![]() He may not have been innovative-that was not his mission-but he was effective. Her team understood the rules of engagement.Īmies, a decorated Second World War intelligence officer who served with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) Belgian sector, drew upon military tailoring. The armoury of her soft power, the visual message communicated through dress, was translated and amplified by her chosen couturiers who were all British-in succession, Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies, Ian Thomas and Stewart Parvin- and through her trusted dressers, the most recent, and of 25 years standing, being Angela Kelly. Having made a close study of the history of the constitution under her private tutor Henry Marten, Vice-Provost of Eton College, a constitutional scholar, the Queen was steeped in the art of monarchy. The construction of the Queen’s virtually unchanging image, a brand as distinctive as Coca-Cola, was the work of many minds and many hands. She deployed not only to connect with her people but also as a strategic weapon on the battleground of national and international diplomacy Elizabeth II’s banner has been block colour, and her blazons, whether as embroidered symbols or pinned brooches, delivered messages. Both Elizabeths, though born four centuries apart, set forth into battle, like medieval knights, under their own blazon, their coat of arms, their own dress code, instantly recognised in the field and from afar by their subjects. One only has to look at the 1600 “Rainbow” portrait of the all-seeing, all-hearing Virgin Queen-in the collection of Hatfield House-her mantle embroidered with ears and eyes, to appreciate this messaging at play. She also deployed it not only to connect with her people but also as a strategic weapon on the battleground of national and international diplomacy.ĭress is a serious business, something that Elizabeth II's predecessor Elizabeth l understood completely. She treated her clothing as a tool of work, ensuring comfort and appropriateness, and affording visibility, propriety and immutability. ![]() Over the past 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe was concerned not with fashion, but with dress.
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