What we wear and how we co-ordinate our clothing says a lot about us. It is worth considering how we’d like to be perceived because our clothes have their own brand that speaks volumes.

There may be no better example of a strong sartorial brand than that of the late Queen Elizabeth !!. Whether or not you admired her style and whether or not you are a royalist, I bet you can picture her vividly.

This is not just because her face was shared globally for more than 70 years; we can picture many people’s faces. But in the case of Queen Elizabeth, we can picture her in an entire outfit as well. This is down to strong sartorial branding. In my opinion the Queen’s personal style exemplified the following characteristics:

strength
courage
practicality
consistency
insightfulness and knowledge
an unfussy approach

How can I deduce all of this??

Firstly, she favoured strong lines in her outfits. Her silhouettes were clear and straightforward, denoting strength. She didn’t go for delicate or flimsy details and her fabrics were substantial rather than soft and yielding.

Her preference for colour blocking, rather than dainty prints, was courageous. It shouldn’t be seen as such, yet so many people shy away from colour these days. The Queen was a perfect example of how effective colour can be. Colour makes a statement, yet it is a joyous statement. Blacks, greys and other neutrals can become very tedious because they are ubiquitous; colour stands out.

Queen Elizabeth’s outfits were practical. Her ‘working shoes’ were not high heels but mid-height block heels. Nothing in her outfit flapped about in the wind. Dresses had weighted hemlines, hats didn’t blow off and her handbags were never in the way. The Queen could go about her business without adjusting or being concerned about her outfit; her clothes were like an extension of herself because they were so well designed.

Although the Queen’s wardrobe was extensive, there were few surprises in what she wore. She favoured a particular style and a couple of silhouettes that only changed throughout her life as her shape changed. Queen Elizabeth was not aiming to be fashionable but always looked stylish (there is a clear distinction). She conveyed certainty and consistency.

You may be wondering how the Queen communicated insightfulness and knowledge through her outfits. This is because, without being overt, the outfits hinted at or represented something about the occasion she was at. I’ve written more about this here, after visiting the Fashioning a Reign exhibition in 2016. And wouldn’t we love to know if there is anything in the theory that when she met with Trump, she deliberately wore the brooch the Obamas gifted to her …??!

Lastly, although Queen Elizabeth’s sartorial style was tasteful, elegant and highly considered, there was nothing fussy about it. Her outfits were undeniably feminine yet never prissy, over-embellished or flashy. They demonstrated such a strong sense of self.

From Fashioning a Reign

The Queen's sartorial brand