The Exquisite Design (and Surprising Color!) of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Dress

With the big exhibition of Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion officially extended in London, thousands more will be able to see her incredible gowns, including the star of the show: the dress she wore for her coronation, 73 years ago today. Today, I’m sharing my own photos of the gown from my visit to the exhibition press preview in April, plus some fascinating facts about the dress and its seven-decade history.

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, the current exhibition curated by the Royal Collection Trust at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, is a tour-de-force of fashion, chronicling a century of the late monarch’s sartorial life. There are countless highlight moments in the exhibition, but among the most stunning is the display of her coronation gown, which towers over the rest of the garments in the exhibition’s largest room.

The dress, made for her by Sir Norman Hartnell, is a magnificent testament to the grandeur and glamour of the 1953 coronation. In the current exhibition, the gown is displayed alongside several other interest artifacts, including embroidery samples produced during the design process, and a gorgeous Hartnell sketch of the Queen wearing the gown, which he presented to Elizabeth as a commemorative gift.

Queen Elizabeth II poses in her coronation dress, 1953 (Smith Archive/Alamy)

The coronation dress is surely one of the most recognizable garments from the late Queen’s wardrobe. It was photographed extensively during her lifetime, worn for several important public events, and displayed frequently. Above, Elizabeth wears the dress with the Coronation Diamonds in 1953.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrive for the Opening of Parliament in New Zealand on January 12, 1954 (SuperStock/Alamy)

After the coronation, Elizabeth wore the dress several more times, mostly for state occasions throughout the Commonwealth. It was carefully packed and transported around the world with the Queen’s wardrobe during the coronation tour of 1953-54. Above, she wears the dress with Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara for the Opening of Parliament in Wellington in January 1954.

The Queen and the Duke leave Independence Hall in Colombo, April 1954 (PA Images/Alamy)

She also fulfilled a specific request from the government of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, wearing the dress for the Opening of Parliament in Colombo in April 1954. On that occasion, in blazing heat, she also wore the pearl setting of the Vladimir Tiara.

If my notes are correct, Elizabeth’s final public appearance in the gown took place in 1957, when she wore it for the Opening of Parliament in Ottawa during a tour of Canada. Since then, of course, it has been displayed countless times, and it’s only on those occasions that the color and detail of the gown really springs to life.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are pictured on her Coronation Day on June 2, 1953 (World History Archive/Alamy)

Even the color photographs from the 1950s fail to adequately capture the pastel brilliance of the gown. In this color photograph from the coronation, the details of the gown recede into shimmering flatness.

But the reality is so much more complex. Even my photographs, taken earlier this spring with a modern camera, can’t fully do it justice, but I’ll share some of the detail shots I took of the dress anyway. They offer a much better view of the intricacy of the stitching and beading of the iconic gown. Here, for example, you get a good view of the pearls embroidered on much of the dress, as well as some of the shamrocks stitched into the skirt.

The thistles, roses, wattles, and maple leaves, among other emblems, are also more vivid in this picture. I like how the complex beading on the gown’s hem is showcased here as well.

This is one of my very favorite photographs from the day: a stunning view of the embroidery of each of the floral national emblems. The golds, the pinks, the greens, and the yellows are just stunning.

The embroidery samples displayed alongside the gown are spectacular in their own right. Look at the detailed stitching on this pair of Canadian maple leaves.

And, just for fun, here’s another look at the coronation fan, which features Elizabeth’s royal cypher rendered in diamonds.

Here’s one more glimpse of my visit to see the coronation dress in April. If you want even more about the ceremony and the dress that the Queen wore for the transformative moment, let me suggest the following:

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