‘More than just a dress’: Fashion and the Royal Family

The Duchess of Sussex has launched a charity clothing line that will help unemployed women access free clothes for job interviews.

The new line is being launched alongside her fashion designer best friend Misha Nonoo, who is credited with setting up a blind date between Prince Harry and Meghan.

The duchess has turned heads since joining the Royal Family, and has been criticised and praised in equal measure for the clothes she wears.

But she is not the only one. Perhaps nobody faced more scrutiny than Lady Diana, whose rise as a style icon was documented in a popular exhibition in London two years ago.

Ceril Campbell, a celebrity stylist and image and lifestyle expert who once had Zara Phillips as a client, says that when it comes to fashion, “it’s more than just a dress”.

From the Queen to Meghan, here are her thoughts on the Royal Family’s relationship with fashion.

The Queen always looks suitably royal and always fabulous.

She’s got her own style and never waivers from it.

She predominantly wears one colour at a time and understands she needs to be seen in a crowd.

She always looks regal and appropriate.

She understands royal protocol and how the public’s expectations – she’s been doing it for 67 years after all!

Younger royals though, have to carefully consider every outfit that they choose for their public occasions, as each outfit will be scrutinised in depth. It’s not just about a frock.

Who was the designer? Was the designer British or from the country that the royal may be visiting on tour?

Is it too expensive? Is it championing the British high street?

Is it appropriate to the occasion? Does it fall into the royal protocol guidelines? Does it still fit the royal brand?

Meghan is pushing boundaries of the royal protocol.

The Duchess of Sussex often tries to send subliminal messages with her outfits, if one investigates the labels she wears further, often making a statement with her clothes, whether that is to do with climate change or women’s rights.

She can cause mixed opinions wearing often high-end expensive designer labels.

But Meghan is treading the line between being a royal and a Hollywood celebrity.

Before she joined the Windsors, as a celebrity, Meghan will have been used to spending her own wealth on clothes and had been free to wear which ever designer or style she wanted to with no royal confines.

Kate learned quickly – she has rarely put a foot wrong as the Duchess of Cambridge.

She started off wearing outfits that were maybe deemed “safe” and maybe even “sloaney” or boring.

The fashion press used to say, ‘Why can’t she be more exciting?’

But she’s upped her fashion game and she always looks fabulous, appropriate and glamorous with her favourite British designers and a sprinkling of high street ones too.

She understands the expectations of the royal brand.

There’s always been an occasional fashion rebel found in the royal fold – Princess Margaret was probably one in her youth.

Listen to “The Royals with Rhiannon Mills” on Spreaker.

:: Listen to the Behind the Headlines podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

Ceril Campbell was a Celebrity stylist and now a lifestyle and image consultant and can be found at www.CerilCampbell.com and on Instagram and Twitter @cerilcampbell

Source