours for the chance to see her coffin and while I won’t be doing that I am going to pay my respects today by featuring the Queen as my latest style icon.   I thought it was only fitting to take a look back at some of her best looks over her iconic reign and I am not the first to do this, I found great features by British Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Town & Country, Glamour and many others.  She was the queen of colorful monochrome looks later in life that spanned every color of the rainbow and while I have included a few of these here are 30 of her best looks throughout 90 years of her life:

________

1940 – A 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth wore a patterned dress at Windsor Castle.
(source: Lisa Sheradin / Getty Images via Town & Country)

1940 - Queen Elizabeth II Style
1954 – The queen wore a fitted floral dress, white peep toe sandals, a pearl necklace,
sun hat, and parasol while attending a garden party.
(source: Getty via Harper’s Baazar)

1954. - a slim-fitting white lace dress to a garden party in Sydney, Australia, February 1954 - Getty Images - Queen Elizabeth II Style

1958 – For an official visit to Liverpool Street Station in London she wore a lemon coat
with a matching hat and a leopard-print scarf.
(source: Loomis Dean via British Vogue)

1958 -  lemon coat with a matching hat and a leopard-print scarf at Liverpool Street Station in London -Loomis Dean via British Vogue 

1960 – In a turquoise Norman Hartnell dress with a matching bolero and headpiece
at the wedding of her sister, Princess Margaret, in Westminster Abbey.
(source: PA via British Vogue)

1960 - turquoise Norman Hartnell dress at the wedding of her sister, Princess Margaret - Loomis Dean

1963 – In coral evening gown with her signature pearls to attend
an event in London with the Duke of Edinburgh.
(source: Getty via Harper’s Baazar)

1963 - coral evening gown with her signature pearls - PA

1970 – In a white and green dress with Prince Philip at a State banquet in 1970
(source: Getty Images via Marie Claire)

1970 - Queen Elizabeth II wearing a white and green dress with Prince Philip at a State banquet in 1970

1972 – A classic all-white ensemble while celebrating her Silver wedding celebrations in Mauritius.
(source: Getty Images via Marie Claire)

1972 - A classic all-white ensemble while celebrating her Silver wedding celebrations in Mauritius - Getty Images via Marie Claire

1977 – The Queen wore a turban style hat and blue ensemble while visiting New Zealand.
(source: Getty Images via Marie Claire)

1977 - The Queen wearing a turban style hat and blue ensemble in New Zealand - Getty Images via Marie Claire - Queen Elizabeth II Style
1977 – Wearing a green-and-white floral pattern dress in New Plymouth, New Zealand.
(source: Anwar Hussein via British Vogue)

1977 - Queen Elizabeth II, wearing a green-and-white floral pattern dress in New Plymouth, New Zealand - Anwar Hussein  via British Vogue

1988 – In riding gear and a printed headscaves at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
(source: via Town & Country and Anwar Hussein via British Vogue)

1988 - The Queen in riding gear and a printed headscarf at the Royal Windsor Horse Show via Town & Country
1988 - Her Majesty wearing riding gear and a printed headscarf at the Royal Windsor Horse Show

1990 – In a bow-necked dress and coat with white accessories and sepia
sunglasses on the final day of the 1990 Cartier Queen’s Cup.
(source:  Georges De Keerle via British Vogue 

1990 - A a bow-necked dress and coat with white accessories and sepia sunglasses at the 1990 Cartier Queen’s Cup

1990 –  Wearing bold florals with Diana, the Princess of Wales, and
Princess Margaret for the Queen Mother’s 90th birthday.
(source: :Getty via Glamour Magazine)

1990 - Bold Florals with Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret for the Queen Mother’s 90th birthday - Getty Images - Queen Elizabeth II Style

1993 –  Wearing a pink gown and tiara to attend a banquet in Budapest with her husband, Prince Philip.
(source: Getty via British Vogue)

1993 - a pink gown tiara to attend a banquet in Budapest - Tim Graham

1999 –  Wearing a colourful sequined top and striped gold skirt at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
(source: Tim Graham via British Vogue)

1999 - sequined top and striped gold skirt for Royal Variety Performance at the Birmingham Hippodrome - Getty

2000 –  The Queen wore lilac to open the Millennium Bridge in London.
(source: Anwar Hussein via British Vogue)

2000 - The Queen wore lilac to open the Millennium Bridge - Tim Graham

2000 – In bow-print gown and emerald jewellery with Nelson Mandela at Buckingham Palace.
(source: Anwar Hussein Collection via British Vogue)

2000 - The Queen wore a bow-print gown with Nelson Mandela at Buckingham Palace - Anwar Hussein

2006 –  A white beaded gown with a fur stole and wore the George IV diadem at the State Opening of Parliament.
(source: Samir Hussein via British Vogue)

2006 - a white beaded gown with a fur stole at the State Opening of Parliament - Anwar Hussein Collection

2010 – In black and white to visit the Canadian combined forces base
Nova Scotia during her royal tour of Canada.
(source: via Town & Country)

2010 - Black and white to visit the Canadian combined forces base Nova Scotia - Queen Elizabeth II Style

2012 – The Queen donned a metallic dress and white gloves for a performance at Royal Albert Hall.
(source: via Town & Country)

2012 - beaded gold dress with matching metallic shoes as Her Majesty attended the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hal

2015 –  Wearing pink  with one of her daily red box dispatches to mark the moment she became the UK’s longest-serving monarch.
(source:  Mary McCartney via The Guardian)

2015 -  Wearing pink  with one of her daily red box dispatches to mark the moment she became the UK's longest-serving monarch - Mary McCartney via The Guardian

2015 – The Queen kept dry under an umbrella that was tipped with pink to coordinate with her ensemble when visiting Birmingham.
(source: Getty via Glamour Magazine)

2015 - Pink Ensemble in Birmingham

2016 – Wearing yellow scalloped-edge Angela Kelly outfit with the Richmond brooch as part of her 90th birthday celebrations at St Paul’s Cathedral.
(source: Zak Hussein – Corbisvia British Vogue )

2016 - yellow scalloped-edge Angela Kelly outfit with the Richmond brooch for hher 90th birthday celebrations at St Paul’s Cathedral - Zak Hussein - Corbis - Queen Elizabeth II Style

2017 – The Queen wore a cream and blue lace dress with a Launer handbag in London.
(source:  WPA Pool via British Vogue)

2017 - cream and blue lace dress to attend a reception in London, and carried a Launer handbag - WPA Pool

2018 –  In an Angela Kelly dress and matching jacket with Anna Wintour at London Fashion Week.
(source: Yui Mok/PA via the Guardian)

2018 - At London Fashion Week with Anna Wintour

2019 – In festive red at a Christmas morning service on the Sandringham Estate.
(source: Mark Cuthbert via British Vogue )

2019 - Christmas morning service on the Sandringham Estate
2022 – In pink and purple colorblock at Buckingham Palace
(source: Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images via Marie Claire)

2020 - Queen Elizabeth II in colorblock at Buckingham Palace

2022 – In green accessorised with a three-strand pearl necklace and a bow brooch that once belonged to Queen Victoria Standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
(source: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images via British Vogue)

2022 - Standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace - Getty Images

She was certainly a remarkable woman with an incredible life – the first monarch to have achieved 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.  And I love this quote that I read, “Her wardrobe is her communication,” says Matthew Storey, curator at Historic Royal Palaces.

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Comments

  1. Nicola says

    September 22, 2022 at 6:12 am

    She certainly was not afraid of color and it was nice to see her in something other than her traditional suits.

    I wonder who dressed her and how much of her day was taken up by fittings and picking out designes for the many events and trips she had to take. Where did she keep all the clothes? Would love to be a little fly on the wall for a back stage look at how all of it happened.

  2. Marjorie says

    September 21, 2022 at 5:29 pm

    I didn’t realize she had such a tiny waist when she was younger. Some of the photos she looks really pretty in too.

    Nice walk through her life Kelly.

  3. Marylou says

    September 21, 2022 at 3:58 pm

    I want the jewelry!!

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog founded in 2012.  After six years of living in London I am back in New York with my husband and two littles! 

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