ROYAL FASHION; HOW IT INFLUENCES WHAT YOU WEAR.

ROYAL FASHION

HOW THEY INFLUENCE WHAT YOU WEAR

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I come from a British background. Both of my parents were immigrants from England, this does not mean that they were supporters or followers of the monarchy. However, if you are from Great Britain or a commonwealth country, the royal family and the Queen play a part in your life. After all, in Canada, you can't spend a dollar without seeing the Queen. While we may not follow every move of the royal family, they influence many aspects of our lives. One area where the royals hold court is in the realm of what they wear.
There has always been an interest in what the royals wear. The British royal family are much like celebrities, their fashion choices are always in the spotlight. This enthusiasm for what the royals wear is certainly not a new thing. Throughout history, Kings, and Queens, and royal courts have always had sartorial influence.

The most popular royal fashion influencer of today is the Duchess of Cambridge. There is a popular blog dedicated to the royal fashion choices of The Duchess of Cambridge. What Kate Wore follows every fashion choice this popular royal makes. Indeed, Kate's style is a mix of high and low fashion. Kate dons dresses from the most prestigious couture houses and equally sports outfits from brands like H&M. The influence of what Kate wears can have an impact on sales and the success of fashion designers. Throughout history, royal fashion has inspired, influenced, and set trends.

ROYAL FASHION

THE FIRST FASHION QUEEN

The first true fashion Queen was the virgin queen herself, Elizabeth the First. This first royal fashionista dressed in an extravagant nature never seen before. Furthermore, she was the first royal anywhere who encouraged her court and subjects to emulate her outrageous style. The young Elizabeth landed on the throne in 1558. Her dress, at the time, was conservative, however, she was maybe the first influencer using her fashion choices to create her brand.

Her style changed drastically as her reign continued. The simplicity of the cone-shaped skirts became the exaggerated farthingales (hoop-skirts). Her elaborate bejeweled décolletage and extravagant Elizabethan collars were signs of style and power. She, was defined by her brilliant dyed red hair and white make-up (used to disguise her age). British women emulated the Queen by likewise dying their hair and plastering their faces with thick white toxic make-up.

The royals of today are fashion icons because of the media. However, there were no media for Elizabeth 1. Her Instagram was the countless royal portraits she commissioned. Her PR machine brought about the desired results. The Queens pale-faced flamed hair image remains iconic to this day.

ROYAL FASHION

ROYAL FASHION - FRENCH STYLE

If royal fashion was started by the British, it was perfected by the French. Royal fashion was brought to new heights by Louis XIV. His 72-year long reign, which began in 1638, was a celebration of excessive fashion. Today French style is known for refinement, elegance, and simplicity. The chic French of today wouldn't recognize the excess and opulence of their forefather's royal fashion.

Louis XIV believed in the divine rights of kings to power. He certainly knew how to Dress The Part. He was obsessed with his image and was a fan of huge wigs and jewelry. However, his significant contribution to fashion is footwear. King Louis believed one of his greatest assets were his legs, for his diminutive 5'5' stature, high heels were his answer. With the assistance of his royal shoemaker Nicholas Lesage, Louis was able to popularize his high heels, so much so Lesage became the Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo of his days. Another of Louis's degrees was that all upper-class men's shoes had to have red heels. Of course, we see that royal influence in our contemporary fashion with the status symbol of those perfect red-soled Louboutins.

ROYAL FASHION

CAN FASHION CAUSE A REVOLUTION ?

In 1770 the future queen of France arrived from Austria. The 14-year-old Marie Antoinette was to marry Louis XVI. The young woman, had been groomed for her role as queen. Suddenly the girl queen was the center of the world. She had one duty as queen, to provide the country an heir to the throne. One thing stood in the way of her performing her function, the king. Louis XVI was asexual and showed little interest in his new queen. For seven years, four before they ascended to the throne and three after their union remained unconsummated. Louis spent most of his time hunting and amusing himself but never with women. Rumors about this arrangement spread throughout France and threatened to undermine Marie Antoinette's claim to the throne. And so she found a new way to assert her dominance, namely fashion..

ROYAL FASHION MARIE ANTOINETTE STYLE.

First, the Queen shocked the court and country by changing the traditional women's riding attire. Marie Antoinette was an avid horsewoman. However, her first sartorial move was to banish the skirts of the past and wear breeches. She not only donned breeches and riding boots but straddled the horse like a man; this was one of the first known occurrences of a woman wearing breeches. The Queen was a trendsetter.

Louise-Auguste Brun, Marie Antoinette on Horseback (1781-82) Reunion des Musees Nationaux

The second was the popularizing of the enormous pouf wigs and exaggerated panier skirts. Unlike her forebears, she didn't stay hidden away in Versailles. Moreover, she would flaunt her regular appearances in Paris. A precursor to our modern-day fashion shows, the Queen would introduce the latest styles to the public. She used her status to aggrandize her style and gain power as a consequence.

Before long, the illustrations in French fashion plates and almanacs (not unlike our magazines or Instagram accounts) all resembled the queen. In another move similar to a modern-day influencer, Marie Antoinette allowed the purveyors of fashion to acquire her style. This was a brand new concept that courtiers and the public with resources were encouraged to don the latest styles. The influence of Royals was vast and continues till this day. One of their main influences was in how we procure fashion.

One of the most significant influences Marie Antoinette had on fashion was that she allowed her dressmakers to have commercial ventures, allowing Parisians to purchase replicas of her dresses. Moreover, this changed fashion enormously and is a precursor to the couture salons and boutiques of the future.

Marie Antoinette had a personal court designer, Rose Bertin. She unofficially appointed Rose Bertin, French dressmaker, and milliner, as her "Minister of Fashion." The innovative creations made by Bertin became famous and entitled her the first fashion designer of the world. Hundreds of dresses per year were made especially for the Queen. Marie Antoinette was a real trend-setter. She represented the symbol of 18th-century extravagance. The Queen's fabulous dresses, spectacular jewelry, and fascinating hairdos transformed her into the Queen of Fashion.

However, the excess of Marie Antoinette and the French court was what led to their destruction. Perhaps fashion contributed to the end of a royal court and a revolution. It's been well over 200 years since she met her fate at the guillotine. But her image is still omnipresent, is instantly recognizable, and is one of the most copied fashion looks ever.

Moschino, Fall 2020.

ROYAL FASHION

ROYAL INFLUENCE STARTS TO WANE

After the French revolution, the power of royal influence began to wane. The royal courts of Europe lost much of their ultimate power. Therefore with the fear of meeting the same demise as the French court, royals began to dress with less ostentation and flamboyance. However, this does not mean they failed to inspire their subjects.

Empress Eugénie was a trendsetter during the Second Empire (The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870). The massive crinoline dress favored by the Empress was made by Charles Frederick Worth, the father of haute couture. Worth was a designer who popularized the fashion collection and the concept of the couturier as an artist by using designer labels for the first time. Worth's business was established in the 1850s. As a result, Empress Eugénie’s relationship with Worth was influential in his career, helping him propel his brand. The Empress never wore a dress twice, and two times a year, she changed her entire closet.

It was an Empress that was the inspiration for the pinnacle of fashion, Haute Couture. The influence of royals on style laid the groundwork for the fashion world of today.

ROYAL FASHION

A QUEEN'S BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION TO FASHION.

I can hear in my head the voice of Billie Idol wailing out, "It's a nice day for a White Wedding" however, where did the concept of this white wedding come? Long before Princess Diana entered Westminster Abbey in one of the most famous dresses of the 20th century, there was Queen Victoria. One of the most substantial contributions royalty has made to fashion was the white wedding dress. One of the first white wedding dresses( in western culture) was the white gown worn by Queen Victoria 175 years ago.

While some authorities say that Queen Victoria chose white as a symbol of virginity and purity, it is much more likely that she wore white as a status symbol. White fabric and lace were exclusive to the most wealthy because of the difficulty in keeping them white. The wealthy elite wore white to show they could afford to have the garment cleaned. While Victoria was not the first to wear white, she was the Queen, the impact was enormous. Before long, especially with the advancement of synthetic fabrics and fabric care, white became the standard. Therefore, when you select that white gown for your wedding, give a nod to Queen Victoria.

ROYAL FASHION

THE TWENTY AND TWENTY FIRST CENTURIES ARE STILL INFLUENCED BY THE ROYALS.

By the 20th century the royals became a commodity to sell newspapers, magazines and fashion. The scandal sheets, as they were know, did indeed provoke scandal when Edward the VIII abdicated to marry American socialite and divorcee Wallis Simpson. Mrs. Simpson became the Duchess of Windsor and also became an everlasting fashion icon. The Duchesses style was impeccable and she frequented the most prestigious design houses and jewelers the world offered.

The society photographer Cecil Beaton described the Duchess this way; “As compact as a Vuitton traveling case, tidy, neat and immaculate", this sums up the Duchess's approach to her tailored style. She was on friendly terms with designers like Hubert de Givenchy and Christian Dior’s Marc Bohan. The Duchesses style was emulated by women on an international scale, only competing with the new stars of Hollywood. Many designers to this day name the Duchess of Windsor as an inspiration. Indeed, the Duchess is an influence on many fashion collections, films, and popular culture today.

ROYAL FASHION

THE SECOND ELIZABETHAN AGE

While the young women of today don't emulate the dress of Queen Elizabeth II, over her nine decades in the public eye, she has influenced fashion. The young Elizabeth was first known for her floral tea dresses of the 1930s and 40's. As her public image grew, so did her impact on fashion. By the time the future Queen married in 1947, she already was an international cover girl. Elizabeth's wedding gown and her later coronation gown, were designed by British society designer Norman Hartnell. The Queen's image was everywhere, young women around the globe were inspired and influenced by her royal style. With the Queen's accession to the throne, she also ascended in the realms of a fashion icon. The Queen's most impactful years as a fashion star were the 1950's when she shone brightly in ball gowns and tailored suits. During the following decades, the Queen has retained a place on the fashion stage with her classic British style and her commitment to refined dressing.

ROYAL FASHION

HOLLYWOOD MEETS ROYAL FASHION

By the 1950s Royal, fashion shared the spotlight with the stars of Hollywood so much that they merged. In 1956 silver screen icon Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco. The beautiful screen actress took her classic style and gave it some royal flair.

The new Princess favored classic Chanel dresses and refined, tailored looks. The Princess became a fashion icon with her classic style, signature shades, and a Hermes bag. The Hermes bag later became known as the Kelly bag. While Grace Kelly was a screen star, the press played up how an ordinary American girl became a Princess. This premise also made her wardrobe accessible to young mothers like her across the western world. The influence of the refined lines of Princess Grace of Monaco changed how women dressed.

While Princess Grace brought America to the circle of European royalty, she was made a fashion icon by the amount of press coverage she received from the American press. Fashion and the media are tied together. There is no better example than royal fashion.

ROYAL FASHION

THE MODERN ROYALS

What I will refer to as the modern age for royal fashion began in the 1980s. Never before had we seen a royal with whom so many identified. When in 1981, Diana Spencer married Prince Charles and became The Princess Of Wales, she also became the people's Princess.

It is hard to think of Princess Diana without thinking of her iconic style. Throughout her lifetime, Diana set the bar for personal style. She was not afraid to break the royal family’s style rules. As a result, she became one of the most influential fashion icons the world has ever seen.

As far as royal fashion goes, Diana started much like many of the other royals. In the beginning, she dressed like a stereotypical Princess. Diana wore a lot of gowns with huge skirts. She was styled in an overly romantic way. Many of her gowns were designed by Bellville Sassoon. Bellville Sassoon was the label of choice for the horsey set. The brand took many young debutantes, from school girls to fashionable young women. In this case, they took the introverted nanny and placed her firmly on the road to a full-fledged fashion icon.

ROYAL FASHION

DIANA BECOMES A FASHION ICON

However, it wasn't until her liberating divorce that she was able to show her fashion chops. The Queen of Hearts blossomed in her single life. Diana, with her new sassy short hair and her newly transformed athletic body, became a fashion superstar.

Diana's style had metamorphosed into chic elegance. Gone were the typical princess silhouettes. Diana's fashion-forward looks were made up of sleek well-tailored suits and body-conscious sexy dresses, many designed by Versace. Diana's latest fashion incarnation defined the style she would wear until her untimely death.

While we have looked at how royal fashion has influenced what we wear, much of what the royals wear is unaffordable to most. Kate has brought the high street to the palace. Never before has royal fashion been attainable to the masses. Kate has given us a new way to look at how clothes can make the royal family relatable to its followers. When the Duchess chose to wear a Top Shop dress for her royal duties, things changed. Within moments of wearing these affordable pieces, they have sold out. The Duchess of Cambridge has been spotted in a range of affordable pieces over the years, which she has a knack for elevating with simple styling tricks. Along the way, she has acquired legions of young women who follow her every fashion statement. Kate still loves to wear her favorite designer brands like Alexander McQueen, Mulberry, Erdem, and Emilia Wickstead.

Meghan Markle appeared on the scene with her marriage to Prince Harry. While Meghan brought her style to her position as The Duchess of Sussex, she came late to the party. Kate had already claimed the status of a royal fashion icon, and her light still shines brightest.

IN CONCLUSION

Fashion history is an interest of mine. Many things contribute to the way we dress and have dressed in the past. Perhaps there is no more significant influence on fashion throughout history than the royalty. Often what the royals wear is diluted by the time it reaches the masses, but it still comes from their sphere of influence. In the 21st century, the influence of royal fashion has waned. However, it has not ebbed to the point that what Kate wears sells out. "It’s been called the kind of marketing that money cannot buy. When the royal women formerly know as Kate Middleton and, Meghan Markle are photographed in public wearing items by a specific fashion brand, they not only drive internet searches and move product, they also confer a kind of unspoken endorsement that can elevate the reputation of a company" says Carol Halleman of Town and Country magazine. In closing, royals have and will still influence what we wear.