As well as the storied traditional uniforms and outfits that were ubiquitous at the coronation, Queen Camilla and Princess Kate of Wales turned to British designers to create their ceremonial coronation dress on Saturday.
The Queen’s dress was designed by Bruce Oldfield, a 72-year-old fashion designer who has designed many of Camilla’s dresses.
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But the choice of Bruce Oldfield came as a surprise in Britain as he was made famous by Princess Diana, Charles’ ex-wife. In the ’80s he designed dozens of evening dresses for her, including some of the most famous and seductive of the princess, who died in an accident in Paris in 1997.
“I gave Diana her seduction and Camilla her trust,” he said in 2014.
Camilla’s dress, ivory colored, combines silver and gold in a sober cut. It’s embroidered with British wildflowers, including daisies and forget-me-nots.
The dress was cut from peau de soie, a silk fabric with a lustrous finish, and woven by Stephen Walters in Suffolk, England, Buckingham Palace said.
Kate appeared in an extravagant outfit in the colors of the British flag. Her ivory robes were covered with the mantle of the Royal Victorian Order. Her dress was created in 2011 by the House of Alexander McQueen, who had already made her wedding dress.
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It is an ivory silk crepe dress with silver thread embroidery and patterns of roses, thistles, daffodils and shamrocks.
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Her headdress, made of silver, crystals and silver thread, embroidered with three-dimensional leaves, was signed Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen.
Her earrings are made of pearls and diamonds that belonged to Diana.
Kate and William’s daughter Charlotte also wore a dress and cape by Alexander McQueen.
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The coronation gave work to the oldest English workshops. Charles’s coronation tunic, for example, was made by Ede and Ravenscroft, known as London’s oldest tailors, dating back over 330 years.
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According to Buckingham Palace, this workshop has made clothing for every British coronation since that of King William and Queen Mary in 1689.