Exhibition reveals Queen Elizabeth II played direct role in shaping iconic wardrobe
Queen Elizabeth II played a far more direct role in shaping her iconic wardrobe than widely known, personally overseeing hemlines, embellishment, and fabric selections for significant overseas tours.
This revelation comes as a new exhibition, “Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style,” prepares to open on 10 April at The King’s Gallery in London.
Marking the centenary of her birth, the display will feature around 200 garments and related items, offering the largest collection of her clothing ever staged and showcasing decades of collaboration with Britain’s leading couturiers to craft her famously composed public image.
Spanning 10 decades, the show charts her evolution from young princess to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, exploring how fashion became one of her most powerful tools of communication.
For curator Caroline de Guitaut, exhibition curator and surveyor of the King’s Works of Art, examining the archive was a revelation.
“I was surprised by just how closely involved she was,” she tells the Press Association. “There’s so much evidence of her directing the details – hemlines, embellishment and so on. It was clearly a very symbiotic relationship”.
The public memory of the late Queen is often distilled into a single, instantly recognisable image: a block-colour coat, matching hat, sensible shoes and handbag. That uniform, developed over decades, ensured she could be seen clearly during walkabouts and large public events.
“If you imagine her in your mind’s eye, you can picture exactly what she’d be wearing,” de Guitaut says, “she established a very distinctive style.”
But that signature look was not accidental. In the years following her accession in 1952, the young Queen worked closely with designers including Norman Hartnell, who created her wedding dress in 1947 and her coronation gown in 1953, and Hardy Amies, a key figure in post-war London couture.
Their designs helped define the stylistic language of her early reign, defined by structured silhouettes, delicate embroidery and luxurious British textiles that projected continuity and optimism in the aftermath of war.
“You can sense her finding her style, establishing her style, distinct from her mother and grandmother,” de Guitaut explains. “At the same time, there are still codes in the way she dressed that hark back to previous generations.”
Rather than arranging the exhibition chronologically, de Guitaut chose a thematic approach, with sections devoted to eveningwear, daywear, tailoring and the creation of tour wardrobes.
This structure demonstrates how clothing functioned differently depending on the occasion – from the grandeur of state banquets to the practicality of country life at Balmoral.
Sketches and presentation albums reveal the depth of the Queen’s involvement. Annotated drawings show her handwritten notes on fabrics and colours for overseas tours. Far from being a passive wearer of couture, she played an active role in shaping garments that would be seen by millions across the world.
Her use of colour – perhaps the most recognisable aspect of her wardrobe in later years – was carefully considered.
“It’s about being visible. It’s about being seen […] Using colour as a messaging thing is definitely something she developed,” de Guitaut explains.
On overseas visits, colours and embroidery often carried subtle diplomatic references.
Yellow was frequently worn in Australia as a nod to the national wattle flower. Embroidered motifs might incorporate emblems of host nations. Such details, while understated, formed part of a broader strategy.
“The attention to detail can’t really be over-emphasised,” says de Guitaut.
The exhibition also highlights the breadth of British talent behind the Queen’s wardrobe. Alongside major names such as Hartnell and Amies, it shines a light on lesser-known figures.
Avis Ford, who worked under Madame Elizabeth Handley-Seymour, created elegant pieces that were sometimes mistakenly attributed to others.
Upon learning that designs were often attributed incorrectly, Buckingham Palace ensured that designers were properly credited in official communications – a move that underscored the monarch’s support for British craftsmanship.
“She obviously cared about that,” says de Guitaut. “It mattered that people knew who had made the clothes.”
The Queen’s off-duty wardrobe forms another strand of the exhibition. Silk headscarves tied neatly under the chin, tartan skirts, well-worn tweeds and Barbour jackets reflect a different aspect of her life – one rooted in the countryside and family traditions.
“It’s about practicality and comfort, but also about looking stylish,” says de Guitaut, “even if she was walking across a field in wellies, she still looked completely put together.”
Among the exhibition’s most poignant items is the royal christening robe worn by 62 royal babies, including Queen Elizabeth II herself.
Created in 1841 from Spitalfields silk and Honiton lace, it is believed to be going on public display for the first time.
Created 185 years ago, the robe required 100 hours of specialist conservation before it could be exhibited. In 2004, the Queen commissioned an exact replica to preserve the fragile original – a decision that reflected her careful balance between maintaining tradition and safeguarding heritage.
For de Guitaut, the archive as a whole reveals a monarch who understood clothing not merely as adornment, but as part of the machinery of monarchy.
“I wouldn’t say she was the most influential fashion figure of the 20th century, but I would perhaps say she was one of the most.”
Taken together, the garments demonstrate how she used fashion to project stability, support British industry and communicate subtle messages without saying a word.
And as the centenary exhibition makes clear, the image of Queen Elizabeth II – vivid, composed and instantly recognisable – was the product of collaboration and extraordinary attention to detail.
