QUEEN AS FASHION LEADER

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 1, 3 January 1939, Page 14

QUEEN AS FASHION LEADER

All over the world people are talking of the way in which the Queen has changed from a woman who was merely "well-dressed" into a leader of fashion, states the London "Sunday Express." They are asking why she made this change, how she achieved it, and when it began. The truth is that the Queen's transformation has been the result, not of a gradually increasing interest in dress, but of a deliberate plan of action. As Duchess of York she was entitled to choose her clothes more or less to please herself; within the limits of convention. When she became Queen she acknowledged an obligation to lead the world of fashion. • On State occasions the Queen has j to take her place as the First Lady in ] the land, and she is determined to look the part. i SET A DEFINITE LEAD. Dressmakers, furriers, milliners, and! manufacturers looked to her to provide ]

something more than charm and taste in her style of dressing; they all wanted something which would set a definite lead. Here are some of the ways in which the Queen has achieved her new smartness: — More queenly gowns for evening and State occasions. Skirts and trains strewn with sparkling embroidery, sequins, paillettes; off-the-shoulder lines which give a dignified poise to the head. Sacrifice of her favourite pastel shades for the smarter ' and more sophisticated black and white ensembles. Striking lines in millinery; higher crowns to increase her apparent height. Emphasis on good necklines; the Queen made the heart-shaped neck, which is still smart, and she brought back the Bertha collar and the shoulder cape. Squared shoulders, more compact silhouettes by day. Abandoning the three-quarter and seven-eighths ensemble coat for one of exactly the same length as the dress beneath. She has led fur fashions; she has given up the "fluffy" collars on daytime clothes in favour of flat fur trimmings. At night she wears glamorous fur wraps. THREE DEFINITE STEPS. Experts mark three definite steps in the Queen's smarter fashions. The first step came with the Coronation. Released from mourning she wore her first really magnificent State gown. The second development was the visit to France in July, when the Queen chose a dazzling all-white trousseau to appear before the most fashion-con-scious nation in the world. The third stage was her triumph in establishing the crinoline as the new Court vogue to be welcomed by dress designers and worn by smart women all over the country. All previous attempts at revival, based on the efforts of individual dressmakers, Academy pictures, and period plays, have failed. Women said the crinoline was uncomfortable, unflattering, awkward to move in, difficult to keep in order, and expensive in material. Now the Queen has given her patronage they are saying how becoming it is to plump and slender alike, how elegant for dancing, how completely right for evening wear as a foil to the short skirts and plain tailored lines of day clothes. Physically the Queen is the ideal fashion leader; she is shortish and plump and, like the typical British1 woman, her attraction lies in colouring and expression more than in perfection of feature. Unlike the "elegant mannequin" she inspires women with confidence and not despair. Smart yet practical women know that they can follow her lead without looking ridiculous. The Queen is also a good age, thirty-eight, for a fashion leader; a younger woman would give a lead too limited in its appeal. Fashionable women whose smartness springs from a natural British chic rather than from an artificial glamour say to themselves, "If she can wear that, so can I," and they launch out into a new style—the crinoline, for

ACKNOWLEDGING AN OBLIGATION

instance —which they would otherwise never have dreamed of trying. It is not generally known that the Queen partly designs her clothes herself, in co-operation with one of her dressmakers. SPECIAL GOWN FOR PEARLS. For instance, she has two sets of jewellery—diamonds and pearls. (She seldom wears coloured gems although : shr has several handsome pieces set with these.) Most evening gowns can be worn with diamonds, but pearls reI quire a special type of dress to set them off, and if she intends to wear the I pearls she sees that the gown is designed accordingly. I Earlier this year Queen Elizabeth I was given a number of charming little clusters of artificial flowers. When she next ordered new clothes, which happened to be her Ascot outfits, she had the dresses made with sashes designed so that one of the little sprays could' be tucked in, and she wore a different bouquet every day.

[ The Queen prefers English flowers, even in artificial bouquets; her favour- : ites are roses, violets, jasmine, and i lily of the valley. I "DOVES OF PEACE" HAT. The famous "doves of peace" hat first worn by her at the launching of the Queen Elizabeth has set hundreds of women trimming their hats with huge feather wings. The striking fur coat with huge epaulettes and draped collar which, the Queen wore at Norwich at the end of last month has sent women to their furriers asking to have their coats modelled in the same way.

So powerful has her influence become that furriers and dressmakers say that if the Queen bought herself a muff half the women in the country would be carrying one within a week.