Fit For a Queen:
Queen Elizabeth's Coronation Gowns
In 1953, when Queen
Elizabeth was crowned, the British nation was all a-gush. The young
soon-to-be-queen was much loved and admired, and news about her coronation
flooded British papers. One paper, The Daily Mirror, covered
the fashions of the historic event in great detail, including sketches of
the dresses that were kept secret till the last moment, but much talked
about before-hand. Breaking from tradition, the gowns were alive with 1950s
style.
On May 29th, the paper reported: "The eleven dream frocks
for June 2--six alike, and the other five differing subtly in their shades
of creamy white--are ready now. They are the exquisite Coronation gowns
fashioned by Norman Hartnell for the Queen, the Queen Mother, Princess
Margaret, the Duchess of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and the six Maids of
Honour. No one will see them till Coronation Day."
This assertion was slightly over-stated, since on May 30th
the same paper reported that 2,000 people at the final rehearsal in
Westminster Abbey, along with a crowd of about 5,000 waiting outside, caught
at least a glimpse of the famed dresses. "There are more than eight yards of
heavy, white, delustered satin in the ground-length, wide skirts...The
six-inch hems at the bottom of the skirts are of white silk. Garlands are
embroidered in gold over the bodices and the top of the skirts," the
Mirror reported.
Queen Elizabeth's coronation gown.
The day of the
coronation, the front page featured a large sketch of the new queen's gown
(see above), with the title The Queen's Surprise! The gown was
described as "a breath-taking spectacle in white satin covered in glorious
embroidery of the emblems of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and
countries of the Commonwealth. It is the triumph of the century for British
fashion. And it is a great surprise--for the Queen has broken with the
tradition of centuries." The gown was considered too simple to be
traditional, yet by modern standards it was nothing but lush.
"The cut of the dress is SIMPLE," the Mirror reported. "But it
is the brilliant colours in rich embroidered silks, worked with pearls, gold
and silver thread, sequins, rose diamonds, and diamond 'dewdrops' that make
this gown a historical work of art."
The paper also featured
a full page with detailed drawings of the gowns of the other ladies present.
The Queen Mother's white satin gown featured an unusual petal-like hem. "Her
bodice has a V-shaped inset of gold lame, continuing down the front of the
dress to the hem where it forms a six-inch band of gleaming gold."
Princess Margaret's gown was also white
satin of a "dream design," the Mirror said. "Her gown has a tightly
fitted bodice and a billowing skirt. She has short sleeves and a square cut
neckline, Her skirt is covered with broderie anglaise medallions in pearl
and silver." In addition, "The Duchess of Kent has ivory satin, a
slim-fitted bodice and a flowing skirt cut in six panels."
LEFT: The Queen Mother's gown. RIGHT: Princess Margaret's gown. BELOW: The Duchess of Kent's dress.
The youngest lady
present, Princess Alexandra, wore a gown called "striking in its youthful
simplicity. It is diaphanous--white lace mounted on white tulle--and is
neatly belted. The bodice has tiny sleeves of lace and tulle."
The reporters for The Daily Mirror
seemed to agree that each dress outshown the other in its beauty. Even the
"simple shift" worn by the Queen during the service was pronounced a
masterpiece.
But, naturally, the
young Queen's gown was the garment pronounced the greatest triumph. "The
Queen's dress, supremely splendid...has short sleeves with a full, slightly
trained skirt. The neckline of the fitted bodice is cut square over the
shoulders and curves into a gentle heart shape at the centre," The Mirror
reported. The gown was worn over a stiff crinoline net and taffeta
petticoat.
"The pattern is repeated three times across
the skirt and surrounds the individual emblems. Wherever there is no
embroidery, the gown is covered with a lattice work of seed pearl and
crystal...the result of three thousand hours' work by six London
embroidresses."
Emblems for the Commonwealth countries were
included on the gown, including the Rose of England, the Leek of Wales, the
Shamrock of Ireland, and the Thistle of Scotland. "Canada's maple leaf is in
green silk bordered with gold cullion thread and veined in crystal;
Australia's wattle blossom is in mimose-yellow silk with green and gold
thread foliage. Finally, and perhaps loveliest of all, is the cotton wheat
and lite emblem of Pakistan. The jute appears as a spray of leaves in green
silk and gold thread. The wheat is in oat-shaped diamonds and fronds of
golden crystal. And the cotton blossom has stalks of silver with green silk
leaves."
As much work went into the Queen's gown, it stayed covered a great deal of
the time with a "shift." This was a fine lawn garment worn before the sacred
vestments were put upon her during the ceremony. After the ceremony, she
removed the vestments and the shift, and put on a purple velvet robe for a
royal procession.
Nonetheless, the Queen inspired thousands
of women to try to mimic her on a smaller scale, adopting the simple, yet
feminine, lines of the 1950s, and using abundant and romantic trim. Every
woman, it seemed, ought to be able to wear a gown inspired by a Queen--if
not fit for one.
LEFT: The Queen's "shift." RIGHT: Princess Alexandra's gown.
(c) 2001 by Kristina Harris
04/21/2006