Why Did Queen Elizabeth II Wear Such Bright Colours?

After the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth yesterday afternoon, the internet is being flooded with articles, tweets and posts about her life and legacy. Born in 1926, she lived through a century that saw countless historical world events and technological advancements. She was born before the invention of sliced bread!

As many write sombre and reflecting pieces of the 70-year-long reign of such a personable figurehead, let’s celebrate the grandmother of a nation by doing what we do best…talking fashion.

When she ascended to the throne in 1952, corseted ballgowns, petticoated skirts, narrow pencil skirts, gloves and day hats were what one expected their Queen to wear. In the early years of her time on the throne, she mastered how to wear a heavy gown accessorised with diamonds and a tiara, a true picture of a young Queen perfectly shown in her coronation ensemble. However, this is not how we will remember Elizabeth’s fashion choices. Instead, we will remember the slightly older Monarch who found a uniform and stuck to it. That uniform? A perfectly tailored skirt suit in a bright and bold colour. 

The Queen was a petite woman, standing at 5ft4 at the time of her coronation but, inevitably, losing height with age. As plagued Queen Victoria when she ruled, a short Queen can be rather hard to spot in a crowd and so Elizabeth found a way to fix this complication. Back in 2016 in a documentary to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, explained what seeing the Queen in a crowd is like, "When you realize that people have actually turned up to say hello and they want to say hello, and they're pleased to see you, it's very heartwarming, really," Sophie said. "Actually to stand back and watch the sheer pleasure on people's faces as they get to be able to say hello to the queen is wonderful. Just a look or a nod or a smile and hello — they're absolutely thrilled." 

Angela Kelly, the Queen’s senior dresser and a very close personal friend, wrote in her 2019 book The Other Side of The Coin, "Colour is key though — the colour chosen must suit the Queen and the occasion," Kelly wrote. "Vibrant colours work well in the daytime: they allow her to stand out from the crowd and be visible to the well-wishers who have come to see her."