What happens to the clothes worn by Queen Elizabeth II?

Shubhangi Gupta

studied Chartered Accountancy at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

21w ago

Her Majesty, really is the green queen.

The Queen is frugal by nature, it is the austerity of Balmoral that suits her more than anything as she was brought up in wartime, around rations not fashions.

In these straitened times, she is even more aware of costs. What a beacon of sense and stability she has been. The Queen has never been an extravagant person, being affectionately called as a “make-do-and-mend Queen”.

Her formative years were shaped by growing up in the shadow of the Second World War and that she had made sacrifices along with her country. Make do and mend is etched indeliblely on some members of that generations mind.

Often she has been seen a number of times repeating clothes and some of them are even recycled. For example, the one she wore to the Royal Wedding in April, 2011 during her trip to Australia.

The famously thrifty Queen is known for recycling her outfits - she has often asked Angela Kelly(her personal assistant) and her team of seamstresses to update the decorations on gowns rather than making new versions.

When the Queen toured Saudi Arabia she observed the traditions by way of dressing in a wardrobe considered appropriate and more modest. Once the tour was over she had some of the outfits altered and they were ultimately re-purposed.

Another one,

Another,

Another,

Another,

Many of the Queen's outfits are worn more than once. The re-purposed/recycled outfits are staggered strategically throughout the year. She has been seen (and photographed) in various outfits over and over again. Some outfits are altered to make them look different. This practice is not uncommon for the Queen, noted by staff.

The royal designer(s), dress-maker(s), seamstress(s) and all assistants assign names to the Queen’s outfits for reference purposes. It’s vital to have a detailed log of outfits. For example, if Her Majesty wore red on a visit to the south of England; that color would typically be avoided for a couple/few months, even if the design is completely different.

To keep track, all dressers have their own individual handwritten wardrobe diaries noting the details of each outfit; the event at which it was worn, and rotate them accordingly. Royal dressers have never revealed the Queen's actual dress size and this secret has been kept since her Maj's coronation. These personal notes also help should a garment become lost or damaged, and as with her dress size and other particulars, the details are never disclosed.

The royal head dresser maintains her ensembles in a more official manner. They are cataloged by date worn, event, and other particulars; along with all accessories worn with them. Everything is carefully archived. Some of her evening gowns from the last 60 years are periodically on display. The garments are stored in such a manner that protects them from air, sunlight, insects, etc.

Now, let’s see the complete journey of how her majesty’s clothes are prepared. Firstly, as the Queen’s top designer, Angela sketches at least four different designs for a particular piece of fabric, from which the Queen can choose. A fan is employed to test how lightweight materials such as chiffon, organza or silk will move in a breeze.

After initial discussions, Angela makes notes of the Queen’s wishes and ideas for alterations before producing a final technical drawing from which the pattern is cut.

Once the fabric and the design sketch have been approved, a prototype, or toile, is made from rough cotton so that the finer details of design can be tweaked before moving onto the chosen fabric.

Everything is cut and shaped to match a mannequin to the Queen’s (top secret) size and body shape. Once the final fabric has been cut and pinned to the mannequin, the dressmaker is briefed on the details like buttons, trimmings, collars and cuffs.

It’s important that the color chosen suits not only the Queen, but also the occasion and ensures that she’s easily seen.

The dressers pick striking colors to ensure maximum visibility. If the Queen is planting a tree in a setting with a predominantly green background, for example, then that color is avoided for aesthetic, and photographic reasons.

For a school, designers pick bright, jolly colors and use details that will appeal to children such as feathers, twirls, twists, flowers and ribbons. Colors can also hold symbolic meaning, i.e. black for condolence and yellow for happiness.

When travelling by car and sitting down for long periods, the Queen’s coat or jacket should not crease, but has to be both comfortable and practical, and must fall appropriately as she steps from a vehicle.

The same rules apply to her evening wear: too much fabric makes manoeuvring difficult, and heavy beading can be uncomfortable.

Day wear is usually designed to stop just below the knee, whereas a cocktail dress tends to be just below or ballerina length.

Stairs can be problematic in long, fitted dresses, and to combat this, splits and pleats are always fitted into designs.

With sleeve length, Her Majesty prefers three-quarters and definitely not too wide — royal cuffs in the soup will never do.

When a hat is part of an outfit, dressers must provide a matching headscarf in case it gets wet or damaged in the rain. Umbrellas are always transparent so spectators can still see her face, but come with a co-ordinated colored handle and edged trim.

For her footwear, no matter what the occasion the Queen favors a 2-1/4 inch heel, though for uneven surfaces, like cobbles, gravel or grass, she will wear flatter shoes.

The weight of her handbag is vital given the length of time she may be required to hold it. Longer handles are chosen, so the bag hangs from her forearm without catching on her cuff.

For daytime and for walking, a plain white handkerchief with a motif is used, while for country pursuits a medium-sized one in tartan or checks is preferred.

Zips are used throughout the wardrobe and come into their own when the Queen has to attend a large number of engagements in one day.

This can mean several changes of outfit and a zip detail ensures she can quickly change.

Lifting a garment over the head would wreak havoc with Her Majesty’s carefully-coiffed hair and risk make-up smudges.

Designers also place discreet weights in hemlines to avoid situations where a sudden gust of wind could cause severe royal embarrassment(cause either after all these times we still remember that iconic blow of Marilyn Monroe’s :p)

So you see a lot goes into the making of Her majs clothing, so these must be expensive as hell. Andshe is well aware about the taxpayers money. So she either get her dresses recycled or restructured or simply re-wear them.

I guess in her whole life she has worn every damn color we could think of.

And most of the clothes are kept in a tight custody to prevent them from dust, sunlight, insects etc. As many of the outfits, are not appropriate to wear at such age, so most of them are displayed in the exhibitions held. Many are sent to charity houses. Some are even auctioned.

Here are some pictures from the latest exhibition held in this purpose, THE QUEEN’S WARDROPEDIA:

Obviously this Queen believes a dress could and should be re-rocked if you like it well enough.

( The first time, the dress was embroidered with appliqués of country birds, later she flips off the birds and has them bedazzled with Swarovski crystals.)

Seriously it takes a great deal of confidence, to recycle an outfit that has once been worn, in front of billions of people; and it obviously won’t go unnoticed. A lot of people might say she’s the queen so she might not get criticized, but I see a woman leading by example, and encouraging contentment.

We all should take a page from her books and recycle those beautiful clothes that social media especially Instagram won’t let us re-rock.

Most of us would’ve think that HM dare tried even repeating a single piece of clothing. It was surprising to knew this.

Tahsin Faraz Khan

Dreamer. Dreams about getting attendance more than 75%.

22w ago

When the Queen toured Saudi Arabia, she conformed to customs by way of dressing in a wardrobe considered appropriate. Once the tour was over, she had some of the outfits altered and they were ultimately repurposed. This practice is not uncommon for the Queen, noted by staff.

The royal designers, dress-makers, seemstress and all assistants assign names to the Queen’s outfits for reference purposes. It’s vital to have a detailed log of outfits. For example, if Her Majesty wore red on a visit to the south of England; that colour would typically be avoided for a couple/few months, even if the design is completely different. To keep track, all dressers have their own individual handwritten wardrobe diaries noting the details of each outfit; the event at which it was worn, and rotate them accordingly. Royal dressers have never revealed the Queen's actual dress size and this secret has been kept since her Maj's coronation. These personal notes also help should a garment become lost or damaged, and as with her dress size and other particulars, the details are never disclosed.

The Queen is known for her frugality. Older clothes are often remodeled. The Queen wears her clothes over and over and over again. When they aren't in use, they are stored. Sometimes, certain outfits are displayed in museum exhibits.

Ashima S Couture

Owner/Founder at ASHIMA S COUTURE (2015-present)

22w ago

Actually she gets them converted into different styles once they are seen publically, because she can’t wear same clothes to clicked by the camera. But Queen stands for non wastage, they either convert them or they donate/recycle. This method is even adopted by many celebs for whom our brand has worked for.

Robert Taylor

studied at London and Keele Universities.

22w ago

Charlotte Taylor

lives in The United Kingdom

22w ago

In a article I saw in the papers about 4 years ago I think HM Queens but some of her old clothes into a charity shop but the shop is not told where they came from

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