Queen Elizabeth II has died, but her impeccable style and decades of iconic looks will live on forever.
In her 70-year reign as the head of the British Royal Family and ruler of the monarchy, she’s become a fashion icon with an ever-evolving style fit for a queen.
As a young princess who came of age during World War II, the queen often dressed in ways that reflected what was happening in the U.K. at the time, sending a message with her sartorial choices.
Princess Elizabeth attending a state banquet at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, during a State Visit to Canada in 1951.
For example, Vogue U.K. reports that the queen used ration coupons to purchase the duchesse satin for her 1947 wedding gown — a typical move for war-time brides.
Brides Magazine reports that same dress featured a 15-foot train that was inspired by Botticelli’s “Primavera” Renaissance painting, and was symbolic of a period of growth and rebirth for England following the war.
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Her coronation gown was another example of a frock rife with meaning — it featured the floral emblems of many of the Commonwealth nations, including a Canadian maple leaf, an English rose, a Welsh leek, a Scottish thistle, an Irish shamrock, an Australian wattle flower and the fern of New Zealand.
To honour the queen in her passing, take a walk through her fashion evolution and some her best style moments over the years.
As a girl, Queen Elizabeth was often spotted in pleated or smock dresses, knee socks and sensible jewelry typical of young royals, even to this day. According to Marie Claire UK, her father, King George VI, continued Queen Victoria’s tradition of gifting his daughters a pearl each year on their birthday, ensuring a full set by the time they turned 18.
Princess Elizabeth walks through the rain to visit the Royal Tournament at Olympia in London in 1932.
Princess Elizabeth arrives at the 16th Century Church at Balcombe, Sussex, for the wedding of Lady May Cambridge and Captain Henry Abel Smith in 1931.
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Princess Margaret (seated) with her sister Princess Elizabeth in 1933.
The princess as a young woman was a fan of elegant yet simple dresses, cut in timeless silhouettes.
Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, the two debuntante princesses, circa 1946.
Princess Elizabeth reviewing the Guards Grenadier Regiment of which she was Colonel-in-Chief, in the United Kingdom in 1946.
Her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947 saw her in the aforementioned wedding dress designed by Norman Hartnell — one of a handful of go-to designers the queen would come to trust with creating her custom wardrobe pieces over the years.
Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, at London's Buckingham Palace after their wedding ceremony on Nov. 20, 1947.
In her private life, she continued to wear uncomplicated dresses and overcoats and kept her wardrobe fairly simple.
Britain's Princess Elizabeth appears on the grounds of the Royal Lodge at Windsor, England, on Aug. 26, 1946.
Princess Elizabeth, dressed in a blouse and a flowered, flared skirt, goes through the “swing-your-partner and do-si-do” intricacies at a private square-dance party at Government House in Ottawa, on Oct. 11, 1951.
Hartnell was also tasked with creating the queen’s coronation gown, which took almost a year to complete and required the skill of six embroiderers.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Coronation Day in 1953.
Always cognizant of the criticisms of excess directed toward the Royal Family, the queen was a fan of the royal fashion repeat and took careful steps to rewear items from her closet for public events. She rewore her coronation gown on multiple other occasions, including during speeches to the Parliaments in 1953 and again during a visit to Canada in 1957.
The Queen and Prince Philip enter the Senate to open Parliament Oct. 14, 1957. Prince Philip wears the uniform of a colonel-in-chief of the Royal Canadian Regiment, the Queen her Coronation gown.
It was also during this time that the queen began to experiment with style as she stepped into the public arena and spent much of her time carrying out her royal duties and patronages.
Queen Elizabeth II on the balcony of Government House, Melbourne, during her tour of Australia, March 1954.
Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne leaving the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh after the second day of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
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Queen Elizabeth II wears a slim-fitting white lace dress to a garden party in Sydney, Australia, before leaving for Tasmania on the liner 'SS Gothic', February 1954.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip during a visit to the Mediterranean island of Malta, 1951.
As the monarch became well-settled into her royal role she paired the extravagant with the everyday. She was often seen in lavish ballroom gowns and intricate tiaras while attending state dinners and galas, but chose scaled-back coordinating sets while on tour.
Duke of Edinburgh, the then First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II and the then U.S. President John F. Kennedy at Buckingham Palace in 1961.
Queen Elizabeth II greets children during a walkabout on Antigua, during of her Silver Jubilee tour of the Caribbean in 1977.
It was during this time that the queen had a lot of fun with her hats and headgear. The world saw her wear a wide array of millinery, often in fun prints or adorned with faux flowers.
Queen Elizabeth II wears a polka-dot turban as she opens the Jubilee Garden in 1977.
Queen Elizabeth II inspecting the guard of honour outside Cardiff City Hall, Wales, in 1977.
Queen Elizabeth II is shown in a carriage on the way to a ceremony for her Silver Jubilee at St Paul's Cathedral in 1977.
It was after the queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 that a palette of block solids and large, playful patterns increasingly became the queen’s go-to ensemble. She was not afraid of colour — she wore almost every hue imaginable in the latter part of her reign — but it became clear that matching skirt and jacket ensembles and colourful coat dresses were her go-to look.
Queen Elizabeth II visits the Bell's Sports Centre, Perth, during her Silver Jubilee visit to Scotland.
The Queen And Prince Philip arrive for a banquet dinner on a trip to Hungary in 1993.
By dressing in solid colours the queen ensured that she was immediately recognizable at every event, even from afar.
Queen Elizabeth II walks through a field of ceramic poppies at The Tower of London in 2014.
These outfits became an unofficial “uniform” for the queen and it wasn’t unheard of for British bookmakers to take bets on what colour the queen would don for high-profile events.
Queen Elizabeth II, flanked by many members of the British Royal Family, attend Christmas Day Church service at Church of St Mary Magdalene on December 25, 2017.
Duchess of Cambridge with Princess Charlotte, Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2016.
Still, the queen kept things simple, dignified and diplomatic by choosing brooches from her vast collection, or including subtle dress details that held meaning for the various organizations and countries she visited.
Queen Elizabeth ll and Nancy Reagan arrive for a concert during an official tour of the U.S.A. on February 28, 1983 in Long Beach, USA.
Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by Robert Logan, left, general manager of Raffles Hotel, where she stayed on a trip to Singpore in 2006.
She also was often seen with the same black handbag on her arm and classic, low-slung pumps.
Queen Elizabeth II smiles as she inspects the Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in central London in 2007.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives with her private secretary Robin Janvrin on tour in Budapest, Hungary in 1993.
As she aged, Queen Elizabeth began to assign more royal duties to her children and grandchildren and attended fewer events. However, she was always a masterclass in royal style, showing up to regal events in the classiest of formalwear.
Queen Elizabeth II leaves the Palace of Westminster in London after delivering her speech at the State Opening of Parliament, Wednesday Nov. 15, 2006.
Queen Elizabeth II meets 'James Bond' actor Daniel Craig at the world premiere for the Bond film 'Casino Royale' in Leicester Square, London in 2006.
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