Generally sunny. High 87F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.

Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully on Sep. 8 from natural causes at Balmoral Castle after reigning for 70 years. Her Majesty was an icon not only for being British royalty, but also for her fashion sense. She was regularly seen at horse races and strolling through the gardens of Buckingham Palace wearing monochromatic skirt suits and elaborate hats. 

The queen’s style has influenced designers and other royalty throughout her lifetime, hence it’s only fair that we take a closer look at her various outfits and determine what we can learn from her fashion. Grab a pot of tea and a handful of pearl necklaces and read on. 

Accessorize like your life depends on it

The queen was never seen without a strand of pearls decorating her throat, a sparkly brooch on the lapel and her diamond wedding ring. On special occasions at grandiose public gatherings, she would also wear various gemstone and diamond-encrusted tiaras that were passed down to her through the generations as part of the royal collection. 

The queen also festooned her ears in beautiful jewels such as the Duchess of Teck’s earrings, small earrings with a pearl center surrounded by diamonds. She wore them on a royal tour of Australia in 1954 and she coupled them with a pair of floral brooches. 

At a young age, she wore elbow-length, white satin gloves that she would slip dainty bracelets over. 

Her jewelry collection was vast and always gorgeous. It shows that it’s a good idea to spend your money on jewelry and accessories, and that no occasion is too casual for a bit of bling. 

Dress bold and practice your royal wave

In her later days, after color photography was created and women’s fashion became less restrictive, Her Majesty was found wearing bold-colored, monochromatic skirt suits. 

One infamous example of her eye-catching outfit color scheme is when she wore an entirely neon green jacket, skirt and hat combination for her 90th birthday celebration. Her Majesty must have overlooked the fact that her outfit was the exact color of a green screen, which resulted in the internet photoshopping various patterns and images onto her outfit. No matter, the outfit was still iconic and hopefully just a marketing scheme done by the queen.

She also wore bold-colored dresses and skirt suits to multiple equestrian events as Elizabeth was an avid horse lover. 

The queen rarely talked, so her outfits spoke for her. Hence, anyone who is a little shy should pull out the bold-colored outfits from their closet and become a silent statement in honor of the fashionable queen. 

The queen not only wore bold outfits, but she also dressed practically. She had her suits tailored so that she could lift her arms to wave to the masses without bunching the shoulder pads. She also wore weights in her skirts so that the wind wouldn’t cause any accidental unsightly scenes. 

All her outfits always fit her perfectly and the skirts never reached above her knees. There was never a misplaced crease or accidental stain on anything she wore. 

This amount of care is something we can all take note of. While we may not be attending any royal weddings on a day-to-day basis, it’s always a good idea to press your clothes before an important school project or an accidental-on-purpose coffee meet-cute. 

The queen regularly wore British brands such as Burberry and Barbour in outdoor engagements. So, it was no surprise when she was invited to attend the front row of Richard Quinn’s fashion show during London Fashion Week. The queen looked cute and modest in a powder blue dress and jacket by Angela Kelly. She sat beside Anna Wintour — the editor-in-chief and figurative queen of Vogue — and politely clapped at the designer’s collection. 

The queen attended the show to present Quinn with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. The idea for the award was created by Kelly, who helped to orchestrate the queen’s wardrobe for over 26 years. The award is given to emerging British fashion designers in the name of the queen and her passion for fashion. 

After Elizabeth’s death, the British fashion scene mourned the royal loss as many designers postponed their shows. However, Erdem Moralıoğlu and his fellow designers proclaimed the show must go on and created a runway show in honor of the queen. The color scheme was dark, and the dresses were tasteful and paid tribute to the queen’s own royal outfits. The models also wore beautiful jewelry that I’m sure the queen would’ve loved. 

All in all, Queen Elizabeth II will be greatly missed in the world of fashion and no bold-colored skirt suit will ever be the same. However, life must go on and King Charles III has some large fashionable shoes to fill.

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.