7 Looks for 7 Decades:
A Look at Queen Elizabeth’s
Most Iconic Outfits
Earlier this month, Queen Elizabeth II became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years as queen. While celebrations took place throughout the UK, we rounded up her seven best looks for each decade that Queen Elizabeth has ruled, while also citing the cultural and historical relevance of each look.
See Queen Elizabeth’s seven looks for seven decades here:
1953, Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation
Designed by her wedding dress designer Norman Hartnell, it was the Queen’s wish that the coronation dress should be made of satin, like her wedding dress, with accentuation of regal elegance, but with no undue emphasis on shape. Hartnell came up with eight different designs to be approved by Queen Elizabeth. Lucky number right was the one she selected.
It was important to Elizabeth that her dress represent the Commonwealth as a united nation. The dress included a sweet Tudor Rose design, which was carefully embroidered with pink silk, a Welsh leek, which was embroidered in white silk, a Scottish thistle, embroidered with pale mauve silk and amethysts, as well as a calyx embroidered in green hued silk. Other Commonwealth countries saw their own national icons incorporated into the design. The Irish shamrock, the Canadian maple leaf, the New Zealand silver fern, the Australian wattle flower and the Indian lotus flower were all subtly, yet beautifully included.
The ornate gown also included a hidden four-leaf Shamrock, added by Hartnell of his own accord as an omen for good fortune.
The queen’s coronation was not the only historically relevant event that happened in the 1950s. From Elizabeth’s birth onwards, the British Empire began a transformation into the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1953 and 1954, she and husband Philip embarked on a six-month tour around the world, which in turn made her the first reigning monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand. Throughout her reign, tours of this kind have been a common occurrence. Queen Elizabeth is believed to be the most widely travelled head of state in the world to date.
1961, Her Majesty dances with President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana
One of Queen Elizabeth’s most culturally significant looks of the 1960s has little emphasis on the dress she wore, but rather focuses on the event that she wore it to.
By 1961, Nkrumah was increasingly authoritarian and stoked anti-British feeling. Socialist Nkrumah had written about moving Ghana closer to Russia and away from Britain, as he believed Russia best represented the interests of the nation.
Against the advice of the government, the Queen travelled to Ghana in 1961 in the hope the positive publicity of her visit would be a boost for the Commonwealth. Iconic images show the monarch wearing a long white gown paired with an emerald and diamond tiara while dancing with President Nkrumah.
Her foxtrot with the president held a tremendous symbolic importance, as it showed how the queen was not resistant to de-colonization and wanted a new relationship with countries that had been part of Britain’s empire.
The 1960s are also synonymous with the rise of Liverpool-based band, The Beatles. The Beatles’ fame was such that discussions took place in Parliament to determine whether police forces were sufficiently protected should they get caught up in the fevered crowds that followed the band around the country.
1975, State Visit to Mexico
In February 1975, Queen Elizabeth spent time with a group of local children during her state visit to Mexico wearing a marigold printed pleated dress and a turban-style hat.
Traditionally, the turban is a representation of renewal and hope. The 1970s saw the long-awaited decolonisation of Africa and the Caribbean, and this representation of the turban seemed only appropriate. The bold choice of colour and pattern illustrates Elizabeth’s own take on the 1970s trend of striking self-expression in which was highlighted throughout the 70s with the use of clothing, colours, and materials. The vibrant colour choices were something that Elizabeth’s style has always been closely aligned with. To this day, we see Elizabeth in almost every colour possible whilst still maintaining royal expectations.
Throughout the years, it has become customary for members of the royal family to wear headpieces with each outfit. Almost every headpiece that Elizabeth wears ensures that her face is fully visible and framed. These hats have ranged in style over the last decade and were considered avant-garde for their time.
It has been tradition for Queens going back thousands of years to wear pearls with every outfit –– Queen Elizabeth is no expectation, as she is seen wearing her pearl necklace alongside her vibrant yellow dress and headpiece. To this day, Elizabeth has an extensive collection of pearl necklaces that range from one strand to six. However, it’s been noted that the most common number of strands she wears is three strands of pearls around her neck, as shown from her state visit to Mexico in 1975.
1988, The Royal Windsor Horse Show
This may be one of the few times that the Queen has been seen in pants –– and the look still has an impact today.
Described as an off-duty look, Queen Elizabeth attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1988, where she wore traditional riding boots and trousers, a structured blazer and completed by a patterned silk headscarf atop her head. This simple look has been copied and immortalized by fashion bloggers and designers alike. The most recent example of this would be Gucci’s spring/summer 2017 women’s show, which took place in Westminster Abbey. Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele decked his models in gaudy headscarves and colourful tartan skirts, and sporting box handbags and embellished loafers in tribute to Queen Elizabeth’s 1988 downtime look.
In 1989, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee distributed a proposal for what would later become known as the World Wide Web. The emergence of the Internet would allow Queen Elizabeth’s messages to be reached on a global scale.
1997, Princess Diana’s Funeral
One of the defining moments of the 1990s was the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. So rarely had a member of the royal family captured the hearts and the minds of a global audience, save for Queen Elizabeth II herself. The outpouring of grief and loss that encompassed the world was evident from the images of the funeral shared around the world. Anybody watching the funeral in 1997 can vividly recall the veritable ocean of flowers and messages of condolences that seemed to dwarf the gates of Buckingham Palace. For the funeral itself, the eyes of the world were on the royal family and on Queen Elizabeth II herself. For the sombre occasion, Her Majesty opted for a black asymmetrical blazer and a knee length skirt, accompanied by a wide brimmed hat.
What is perhaps most notable about this simple, but elegant, outfit is the Victoria Bow Brooch that she chose to affix to the blazer. The queen owns three which all have been handed down through the royal family from Queen Victoria, after she designated them “heirlooms of the crown,” meaning that they were to be passed from monarch to monarch to be worn by queens regent or consorts. They are believed to have been made in the late 1800s.
Whereas Britain’s second longest reigning monarch wore all three in a cascade, Queen Elizabeth II breaks with precedent and usually wears one at a time and usually on momentous occasions, such as Diana’s funeral and on September 9th 2015 –– the day she surpassed Victoria herself to become Britain’s longest reigning monarch. Thanks to Queen Victoria and now Queen Elizabeth II, they are now symbols of unyielding public service and long-serving queens.
2000, The Queen Mother’s 100th Birthday
A new millennium follows with a new celebration for the Royal family, which had been brought to attention of the entire world. The celebration of the Queen’s mother’s 100th birthday on the 4th August, as the world at large saw the Queen stand alongside her mother to mark the special occasion, whilst cheering fans lined the procession route to Buckingham Palace.
As a parade marched in honour of the Queen and Queen’s mother, Her Majesty was dressed in a rose pink floral breasted blazer co-ordinated with a matching pencil skirt accompanied with pearl necklaces and pearl earrings, additionally adding a statement brooch decorating her blazer to gracefully finish her elegant look.
What is most interesting about this choice of outfit is the subtle, yet sophisticated, blush pink colour chosen, with the Queen’s mother dressed in a similarly subtle mint-toned dress which complimented each-other’s outfits accordingly. Her Majesty is frequently seen to be dressed in bright and vibrant colours for her public appearances, making her notably easy to spot as a key figure of the public eye.
This majestic and understated pink outfit for the celebration of her mother’s birthday can be understood to be a symbolism of Elizabeth’s femininity and kindness. However, this carefully chosen colour choice can also be interpreted as Elizabeth allowing the Queen Mother to be in focus and at the forefront of what was her momentous day of turning 100.
With the Queen being known for her vibrant, bold outfits, chosen from a desire to stand out so that people can acknowledge they’ve ‘seen the Queen’, this iconic look highlights her not stepping out of the limelight as such, but rather allowing the celebration to focus on that of her mother’s achievements, responsibilities and successes over the years. From boosting the nation’s morale during World War II, to her “God-given obligation” to serving the British Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth made sure that her mother was properly celebrated.
2012, The Diamond Jubilee
The Royal family has always been relevant and eventful, but the decade of 2010s was especially remarkable.
February 6, 2012 saw Elizabeth II sit on the United Kingdom throne for 60 years, since her accession in 1952. The only other Royal to achieve the same was the current queen’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria celebrating her 60 years on the throne in 1837. Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh touring throughout the United Kingdom between March and July, while other members of the Royal Family visited countries around the Commonwealth on her behalf- made the Diamond Jubilee monumental.
For the Diamond Jubilee flotilla on the Thames, the Queen wore a matching coat and dress in the colour ivory, designed by her long-time personal dresser Angela Kelly.
The Queen’s style was further processed by Kelly to create a unique look we recognise today. To ensure her visibility in a crowd, the queen always wears coats and dresses in bright colours.
Even the acerbic Karl Lagerfeld had only praise for her: “[She] is never ridiculous, she is flawless. For this job, in our day, she is perfect.”
As opposed to 2000s when the queen’s style was playing with textures, the 2010s were focused on pretty pastel hues and solid colours. Kelly’s stylistic direction has put Her Majesty in sleeker, more flattering silhouettes and burnished a distinctive blueprint which is familiar yet impactful. Designers who work with her confirm that the sovereign still has her own ideas about how she wants to dress.
2022, The Platinum Jubilee
For her final look, it only seems appropriate to end off with the green outfit she wore to her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Standing alongside her eldest son Prince Charles and his eldest son and grandchildren, Queen Elizabeth made a statement in a vibrant green double crepe wool dress and coat, designed by her dressmaker and designer Stewart Parvin, paired with an equally bright hat embellished with a black pom-pom made by British milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan.
The green outfit was a tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth’s husband who passed away at the age of 99 in 2021. Green was the favourite colour of Prince Philip. It should also be noted that Prince Philip used the Edinburgh Green for his official livery.
The queen made further tribute to her late husband by accessorizing her matching green Rachel Trevor Morgan hat with a prominent black pin, which is believed by many to be a symbol of mourning.
The 2020s have not been smooth sailing, to say the least. Since March 2020, the world at large has been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed the lives of millions of people around the world. More recently, the world has been showing support for Ukraine after Russia invaded the country earlier this year. Crises aside, the 2020s has also seen innovations in digitization, most notably in the metaverse and NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
Through it all, Queen Elizabeth II has shown grace, dignity and humility as Queen. Long live the Queen!
Article By:
Alanna Fairey, Fashion Content Editor
Alexandra Fovargue, Social Media Intern
Ashmita Dutta Roy, Social Media Intern
Beth Fowlis, Social Media Intern
Mikey Meir-Wright, Social Media Intern
