Queen Elizabeth’s fashion sense, the designers who shaped it over 75 years and the royal dress code’s rules

The late British monarch was known, especially in her later years, for her bold use of colour in her many outfits. This wasn’t just a sartorial choice

It was ‘to ensure she is easily visible on important occasions’, the curator of a royal fashion exhibition revealed. It was for that reason she wore hats, too

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Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II’s inimitable fashion sense was defined by her bold use of colour, and her wearing of hats, at public events. Photo: Pool/AFP

Published: 8:23am, 9 Sep 2022Updated: 10:00am, 9 Sep 2022

Brightly coloured outfits, a matching hat and a pristine pair of gloves: Queen Elizabeth’s look was instantly recognisable and a self-created uniform styled to suit her role.

During her reign, the monarch, who has died, aged 96, tried out every shade in the colour chart, from canary yellow to lime green, fuchsia and navy blue.

Her inimitable style was developed over the decades by aides and designers, starting with Norman Hartnell, who created her wedding dress when she married Prince Philip in 1947.

Made from duchesse satin and decorated with crystals and 10,000 seed pearls, it was a dazzling sight for a Britain emerging from the wreckage of World War II.

Queen Elizabeth dressed in a green outfit in 2001 to mingle with the 8,000 guests at that year’s Buckingham Palace tea party. Bright colours were the signature of her style. Photo: AFP/Pool

Hartnell also made the silk dress she wore for her coronation in 1953. It was embroidered in gold, silver, green and pink, complete with emblems of the countries over which she ruled.

The designer later said that he took inspiration from “the sky, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars and everything that might be embroidered on a dress destined to be historic”.