Being the Queen of England gives you access to one of the best things life has to offer, which includes clothing. The Queen Elizabeth II is renowned for her vibrant sense of style. She frequently dons a head-to-toe coordinated ensemble.
Given that she must constantly be elegant and appropriately attired when attending formal functions, the sovereign has an excellent wardrobe. Her Majesty hardly ever wears the same item of clothing more than once, unlike her great-grand daughter-in-law, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
So, ever wondered what happened to Queen Elizabeth’s expensive, opulent attire that she wore for the past 70 years since she came to power?
Well, we actually do know what Her Majesty does with her worn-out clothes owing to Brian Hoey’s book ‘Not In Front of the Corgis’, a royal biography. The author claims that after the Queen has grown tired of them, she gives her dressers the clothes, allowing them to either wear it themselves or sell it.
So, will it be obvious to all if anything was once owned by the Queen? Unfortunately, the author claims that this is not the case.
If they choose to sell the Queen’s clothing, some restrictions apply.
“If her dresser wishes to sell an item, she is not allowed to disclose any information about its former owner,” Brian says. “All labels must be removed and anything that could possibly identify it as having come from royalty obliterated,” continued the royal expert. Therefore, there may be a chance that you’ve stumbled upon a piece of clothing that was once worn by the Queen, but you wouldn’t be aware of that.
How Queen Elizabeth’s Clothes are created?
Senior dresser Angela Kelly and her staff create and produce a large portion of the Queen’s wardrobe at Buckingham Palace.
“The Queen loves clothes and is a real expert on fabrics,” as Kelly, who was hired as a dresser in 1993 after serving as a housekeeper for a British diplomat, once stated.
For each cloth, Kelly creates at least four distinct designs from which the Queen may select. She creates a technical sketch from which the pattern is cut after the initial conversations.
Details, which have long been kept a closely guarded secret, include how everything is cut and sculpted to match a mannequin constructed to the Queen’s size.
After that, a rough cotton toile is created to allow for design revisions before the final cloth is cut.
The average fitting session lasts about half a day. To maximise the use of time, four or five clothes are fitted throughout each session.
Three dressmakers, a milliner, and four dressers are among the up to 12 personnel that work in the Queen’s wardrobe department for major events. Their duties include assisting the Queen with getting dressed and maintaining the quality of her clothing.
Who Is Behind the Clothing of Queen Elizabeth?
Queen Elizabeth often wears fancy outfits at public events, and Mary Angela Kelly and her staff at Buckingham Palace create and manufacture many of those outfits.
In 1993, Angela Kelly (born 4 November 1957 in Liverpool), who had previously worked as a housekeeper for a British ambassador, was hired as a dresser for the royal family. Since 2002, she has been Queen Elizabeth II’s personal assistant and senior dresser. She designs all of the monarch’s clothing, from day dresses to evening gowns.
