sabato 4 giugno 2016

Rachel Trevor Morgan Cornflower Blue Hat with Black and White Trim and Matching Stewart Parvin Outfit

This look comprises a lightweight crepe coat in cornflower blue with large front patch pockets and silver, slightly domed buttons, a silk dress featuring large blue blooms on a white background and a splendid hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan in cornflower blue straw, finished off with a spray of black and white feather alstroemeria blossoms.

The Queen debuted it as part of her Diamond Jubilee wardrobe, on 1 June 2012, when she wore it to the Epsom Derby, accessorizing with Queen Mary's Russian sapphire and diamond brooch (Daily Mail article here):


 

 
A photo from the Epsom Derby appearance was used on the cover of a commemorative LIFE magazine booklet celebrating the Diamond Jubilee:
 
 
Barely two months later, on 27 July 2012, the Queen repeated the look tour of the Athletes Village on day one of the London 2012 Olympics Games (Daily Mail article here). This time she selected the Flower Basket brooch to go with her outfit:




We didn't see this outfit for quite some time afterwards, until it was repeated on 17 May 2014 at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, paired with Prince Albert's sapphire and diamond brooch (below, HM is shown in the royal box with the King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa):

 
 
Almost exactly a year later, on 19 April 2015, the Queen recycled the outfit to attend a reception at Canada House in London to mark the country's contribution to the First World War (Daily Mail article here). She wore the badge of the Calgary Highlanders as a brooch:
 

 
On 1 June 2016, we saw this look again (paired for a second time with Queen Mary's Russian brooch) on a visit to the Honourable Artillery Company. The Queen is the longest serving Captain-General of the Company and the visit included unveiling a bust in her honour (Daily Mail article here):
 


 

sabato 23 aprile 2016

Fuchsia Lightweight Coat with White Trim and Matching Straw Hats

This outfit is comprised of a block-colour fuchsia lightweight cover up with large white trimming
and a white and fuchsia silk dress with a geometric pattern. Two hats go with this outfit, both made of fuchsia straw; one is a toadstoll trimmed with a large fuchsia silk rose and white feathers, the other has a partially upturned brim and is trimmed with white and fuchsia bow loops and two fuchsia quills.

The Queen wore this ensamble with the first hat on 15 May 2008, on a visit to Kabatas School in Istanbul, before embarking on a boat trip down the river Bosphorus during a State visit to Turkey. An unidentified floral brooch was used:


The second hat debuted the following year on the second day of Royal Ascot, on 17 June 2009. This time the Queen wore the Cullinan V brooch:


 
On 4 June 2011, the Queen repeated the look to the Epsom Derby (Daily Mail article here). This time she accessorized with one of Queen Victoria's bow brooches:
 


 

The Queen wore this outfit again on 6 May 2016, on a visit to Berkhamsted School in Hertfordshire, on the occasion of its 475th anniversary (Daily Mail article here). She accessorized with her pink topaz and diamond brooch:






Yellow Stewart Parvin Outfit with Blue Accents

For the traditional Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, on 27 March 2016, the Queen led her family in a new Stewart Parvin outfit, comprising a bright yellow collared coat with gold domed buttons, pleated dress with a blue floral motif on yellow background and a hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan, in yellow straw with a gently upturned brim on one side. The piece is finished with a small yellow bow and blue flowers which tie in with the vibrant print of Her Majesty’s silk dress (Daily Mail article here). The Queen wore the Frosted Sunflower brooch to complement her outfit:




 
Surprisingly, the Queen recylced this look for Day 1 of the Ascot races, on 14 June 2016 (Daily Mail article here). Bookmakers were predicting she'd wear blue, instead she opted for this sunny ensamble, worn again with the Frosted Sunflower brooch, and we got a better look at the dress:
 

 
 
 

Cerise Stewart Parvin Outfit and Rachel Trevor Morgan Hat

On 20 April 2016, the eve of her 90th birthday, the Queen was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh on a visit to the Royal Mail delivery office in Windsor to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the British postal service, wearing a new outfit by Stewart Parvin and hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan.

The outfit is comprised of a cerise coat with gunmetal domed buttons and floral print silk dress on a white background, while the hat is cerise straw edged in contrasting pale green piping around the cartwheel brim and trimmed with a lavish posy of flowers and a pale green straw looped bow. The Queen wore her rose gold brooch (Daily Mail article here):




On 14 July 2016, the Queen wore the dress on its own (note the beautiful ruched detail) as she hosted the annual reception for recipients of the Queen's Award for Enterprise at Buckingham Palace (Daily Mail article here). She wore the Cullinan V brooch:


Lime Green Outfit and Orchid Trimmed Hat for 90th Birthday Celebrations

On 21 April 2016, the day of her 90th birthday, the Queen debuted a new hat and coat for the celebrations in Windsor, designed by trusted personal dresser Angela Kelly and described by Buckingham Palace as a “spring grass green wool and silk weave coat and dress with hat to match adorned with flowers”.
The coat is collarless and has hidden buttons and flap pockets. The hat is made of white straw trimmed with the same silk mix fabric as the rest of the outfit and a spray of white silk orchids.
The Queen accessorized with the diamond Jardine Star brooch and swapped the hat for a simple white silk scarf for the beacon lighting ceremony at dusk outside Windsor Castle (Daily Mail articles here and here):

 

 



sabato 5 dicembre 2015

Butterfly Trimmed Straw Hat, White Jacket and Silk Rose Print Dress

This is a look that sees Her Majesty stray into slightly more flamboyant millinery territory: it's unusual, in fact, to see the Queen's hats adorned in anything more risqué than feathered flowers, but this hats departs from tradition with its highly distinctive feathered butterfiles décor. As for what concerns the clothes, we have a white cotton collarless jacket and a white silk dress with a white-on-white polka dot motif, printed in blue naturalistic roses and green butterflies, a nod to the hat that ties together the whole look.

The dress that forms part of this outfit is probably one of the most widely used on its own among those in Her Majesty's wardrobe. She selected it for a reception at Hotel Phoenicia in Floriana, Malta, on 24 November 2005, during a visit she undertook with the Duke of Edinburgh to coincide with their 58th wedding anniversary. The Queen wore a pair of twin brooches in the shape of ivy leaves, part of the Greville bequest:



The Queen wore the complete outfit on 18 March 2006, on a State visit to Singapore during which she presented the winner's cup at the Queen Elizabeth II Cup held at the Singapore Turf Club. The diamond and sapphire grapes brooch was worn:



 
The look, minus the jacket, was repeated on 12 June 2006 at a Buckingham Palace garden party to mark to mark the 350th anniversary of the Grenadier Guards. The Queen predictably wore the Grenadier Guards badge:
 
 


 
While the hat and jacket have not been seen in public in quite some time, the Queen seems to have got much wear out of the dress, which, to this day, she frequently chooses for daytime engagements and audiences.

On 19 July 2006, the Queen wore the dress, accessorized with Marie Feodorovna's sapphire and pearl pendant brooch, to attend the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. She is seen below with Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel, whom she presented with The Queen's Medal for Music:


The Queen wore the dress again on 11 July 2013 to the Coronation Festival, a one-off event held in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, where the Royal Warrant Holders Association brought together - for the first time on this scale - over 200 companies who hold Royal Warrants of Appointment. She wore the Nizam of Hyderabad Rose brooch:

 
Very unusually, the Queen graciously agreed to pose for a photograph with Jessica Fitch, aged 7, and Bertie the teddy bear (Daily Mail story here):



On 1 July 2014, the Queen repeated the dress for an audience with Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (Daily Mail article here). Not so easy to spot, but HM seems to be wearing the Flame Lily brooch: