Her Majesty
The Queen The Icon of Style
I have to be seen to be believed ~ Queen Elizabeth II ~
Queen Elizabeth's fashion through the ages. As one of the most photographed people on the planet, it's likely that the Queen pays attention to what she puts on in the morning more than most. And, whilst she's now become synonymous with brightly colored suits and coordinating headwear, Her Majesty has sported some seriously stylish outfits in her 85 years, even being named one of the world's most glamorous women by Vogue in 2008. From her floral turbans of the '60s to her kerchiefs and tweed of the '80s, we've charted Her Majesty's most stylist outfits to date in the gallery in the following pages.
Country Style, 1944 A young Elizabeth with one of her horses in Sandringham, Norfolk, wearing a fitted jacket and simple, button-down dress.
Cream Bows, 1947 Princess Elizabeth wearing a lightcolored dress, decorated with bows in the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace.
Royal Couple, 1950s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Buckingham Palace in a gorgeous, floor length gown.
The Coronation, 1953 The princess becomes Queen Elizabeth II during her coronation on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey, in a gown commissioned by royal dressmaker Norman Hartnell.
Floral at Goodwood, 1955 Queen Elizabeth enjoys the racing at Goodwood in a floral dress, with matching hat and white gloves.
Crowned, 1956 Queen Elizabeth in a turquoise floral gown and white gloves, sitting on the throne at the State Opening of Parliament in Lagos, Nigeria.
Diamonds and Fur, 1961 A smiling Queen wearing diamond earrings, a sparkling silver gown and fur coat leaving the Indian Embassy.
Demure, 1961 The Queen waving to the enthusiastic crowd from her car in India, wearing a floral turban gloves, pearls and belted, checked dress.
Pretty in Pink, 1967 The Queen wearing one of her iconic flowered hats that she was quite fond of wearing in the '60s and '70s with a matching pink coat while on a royal visit to Malta.
Emeralds and Pearls, 1969 The Queen at home in Buckingham Palace one of her beloved pet corgis, wearing a fitted emerald colored dress with pearl earrings with a matching pearl necklace and brooch.
Spotty Down Under, 1970 Wearing a matching blue and yellow hat, the Queen wears a gorgeous, knee-length spotted dress with black court shoes and matching black handbag while chatting with traditionally dressed soldiers during a tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Golden Swirl, 1975 While in Jamaica, the Queen wore a white striped turban with matching swirl print golden dress, complete with matching white gloves, white handbag, and white court shoes.
Hats Galore, 1977 The Queen is infamous for her love of headdresses and turbans frequently designed by milliner Simone Mirman - and this brightly colored headpiece she wore in Fiji is one of our favorites. Her Majesty seems quite taken with it, as well.
British Sunshine, 1979 The Queen mingles with her subjects on a spring day, wearing a gorgeous yellow dress with matching yellow hat. She's also wearing pearl earrings and the three stranded pearl necklace which were a staple from the '60s onwards.
Country Life, 1982 Gone are the turbans and tightfitting floral dresses in this shot of the Queen at her beloved Royal Windsor Horse Show, and in are the kerchiefs, tweed and earth tones. In a blouse, high-waisted skirt and cardigan, this outfit is reminiscent of her early days in Sandringham.
Spots and Pearls, 1987 Standing outside Clarence House with Princess Diana, the Queen is once again wearing her favorite pearl necklace and earrings, and a polka dot blue dress with mighty '80s-style shoulders.
Bold, Block Colors, 1990 Once again at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, Queen Elizabeth II checks her royal fingernails while sporting a bright red collared blouse, green cardigan and tartan skirt.
Lavender and Fur, 1990 While visiting New Zealand to witness the signing of the Waitangi Treaty, the Queen wears a floral, purple dress with matching violet hat, her favorite pearl jewelry and a fur Maori cloak.
Colorful Floral, 1992 The Queen was particularly fond of floral in the '90s; here she is again at the Royal Windsor Horse Show wearing a mid-length floral dress, sunglasses, and her pearls.
At the Races, 1995 At Royal Ascot the Queen wore an understated white hat, paired with a red and white houndstooth print dress, as well as a matching handbag and white gloves.
Yellow Spots, 1997 While on a royal tour of Pakistan, the Queen kept cool in a veiled, yellow hat with a matching polka dot skirt suit.
Trenched, 2002 During a spot of summer rain at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games at the City of Manchester Stadium, the Queen stood ready to give her speech while wearing a draped, camelcolor cape, holding her own bubble shaped umbrella.
Shocking Lime, 2007 In Kampala, Uganda while visiting the Mildmay centre for AIDS orphans, the Queen arrived wearing a neon green dress and jacket with a matching bright green hat with black trimming.
Sparkling in Silver, 2008 Wearing an extravagant silver hat and fur coat, the Queen kicked off a hockey match by tossing the puck out on the ice while on a royal tour of Slovakia. We adore how the Queen is this glamorous whilst just playing hockey.
Pink & Black, 2009 On a visit to the Carole Brown Health Centre in Dersingham, England, the Queen wore a rather fetching hot pink dress, finished with a black fur hat, muff and a diamond brooch.
Keeping with Tradition, 2009 The Queen wore her traditional Order of the Garter robes and hat during the Garter Ceremony Procession up to St George's Chapel.
Regal, 2009 The annual state opening of parliament always calls for the Queen to don her crown and robes.
3D Magic, 2010 In 2010 the world went crazy for 3D and, while visiting Pinewood Studios in Toronto, Canada, so did the Queen, pairing her bright red lipstick, pearls and floral dress with a pair of 3D glasses.
Royal Duties, 2010 Complete with gloves, pearls and a coordinating overcoat and hat, the Queen walks along Maldon High Street in Essex while on a visit to the Salt Crystal Company.
85th Birthday, 2011 Queen Elizabeth II celebrated turning 85 on 21 April 2011 by attending the Royal Maundy Day Service at Westminster Abbey in a signature bright suit, pearl, and matching hat.
Words and images: Stylist.co.uk Illustrations: zamri a. @ zamri’s big fat blog