If Her Majesty will be remembered for a steadfast commitment to handbags, our Queen Consort may have a legacy in headwear. Since her 2005 wedding to Prince Charles, where she chose to wear two hats designed by her favourite hat designer, Philip Treacy, as opposed to the customary tiara, she’s sported the fanciest millinery – from oversized berets to gravity-defying feathered creations – with increasingly regularity. Her flicked icy-blonde waves, tended to by London hairdresser Jo Hansford, are surely another trademark. In fact, the British Queen Consort’s fashion success comes, paradoxically, from the fact she doesn’t seem to take any of it too seriously. During the pandemic, she quickly became a ‘maskfluencer’, with her statement face masks running the gamut from leopard to classic Liberty floral print.
However when it comes to clothing, assisted by her dresser Jacqui Meakin (who also dressed the Queen Mother), she has tended to stay true to a trusted line-up of British couturiers including Bruce Oldfield and Fiona Clare, who regularly outfits the Queen Consort for royal tours, public appearances and the occasional flower show. 'Given the breadth of appearances she will need to dress for, she may consider other designers, and in due course may even lean on the experience of [Queen Elizabeth II’s dresser] Angela Kelly, but she will undoubtedly continue to support British design in her careful, considered manner,' says former Vogue editor and personal stylist, Ginnie Chadwyck-Healy.
For the Queen Consort’s British Vogue shoot, appearing in the fashion bible’s July issue, she selected the clothes herself, rather than use a stylist. (By contrast, when the Duchess of Cambridge was photographed for the magazine’s Centenary issue in 2016, she was styled by the then fashion director, Lucinda Chambers). Among the pieces Camilla selected was a floor-length royal blue evening dress by Bruce Oldfield Couture and a knee-length floral blue day dress from Clare - which, like all the clothes that she wore for the shoot, was taken from her own wardrobe.
It's telling that most of her outfits are blue – perhaps because it suits both her eye and skin tone. But can we expect to see Camilla go bolder and brighter with her outfits from now on, much like the Queen? 'This is not a time or a role for a huge style overhaul. Whilst clothes should never distract, there is a scrutiny that comes with being in the public eye that means the clothes will always be thought-through. But to execute this role at the age of 75, comfort is key - she is only human after all. Expect block heel shoes, more flat boots, light weight top-handle handbags, neat brooches, not too much fuss,' says Chadwyck-Healy. 'I am looking forward to seeing her wear the Royal jewellery collections. But with so many pieces having been worn by The Queen she will not want to put a foot wrong by wearing the wrong piece at the wrong time. Expect a cautious approach to begin with.'