18 thoughts on “The Crown: The Queen’s Wedding Dress

  1. I wonder if the originals, especially the bridesmaid’s dresses (because tulle is often starched) have also yellowed over time? If that is the case, then it would be more accurate to have brighter shades on the show, as the clothing should be “new” in the wedding scene.

    1. That’s what I was thinking as well–I know my own mother’s wedding gown and veil definitely yellowed with age, as most whites will do to some extent, unless they’re stored very carefully. (IIRC, don’t they sometimes suggest storing white fabrics in blue tissue paper? I could swear I remember reading that in an old book of housekeeping hints from the 1920s.)

      1. It’s possible that the silk has discolored, though the original descriptions describe it as an “ivory silk”, which in my mind is definitely warmer than the white used in the episode.

        There’s been a few sources that mention that the original gown was made from inferior silk and that the dress is in “appalling condition”, as the silk has stretched and shattered under the strain of the tin weights in the skirt. You can see in the close-up of the embroidery that the ground fabric is in pretty bad shape.

      1. I’m not sure if my Samsung is Netflix ready. Will check into it.

        And the wedding gown is close to the real one. 95% close. But I believe that the real one was a cream colour.

  2. Wait until Episode 9. It stomped all over my poor little heart. Great series, but that one episode, in its exploration of age, decay, loss, and psychological understanding hit me right between the eyes.

    The costumes are… gorgeous, but also frustrating in a sense; I can’t help but think they don’t ‘fit’ Vanessa Curby that well in her scenes as Margaret (especially the off-shoulder gowns). But overall the series is extravagantly gorgeous.

  3. I’ve never seen this dress up close before. Only black and white pics from a distance. The embroidery is absolutely beautiful! My only complaint IS John Lithgow as Churchill. I’m a Churchill buff, I read and watch everything about him. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve seen so many actors do a superior job or what, but he wasn’t Churchill for me.

  4. Oh my gosh, I’m LOVING The Crown! I watched all the episodes over a day, and entranced! I’d love to see more about the costumes, which I thought were incredible.

  5. Now I want to know more about how her rationed wedding materials were chosen.

    Incidentally, in my book on 1940s fashion has a picture of a British wedding dress with an ankle length skirt and a blurb stating that the bride was able to use so much material by saving lots of money and buying off-ration lace. The luxury tax for lace and other off-ration things like hats was pretty high if I remember correctly.

  6. I love the line of the original dress, and the way the skirts fall. Very elegant. Also, assuming that the mannequin upon which it hangs is based on the queen’s actual measurements, young Queen Elizabeth had an amazing figure!

    1. She did have an amazing figure. Its often overlooked, because her personal style is so restrained, practical and correct, but “in her day” Elizabeth was quite a hottie.

  7. Just a little FYI about the Queen’s original gown here. Not only did Queen Elizabeth have to use her own rations but the people across the UK also contributed their personal fabric rations to the gown so that she could have as must cloth as needed but she was not allowed to use the additional rations and sent each of the people who contributed a personal thank you letter. The cloth is as inferior as it is because the silk and satin industries were taken over by the government to produce surgical silks, parachutes, and other industrial silks. As such silkworms were imported from China and weaved in England instead of acquiring the cloth from Japan or Italy.
    What I adore is that you see that the royals are wearing a standard uniform of sensible suits and dresses instead of more flamboyant clothing even after the rationing ended to set a good example for the populous. Queen Elizabeth especially would only wearing British designers and British made goods in contrast to Princess Margret who after rationing ended embraced her love of French fashion especially Dior’s new look.

  8. Guess what, I found the episodes on YouTube and have been watching. I’ve seen the first three episodes and I’m hooked.
    I agree with everyone that the costumes are great. The wedding gown looks and feels correct. I seem to remember reading that rationing was suspended for the wedding in order for the Princess to have a wedding cake which would permit every guest to have a piece.
    Cannot wait to see the coronation gown.

  9. You’re correct – they didn’t make mention of the rationing coupons related to the wedding dress, which I think was a missed opportunity to put the time period (post WW2 austerity) into perspective while also highlighting that the royal family didn’t consider themselves above. Another reason Wallis was never going to fit in. There was a fashion exhibit a while back at the MFA in Boston and I don’t recall if the actual wedding dress was there, but there was a section on the royal wedding and it went into how Elizabeth used her ration coupons and donations to gather the materials. It was quite a memorable thing.

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