#1 For her wedding and her coronation days, Elizabeth II chose Norman Hartnell’s designs. In 1947 she married Prince Philip in Westminster Abbey wearing a 40s-inspired embroidered gown, made of silk, chiffon and tulle. Since in the after-war period there was clothing rationing in the UK, the Queen had to purchase the fabrics using rationing coupons, a sign of sobriety in those hard times.
#2 The Cobalt dress: in 1961 the Queen and Prince Philip invited the US president John Kennedy and the first lady Jackie Kennedy: for this occasion Elizabeth wore a light blue tulle dress whose style contrasted with Jackie’s gown, whose beauty and glamorous allure could haze the Queen’s importance. Elizabeth chose regality over fashionability to mark a difference, succeeding in the competition: her dress would have resulted out of place if worn by the American first lady, but the Queen was perfectly at ease in it.
#3 Princess Beatrice’s vintage wedding dress: for her wedding in Windsor, Princess Beatrice chose to shop vintage instead of ordering a designer-tailored gown. The Queen’s granddaughter picked a Norman Hartnell taffeta and organza-made gown from Her Majesty’s closet, which was last worn for the première of “Lawrence of Arabia” in 1962.
#4 1973, première gown: In 1973, attending a West End première in London, the Queen wore a colorful enriched dress with a white fur mantle. She used to switch from her formal regimental style while attending shows or premières, as proper occasions to show herself off a little more: together with the HarleyQueen dress and many other “excessive” looks, she communicated her unicity and sense of humour.
#5 The HarleQueen dress: During the Royal Variety Performance in 1999 at the Hippodrome, Her Majesty wore a colored dress which earned her the nickname of “The HarleQueen”, characterised by the exact same harleyquinn-style diamonds on the top of it. The “shocking” dress was covered in paillettes and made of many colors, such as yellow, green, blue, pink and purple.
#6 Dublin dress: In 2011, Her Majesty was the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland in a century. For this occasion, she chose a green dress in a specific jade shade to tribute the country.