Fashion Historian Fact Checks The Crown's Wardrobes | Glamour

these are the royals this is queen elizabeth this is princess margaret and this is princess diana you know them from the crown and of course from real life you may remember this gown or this one this dress and who could forget this one but are they accurate we got this fashion historian hi i'm marisa britania and i'm a fashion historian to walk us through what the crown got right and what they got mostly right about these looks the crown chronicles the life of queen elizabeth ii and the british royal family dramatizing the trials and tribulations they endured in the second half of the 20th century the series rotates actors in the principal roles every two seasons as the characters age the costume design of the series spans four decades and covers many memorable looks from the royal family's history the designers have managed to accurately recreate specific garments that are quintessential to the telling of the royal family's sartorial narrative still they also managed to craft a visually distinctive wardrobe for each character that goes beyond the practice of creating exact replicas today we will visit one look from each of the four seasons of the crown let's get into the looks first up princess elizabeth's wedding dress this look appears in the first episode of season one and it takes place on november 20th 1947 on the wedding day of princess elizabeth windsor season one costume designer michelle clapton and her team created an exact replica of the gown for claire foy the costume is rumored to have cost thirty thousand pounds or thirty seven thousand dollars and seven weeks to make the costume department was able to recreate the dress with incredible accuracy because the design construction and legacy of the gown has been very well documented the actual wedding dress is currently in the collection of the royal collection trust and it is occasionally exhibited to the public the gown was designed by norman hartnell a prominent british couturier who eventually became the preferred dressmaker for the royal family by this point post-world war ii britain was still feeling the effects of wartime scarcity and clothing and textiles were still being strictly rationed princess elizabeth saved up her ration coupons in order to purchase the materials for her wedding dress she was allotted an additional 200 coupons by the british government but that didn't stop well-meaning citizens from sending her their own that they had saved up for her ration coupons were technically non-transferable so the princess elizabeth had to send them back to the rightful owners and so hartnell designed one of the most exquisite gowns of his career for this high profile royal occasion let's draw the wedding dress layer by layer first up the undergarments and stockings elizabeth would likely be wearing a one-piece foundation garment with a boned bodice which aided in sculpting the torso into the fashionable silhouette she would also have been wearing silk stockings which would have been fastened using suspender garters attached to the bottom edge of the foundation garment next the slip and petticoat a silk slip would be worn over the foundation garment as a smoothing layer in addition elizabeth would have been wearing a bridal petticoat which would help support the fullness of the skirt that brings us to the dress norman hartnell's design was approved just three months before the wedding day and it took 350 women to make the dress over the course of seven weeks the design featured all of the qualities of the late 1940s fashionable silhouette which included a sweetheart neckline padded shoulders long sleeves a fitted bodice and a flared full skirt it was made from ivory duchess satin woven in scotland from silkworms from china rather than those from recent world war ii enemies japan or italy the truly magnificent feat of design was the floral embroidery hartnell cites botticelli's renaissance painting primavera as his source of inspiration which was meant to symbolize rebirth and growth after the war these embroidered flowers were embellished with over 000 seed pearls imported from america in addition to crystals and sequins and then the trees a court train was an essential part of dress for formal court occasions and the future queen was following in a tradition that had been upheld by european royalty for centuries the 15-foot train was attached at the shoulders and it trailed behind the princess as she walked down the aisle at westminster abbey it was made of ivory silk net with embroidered floral motifs that echoed the decoration of the gown these were also embellished with additional seed pearls next up the tiara and veil for princess elizabeth her tiara was her something borrowed on her wedding day she wore a fringe tiara lent to her by her grandmother queen mary of tech the tiara was made from a diamond necklace that was originally given to queen mary by queen victoria as a gift on her wedding day in 1893. the queen mother that is elizabeth's mother has also been photographed wearing the fringe tiara on several occasions and queen elizabeth's own daughter princess anne wore it for her wedding in 1973. legend has it the princess elizabeth accidentally broke the tiara on the morning of her wedding and a royal jeweler was brought in straight away to make the repair if you look closely at photos from the ceremony you can actually see that the tiara is a bit asymmetrical and there's a small gap where the break happened her tiara held in place her silk tool veil finally her accessories elizabeth carried a bouquet that featured three types of british grown white orchids also included was a sprig of myrtle which was picked from the garden at osborne house the former private home of queen victoria and prince albert it's said that elizabeth's bouquet actually went missing after the ceremony and a second replica bouquet had to be made so she could retake her wedding photos on a later date elizabeth wore a pair of pearl and diamond stud earrings which were a gift from her grandmother queen mary given to her earlier that year these earrings had originally belonged to the duchess of gloucester elizabeth's necklace was a double strand of pearls which were a wedding gift from her parents king george vi and the queen mother her shoes were peep-toe slippers made by rain from duchess satin trimmed with silver and seed pearl buckles this is perhaps one of the most accurate recreations from the entire series so here's what princess elizabeth should have looked like almost exactly the same let's move on to her next look as the queen this look appears in season 2 episode 8 which is set in june 1961. this gown was worn for a royal dinner held at buckingham palace in honor of the kennedys president john f kennedy was very much a celebrity in his time however it was first lady jacqueline kennedy that was the true star of this visit in the show jackie kennedy makes queen elizabeth feel quite threatened and this dress is her effort to compete with her sartorially the looks worn by the two women in this scene are the perfect example of oppositional costuming by costume designer jane petrie the dress worn by claire foy is nearly an exact replica of the one the queen wore in 1961. however the design of jackie's dress has been slightly altered to make her appear all the more glamorous and fashion forward although the dress is lovely it seems a little old-fashioned for 1961 with the fitted bodice and full skirts that were fashionable during the 1950s this is even more apparent when compared to jackie's sleek modern sheath gown now let's break down every layer of this look first up the undergarments with this look queen elizabeth would be wearing similar undergarments to that of the previous look except in this case her foundation garment would likely be strapless and then the next layer also similar to the first look queen elizabeth would be wearing a petticoat to help support the fullness of the skirt next up the dress when the gown is shown in the salon of norman hartnell we see the model wears a version that is strapless with a plunging neckline this suggests that his original design was adapted for the queen with straps added and the neckline raised to a more modest height the dress was designed in the new look silhouette which was launched by christian dior in 1947 and prevailed in fashionable dress throughout the 1950s the defining features of this style are a tightly fitted bodice and a long full skirt the show dramatizes the fit of the dress which is meant to convey the discomfort that queen elizabeth was allegedly willing to endure in order to compete with mrs kennedy i could let her out a bit mum and then the accessories both queen elizabeth and jackie kennedy wear elbow length white gloves which would have been standard for formal occasions for women in their positions we see that queen elizabeth's gloves button at the inner wrist for a closer fit we never see elizabeth's shoes due to the length of her dress but we can surmise that she wears a pair of elegant pumps likely in a shade of blue to coordinate with her dress queen elizabeth carries a small beaded evening purse with a short chain that allows her to carry it on her arm to keep her hands free for greeting guests her majesty famously carries a handbag at all times and it's said that she doesn't feel fully dressed without one she reportedly even uses her handbag to signal to her staff while she's at social events next the queen's jewelry her majesty is particularly fond of sapphires and has worn them frequently throughout her reign the diamond and sapphire demi parore she wears to the kennedy dinner includes a necklace with a large pendant and matching earrings this set was given to her by her father king george vi in 1947 though the set was originally made in 1850 in 1963 so two years after this occasion her majesty had a coordinating tiara and bracelet made therefore claire foy's sapphire bracelet is technically inaccurate the very distinctive brooch that she wears is not from the same set but it's also very historically significant this brooch is a large oblong sapphire surrounded by 12 diamonds and it was a gift from prince albert to queen victoria on their wedding day in 1840 the prince albert brooch as it's come to be known by jewel enthusiasts is one of the queen's favorite pieces and she's still often seen wearing it in this scene elizabeth is laden with jewelry while jackie is notably unadorned this is yet another point of contrast between these two costumes and then her hair and makeup claire foy wears a short sculpted quaffier that is reminiscent of fashionable hairstyles in 1961 with volume at the crown and an elegant flip however her majesty's actual hairstyle at the time was shorter and curlier more akin to the style she wears two episodes prior thank you i like it very much her makeup is relatively understated save for the rich berry colored lipstick so this is what queen elizabeth would have looked like compared to the original again almost exactly the same next let's move on to princess margaret this look appears in season 3 episode 2 and takes place in november of 1965. in this episode princess margaret and her husband lord snowden visit the white house with the intention of persuading the american government to aid the british financially with a much needed bailout we don't get the bailout the government would be left with no option but to devalue the pound and that's bad this situation has been dramatized for the show and in reality there were several american bailouts but none of them were the result of princess margaret's visit to the white house this dramatization not only gave the writers permission to embellish on the details of the evening but it allowed costume designer amy roberts to deviate from the historical record and re-imagine a more dynamic look for princess margaret played by helena bottom carter by this point in the series princess margaret's sartorial narrative had already been established she's depicted as an irreverent rebel with ties to the artistic community her sense of style is exaggerated for the sake of the show's visual distinction between the two sisters so let's draw princess margaret's look from the undergarments out first up undergarments princess margaret would likely be wearing a strapless bra and a pair of high-waist panties or a panty girdle for hosiery she could be wearing pantyhose which was introduced in 1959 this was a single garment made from nylon that extended from waist to toe let's move on to the next layer she would likely also be wearing a half slip which would have sat at the natural waistline and acted as a modesty layer between the undergarments and the outer garment and then the dress the costume designed for helena bonham carter perfectly captures the spirit of princess margaret based on the crown's depiction of the character the bold printed gown effectively conveys princess margaret's vibrant fun-loving spirit as she dazzles the white house with her charm and cheeky wit in reality both her dress and her behavior were far more subdued on the occasion of her visit to meet president lyndon b johnson and his wife lady bird johnson princess margaret actually wore a solid bubble gum pink sheath gown with a matching bolero that was trimmed at the neckline and sleeves with beaded fringe this type of coordinating evening set was prevalent in the work of royal couturier norman hartnell in the early 1960s however princess margaret had also been a loyal patron of the house of dior since the previous decade by 1965 mark bohan was at the helm of dior and his designs bared similarities to princess margaret's pink ensemble next up the gloves princess margaret and lady bird johnson wear white elbow length gloves to complete their evening ensembles we can see in photos from the actual event that princess margaret removed her gloves shortly after arriving at the white house and then her jewelry helena bottom carter wears a silver necklace with pearls and matching earrings which coordinate with her red and cream printed gown the real princess margaret actually wore a diamond choker necklace with a matching diamond bracelet and diamond drop earrings note that helena bonham carter does not wear a tiara for the white house visit on the show that is because there are strict rules that govern the wearing of tiaras one of which limits them to the most formal events and official state occasions finally her hair and makeup margaret wears her hair in a variation of the beehive updo with voluminous curls piled high atop her head this hairstyle was typically achieved using additional hair pieces that would add the desired amount of volume as dictated by hair trends in the 1960s in the mid-1960s makeup trends were all about emphasizing the eyes with dramatic winged liner and long false eyelashes helena bonham carter's eyeliner is a lot bolder than the real princess margaret's during this era in cosmetics the dramatic contoured eyes were further emphasized when paired with lipstick in a soft shade of pink so this is what princess margaret would have looked like compared to the look in the series finally let's take a look at princess diana's wedding dress this look appears in season 4 for the royal wedding between charles the prince of wales and lady diana spencer the ceremony took place on july 29 1981 at westminster abbey this is one of the most memorable wedding gowns of all time and it continued to inspire bridal trends throughout the 1980s and beyond the original dress was designed by british husband and wife duo david and elizabeth emanuel in the months leading up to the royal wedding in 1981 the design of diana's gown was a closely guarded royal secret and the emanuels even had a backup dress just in case the original design was leaked to the press within hours of the televised wedding ceremony copies of the dress were reportedly already being sold at bridal boutiques across england even though its maximalist design is very much a product of its time the dress itself is an enduring symbol of royal pageantry the costume took four months five fittings and three people a collective 600 hours to complete costume designer amy roberts wanted to capture the same spirit and style of the original gown without creating an exact replica for emma corrin to create this costume it took 95 meters of fabric and 100 meters of lace the nottingham-based team that created the lace for the emmanuel's original gown also made the lace for this costume let's draw this look layer by layer first the undergarments undergarments during the early 1980s typically consisted of a simple white bra a pair of panties and nude pantyhose for this special occasion lady diana may have been wearing a long line bra or a corsalette let's move on to the next layer lady diana would have been wearing a silk slip and to support the voluminous skirt of the ball gown lady diana would have been wearing several long bridal petticoats which would have been fastened snugly around her waist a tiny 18 karat gold horseshoe was sewn into one of the petticoats as a good luck charm next up the dress the dress was made from ivory silk taffeta and the boned bodice was decorated with a panel of antique carrick macross lace that was once owned by queen mary additional embellishments included thousands of hand-embroidered sequins and pearls some of which were arranged in heart-shaped motifs the overall silhouette was exceedingly romantic in style with a very full skirt and voluminous three-quarter sleeves trimmed with large bows and a lace flounce similar ruffles of taffeta and lace adorned the neckline with a bow at the center for the emanuels this was the commission of a lifetime that also posed a great challenge they were tasked with incorporating design features according to diana's personal wishes while also taking into account the well-established royal traditions princess diana would continue to wear their designs for the rest of her life and then the train diana's train was a staggering 25 feet long and the longest ever worn for a royal wedding it was so long that it hardly fit in the carriage and it was quite wrinkled when she emerged in front of westminster abbey next diana's tiara unveil lady diana broke with royal tradition and did not borrow a tiara from the royal family instead she wore the spencer tiara which had been in her family for nearly a century the tiara was fastened to her extravagant veil which was actually even longer than her train it was made of ivory silk tulle and embellished with mother of pearl sequins finally her accessories diana wore custom shoes that featured a low heel because she and prince charles were actually the same height a heart-shaped lace embellishment sat on top of the shoe encrusted with sequins and pearls in case there was rain on the day of the wedding the emanuels designed a coordinating parasol with matching taffeta thankfully there wasn't rain and the parasol went unused diana carried a substantial bouquet that measured 42 inches in length it was a cascade of white gardenias orchids freesias and lily of the valley it's said that this large bouquet has since been credited with changing the long-standing tradition of smaller bouquets so this is what princess diana would have looked like any final thoughts the crown takes on perhaps one of the greatest challenges for historical dramas that is where to deviate from historical accuracy in order to best support the show's narrative and the crown's creators navigate this masterfully so here are the final four looks

Channel: Glamour

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Keywords: fashion fact check, would they wear that, royal english clothes, fashion expert, fashion historian, fashion history, queen elizabeth ii dress, queen elizabeth wedding gown, the crown wardrobe, queen elizabeth blue dress, the crown fashion accuracy, princess diana wedding gown, princess margaret fashion, the crown vs real life fashion, queen elizabeth ii, the crown, the crown fashion history, princess margaret style, the crown vs reality, royal, glamour, glamour magazine

Id: ejXRxee7xkQ

Length: 21min 56sec (1316 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 23 2020