Leading with duty, grace and dignity, Queen Elizabeth II is Britain’s longest-serving monarch, recently celebrating 65 years on the throne.
As well as her outstanding leadership skills, her impeccable fashion has remained ever-present throughout her reign, leaving many of us wondering just how she does it. Here, Fulton Umbrellas lift the lid on Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion secrets, showing you just how she achieves her polished to perfection look.
The ever-changeable British weather
The Queen’s royal engagements can take her anywhere, so it’s important that she’s dressed for every eventuality. After all, the British weather has never been known for its predictability.
Her majesty is regularly spotted with our birdcage-style clear umbrellas, which can be found in our range of ladies umbrellas. Not only do these allow her to be seen by her public, they’re completely bespoke and are made to match her outfit. The Queen’s senior dresser sends us a colour swatch of the outfit she’ll be wearing in advance of an engagement and we’ll create an umbrella with a perfectly matched trim.
It’s not just the rain the Queen has to deal with; wind can also be an issue. Before she wears a dress or coat, her team use electrical fans to test the fabrics movement. If it moves too freely, small curtain weights are then sewn into the hem to give it more structure.
Practical perfection
Royal engagements can be lengthy, so it’s important that her majesty’s outfits are practical to keep her comfortable. Each aspect of her outfit is carefully considered to ensure that flawless, polished look she has become synonymous with.
The Queen often travels by car and as such, lightweight fabrics are unsuitable as they crease too easily. Rather, each outfit must be made from wrinkle-proof fabric to keep her clothes looking perfectly pressed throughout lengthy car journeys.
Likewise, to keep her feet comfortable, her majesty wears shoes with a 2.25-inch heel and insoles. Her handbags are similarly well thought-out. As she shakes many hands during her engagements, she prefers a handbag with a long handle — namely Launer’s Royale and Traviata bags. Because the strap is longer, it doesn’t interfere with handshakes or her preferred three-quarter sleeves.
But what’s inside the Queen’s handbag? Unfortunately, that remains a mystery. However, rumour has it she carries reading glasses, a compact mirror, mints and a fountain pen. Only on Sundays does she carry cash — a neatly folded £5 or £10 note to be exact.
We’ve had the shoes and bag—but what about the hat? As you’d expect, the Queen’s headwear is carefully considered too. The Queen’s preferred milliner, Rachel Trevor-Morgan creates specially bespoke hats that do not obscure her face and are the right height for getting into and out of vehicles with ease.
The colour spectrum
Over the years, the Queen has been seen in a rainbow of colours — but have you ever noticed that you never see her in the same colour at consecutive events? That’s because behind each of her majesty’s outfits is a team who select the colour based on the nature of the event and when she last wore a similar shade.
For example, if her royal engagements took her to a park or leafy area, the Queen would stay away from shades of green, as they would make her blend in. Instead, she wears colours to stand out from her surroundings, making her easier to see for crowds.
Her team of dressers keep handwritten diaries of the outfits she wears so they can keep track of what she wears and what for. As she’ll sometimes wear an outfit more than once, this process helps ensure they’re worn on a strict rotational basis.
Want to steal her majesty’s style? Shop our range of iconic birdcage umbrellas today.