When dressing the most important person in your kingdom, it is important that you take the time to choose exactly what they are saying by wearing that particular piece of clothing. When thinking of your monarch, it is best you imagine them as a mannequin in a shop window advertising something. There is a message in their clothing and it's up to you to choose the right one.
Materials and Cut
The monarch will usually have the very best of the best. Their silks will be the softest, their velvets will be the plushest and their lace will be the most intricate. Extra ruffles, drapes and pleats used more material than needed, which screams wealth. Doublets and jackets with slashings showed a range of materials and gowns were often made with overlapping fabrics. Your monarch has to choose whether to go the extremes of Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV or the austerity of Princess Elizabeth during WWII. They can either alienate their poorest subjects by dressing in millions of euros worth of cloth with ruffles or they can dress smartly and elegantly and humanize themselves.
- During the post-war years, Christian Dior brought out his first designs (some which look bitchin' today btw) and when he showed his designs to the BRF's women, the future Queen Elizabeth did not take part. For years she only wore English designers for years. She was praised for keeping to austerity and supporting the British fashion designer.
- When Queen Victoria ordered her wedding dress, she stipulated that she wanted only English lace used which boosted the economy. Home businesses who made lace made thousands. And also Victoria is credited (though Mary Queen of Scots did it first) with the first white wedding dress, which screamed wealth because it was so white and she would only wear it once.
- Louis XIV made all his courtiers dress a certain way using only French materials, which also boosted that trade. He was a fashion icon btw.
Colours
Colours speak louder than words. Many royal houses had an official colour of mourning when a relative or a close family friend died. France had white and the Plantagenets wore dark blue when mourning. By choosing the right colour, you can mirror what your monarch is feeling or what they want to say.
- As we said before white could be mourning colour and a very ostentatious colour to wear because it takes so much effort to keep clean. White also speaks of purity, grief and innocence.
- Red would be a common colour used for royal coronation cloaks and regalia. Red is the colour of nobility, luck, prosperity, long life, fertility, power, strength, courage and it is a colour of luxury.
- Pink is the colour of femininity/masculinity, love, sweetness, innocence. It is a soft colour and doesn't exactly shout wealth.
- Orange is a peculiar colour and a favourite of Elizabeth I. It stands for spirituality.
- Yellow was the royal colour of mourning for Spain. Yellow could also be worn to hint gold but isn't. It look opulent but isn't exactly.
- Green is the colour of spring and rebirth. Henry VIII often cosplayed Robin Hood. It is a relatable colour for all classes.
- Blue is the colour of peace, loyalty, reliability, honor, trust. The Order of the Garter have deep blue regalia and embody all these traits.
- Purple of course stands for Imperial might and royalty. A monarch would probably avoid constantly wearing purple as it would advertise their royal status. They might save it for special occasions.
Queen Elizabeth II is very conscious of colour as you can see. Her blinding and borderline neon suits are that way for a reason. She makes herself stand out in a crowd so even the subject the farthest from her can recognize her.
Elizabeth I was also very conscious of colour. She was the Virgin queen and often emphasized this by wearing white.
Victoria also knew the power of colour and like her great-great granddaughter chose colours that made her stand out. At a party in Scotland, Victoria had been wearing tartan the entire trip but on the last night, she wore pale pink to stand out.
Symbols
Symbols are often sewn on royal clothing as a blatant way of passing on the message.
- Louis XIV or the Sun King, often kept stating his nickname through the use of golden material and sun emblems. Being the Sun King was his persona and for somebody who believed himself to be at the centre of the world, it was an important reminder to those who caught a glimpse of him. The great pad of fur on his robes so excess and wealth. The fleur de lys on his mantle stand for the French royal family.
- Elizabeth I's famous Rainbow Portrait offers the best symbols. The snake on her sleeve symbolizes how wise and cunning she is. The rainbow in her hand stands for peace and prosperity. The suns stand for monarchy.
- The portrait of Henry VIII here is a trove of symbols. The padded shoulders for power, the slippers to show his wealth and of course the bulging codpiece stands for the fertility that Henry thought he had.
Accessories
We all love a bit of bling and no royal is complete without some sparkle. Different accessories stand for different meanings.
- Elizabeth I wore ropes and ropes of pearls which underlined her Virgin Queen statues. She also wore her coronation ring to prove that she was "married to England".
- Queen Alexandra was given a tiara by the English people on her arrival. The Kokoshnik tiara was made to mirror her sister's the Russian Empress's. It was in order to remind the sister's of their bond but also show that the English Princess of Wales and future Queen was on par with the Russian Empress.
- Around the time of the 18th Century, military dress uniforms became the fashion for men and especially younger princes. The military dress uniform is a very open symbol of service to the people. Which is why the male members of the BRF often wear them to state events.