Take a Walk Through Queen Elizabeth II’s Most Rare and Revered Fashion Pieces

[gentle music]

Hello, I'm Hamish Bowles and we're at Buckingham Palace,

and I'm here to tell you my objects of affection

drawn from Queen Elizabeth II's treasury of clothing.

[gentle music continues]

Well, these three dresses by Smith & Co,

they're made from liberty fabric, of course.

It was quite a new look that the young princesses

obviously wore as children,

these simple cotton dresses.

Yes.

I am completely captivated by their bloomers.

[both laughing]

Their longer puffed knickers.

The bloomers are very practical

because it just gives them some modesty, I suppose.

Particularly, you know, in childhood,

playing with the corgis and the doggies

and just having a kind of carefree childhood

as was possible for the two young princesses.

[gentle music continues]

Here we have dresses for Princess Elizabeth

and Princess Margaret,

and astonishingly, they were crafted

and sent from Paris by Lanvin.

Jeanne Lanvin being the first couturier

to design clothing for children

so far as I'm aware.

I also think this is fascinating.

It was lengthened because she obviously must have liked it.

Yes.

I think that's such a lovely part of the history

of the piece, and it has a charm,

and I wanted to introduce the idea of Parisian couture,

even though really from here on in everything is British.

[soft music]

This was worn in South Africa.

There are four of these velvet dresses.

I think it's fascinating that you have this,

which is 1947,

and these, which are just a little bit later.

I'm so happy to make this sort of contrast, as you say,

because we see everything but that sort of mid,

almost to late forties shape, this much slimmer silhouette,

and then suddenly everything changes.

[Hamish] Yes.

And the details on these are so exquisite.

I like the fact that each one has just

a very slightly different fastening,

but everything is so carefully thought out.

And the colors I think are also quite important

because at this time,

Hartnell says that Princess Elizabeth made it clear

that she wished to wear stronger, darker colors.

[Hamish] Oh, really?

That's why I feel this moment is about the princess

sort of establishing her own style.

Yes.

[soft music]

We're looking at Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress,

which is from 1947,

and it was a creation by Norman Hartnell.

It was greeted with a rapture, I suppose, by the public,

because one had just come out of the war

and everything was rationed

and no one really had dressed like this.

So it was magical.

[Caroline] I think it still has

this sort of breathtaking quality.

Yes.

You should get the shoes.

I think that's just so divine.

At the time of her father's accession,

she became heir presumptive.

That was such a moment in history in this country.

There was this, you know, fascination

for the young princess.

[Hamish] Her father was clearly unwell

while she was at the beginning

of what was to be a global tour,

and she was in Kenya, I think.

[Caroline] That's right.

[Hamish] She discovered that he'd died.

[Caroline] And then we arrive at the moment

of her coronation.

It is just incredible.

I know. It takes your breath away.

Sparkles.

[Hamish] Norman Hartnell created, with her involvement,

this spectacular coronation dress.

Didn't Hartnell have the symbols of Wales,

Scotland and England and Ireland?

The addition of these details was to represent

the dominions of which of course she was then queen.

[Hamish] Yes.

Executed in these beautiful colors,

which give this lively freshness

to these sort of almost like cornucopia of embroidery,

which you know, say so much.

So here we're looking at William Dargie's amazing portrait

of Queen Elizabeth II,

painted right at the beginning of her reign.

This is one painted especially for her

and presented to her in 1957,

and this became the official portrait of the Queen

in Australia.

And the reason it's important in the context

of her wardrobe is because she's wearing

her famous Wattle dress,

Wattle being the national emblem of Australia,

and there's little sparkles and the flower shaped sequins

and little pearls.

You can imagine it sort of really capturing the light

and reflecting the sort of twinkle all around.

Exactly.

She always wanted her designers to incorporate

something for the host nation.

And this is a remarkable example of that.

Well, this was Princess Margaret's wedding in 1960.

[Caroline] It's kind a statement, isn't it?

And it's just this very interesting turning point,

1960, in sort of counterculture.

And the last royal wedding for which women

had to wear long dresses.

[Caroline] That's right.

Which is kind of a crazy mixture

because you have these afternoon hats

and then this.

I mean, it's like going into the 18th century almost

with the gloves.

I just so wanted to put it all together.

And by having the sketch,

it gives this wonderful kind of atmosphere

and to see that translated from the page

into the actual piece,

it's quite rare to be able to do that.

And I think that very distinctive silhouette

and the fact that Hartnell managed

not to include any embellishment...

Yes.

So there's something reflecting back,

but it's a moment where things change.

This was the beginning of the sixties, obviously.

Her Majesty was carrying more than a trace

of the fifties with her.

We have one by Hardy Amies

showing his absolute fascination

and love of tailoring,

and then this almost crinoline skirted gown

by Norman Hartnell from the 1961 tour wardrobe

to India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Something about the fabric I think could indicate

that perhaps this was really thought through as a textile

that would resonate with Indian culture.

I mean, I'm sure it's not an actual Indian textile.

It's almost certainly French, I would've thought.

But it has this sort of volume as well,

which is kind of Balenciaga.

Yes.

This is Hardy Amies.

Yes.

Who was a bit more subdued than Hartnell,

and he was looking at Balencia and Givenchy.

So this is off-duty style, very distinctive.

This combination of tweed and tartan.

The skirt made by Kinloch Anderson,

the tartan makers in Scotland,

and their jacket by Driscoll,

who was the tailor at Hartnell in the forties

and up to the early fifties. Oh, really?

Yes.

Then set up independently

and the Queen continued to go to him.

But I think these show the way, even off duty,

there's a kind of formality to the clothing,

but there's something perhaps about it that,

especially when we look at the portraits,

the clothing gives that sense of confidence.

Was also remarkably close to what she wore as a girl.

Kilts and the formal jackets.

[Caroline] Exactly.

You see that same trait going through

so much part of her life.

This is great distress, this dress, this ensemble.

I love it actually.

In fact, the wardrobe that Angela Kelly created

for the Diamond Jubilee,

I think, was so sort of coherent and well thought through.

The Queen looked absolutely radiant.

It was such an important moment,

and this piece of course, worn for the river pageant

where the weather didn't...

Wasn't as kind as it might have been.

Nonetheless, it's survived unscathed

and there's a regal quality.

But it's also a little bit sort of relaxed somehow.

I don't know.

There's just something very comforting about looking at it.

[Hamish] Well, these are remarkable tiaras

that were made for Her Majesty.

This was featuring aquamarines that came from Brazil.

It's quite something.

And this was from Burma in 1947.

The rubies have this incredible color,

much more vivid than I had imagined,

as I've actually ever seen.

I mean, this is the first time it's been exhibited.

Really?

Yes.

So it's just wonderful to see it.

It's quite a spectacular jewel.

[Hamish] Well, a crown is a symbol of a coronation

that's only worn by the monarch.

In a way, I suppose, because we know that these were made

with these wonderful gifts of stones

commissioned by the Queen,

that they have that sort of regal status.

But of course, in reality, anybody can wear a tiara.

The fact that they incorporate these state gifts...

[Hamish] Yes.

Gives them, I suppose, that kind of dignity

and association with monarchy.

But as you say, the crown can only be worn by the sovereign.

[bright music]

This archive has shown, I think, particularly being able

to access all the documentation,

correspondence, fashion sketches,

seeing the hand of the Queen literally presents

a much more rounded story

about her relationship with fashion.

The great takeaway, I suppose, is that she was deeply,

deeply involved in the production of her clothing.

Just walking through these rooms,

you have a real sense of who she was

and the messages and images that she wanted to convey

through the way she dressed.

[Caroline] That sense of communication, I think,

with audiences was so important for her.

[Hamish] Yes, exactly.

Even without needing to speak,

the clothes did so much of the talking really.

Yes, they did.

I'm thrilled that we've taken this trip through history

together with these amazing clothes,

and I'll see you soon.

[light music]