The Queen’s fashion ‘rules’

The fashion ‘rules’ for The Queen’s wardrobe in the 1950s were similar in many ways to those seen in debutante dressing of the time. Evening gowns were long with full skirts and nipped-in waists to form an hour-glass silhouette. Dresses were heavily embellished with intricate beading and lace work and were worn with long white evening gloves. 

As a young monarch, however, The Queen also had other 'rules' to consider.  She took up her role as head of the Commonwealth in earnest with lengthy foreign tours, and for these she upheld the long-standing tradition of ‘diplomatic dressing’ – whereby references to the host country were made in the design of her evening gowns – for example, colours of the host country’s flag. Accommodations were also made in her dresses’ designs for the display of royal insignia across the chest and the gowns were usually fashioned in pale colours to ensure that she stood out against large crowds and in black and white film and photography.

As is still the case today, the royal wardrobe was the perfect advertisement for the British fashion industry and it was The Queen’s responsibility to promote British design in her wardrobe choices.

Above: Evening gown, duchesse satin in the colours of the Pakistani flag, Norman Hartnell, 1961. Worn by Her Majesty The Queen at a banquet hosted by President Ayab Khan of Pakistan, on the first day of a six-week tour of Pakistan and India, 1961.