Junior Rasmussen
Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress, worn on her marriage to Prince Philip on 20 November 1947, was an expensive and elaborate piece, costing $42,000, equivalent to approximately $1.6 million today. The dress was designed by Norman Hartnell and featured a sweetheart neckline, long, fitted sleeves, and exquisite pearl and diamante-encrusted embroidery. The final design was kept secret, but it is said that the princess wanted to avoid fashion house copies so that she could make last-minute alterations. The dress was paid for using ration coupons, with some members of the British public even sending in their own coupons to contribute to the making of the gown.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of wedding | 20 November 1947 |
| Designer | Norman Hartnell |
| Cost | $42,000 (approximately $1.6 million today) |
| Payment method | Ration coupons |
| Materials | Ivory silk, satin, white crystals, pearls |
| Design | Heart-shaped neckline, long tight sleeves, 15-foot train |
| Floral motifs | Jasmine, smilax, lilac, white rose-like blossoms |
| Tiara | Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara |
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What You'll Learn
The dress was paid for with ration coupons
In 1947, just two years after World War II, clothing in Britain was still rationed. The then-Princess Elizabeth had to pay for her wedding gown using ration coupons she had saved up. The government also allowed her 200 extra ration coupons. The final design of the dress was kept secret, but it was known that Norman Hartnell was announced as the designer. This allayed any fears of a "ration-choked wedding". Hartnell's design featured a sweetheart neckline and long, fitted sleeves, with exquisite pearl- and diamante-encrusted star flowers, roses, jasmine blossoms and ears of wheat embroidered on the gown's bodice, full skirts and ethereal silk. The dress was taken to the palace a day before the wedding in a 4-foot box. On the wedding day, the dress glittered, bejewelled with pearls "skilfully combined with flowing lines of wheat ears, the symbol of fertility, and worked in pearl and diamante".
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It featured a heart-shaped neckline and long sleeves
Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, was a stunning and elaborate piece of fashion history. The then-Princess Elizabeth's gown, created in 1947, just two years after the end of World War II, was paid for using ration coupons, which members of the British public even contributed to. The dress featured a heart-shaped neckline and long sleeves, with intricate embroidery that required the work of 25 needlewomen and 10 embroiderers. The design was inspired by a Botticelli figure, featuring ivory silk with flower designs of jasmine, smilax, lilac, and white rose-like blossoms on the train, embellished with white crystals and pearls.
The heart-shaped neckline, also known as a sweetheart neckline, added a romantic touch to the gown, while the long sleeves provided a sense of elegance and royalty. The dress was designed to be conventional in silhouette with a full skirt, but it was the exquisite details that set it apart. The embroidery on the bodice, full skirts, and ethereal silk train included star flowers, roses, jasmine blossoms, and ears of wheat, all encrusted with pearls and diamanté.
The choice of silk was significant, as it was specifically directed by Queen Elizabeth's mother, who desired an "unusually rich, lustrous stiff satin." The silkworms were sourced from Nationalist China, avoiding the UK's enemies during the war, Japan and Italy. The satin was used for the train, while a more flexible material of the same tone was chosen for the dress itself, creating a cohesive and luxurious look.
The final design of the dress was kept secret, with Princess Elizabeth wanting to prevent fashion houses from creating copies and allowing herself the freedom to make last-minute alterations. The dress was delivered to the palace just a day before the wedding, and on the big day, it glittered and bejewelled, drawing comparisons to Grace Kelly's dress in 1956 and Catherine Middleton's "Westminster décor" dress designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
The gown's heart-shaped neckline and long sleeves contributed to its timeless and elegant design, and it is remembered as one of the most iconic wedding dresses in royal history, with a price tag of $42,000, equivalent to approximately $1.6 million today.
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The designer was Norman Hartnell
The designer of Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress was Norman Hartnell, who gained the Royal Warrant as Dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) in 1940 and to Queen Elizabeth II in 1957. Hartnell was a leading British fashion designer, best known for his work for the ladies of the royal family.
Hartnell was announced as the designer of Princess Elizabeth's wedding gown just three months before her wedding to Prince Philip (later the Duke of Edinburgh) on 20 November 1947. The dress was made using duchesse satin purchased by the Princess using ration coupons, as clothing was still rationed in Britain at the time. The silk cloth was chosen at the specific directive of her mother, the Queen, who desired an "unusually rich, lustrous stiff satin which was made at Lullingstone Castle". The silkworms to manufacture the silk were sourced from Nationalist China, not from the UK's enemies during the war, Japan and Italy.
The gown featured a sweetheart neckline, long, fitted sleeves, and a magnificent 15-foot train. It was embroidered with exquisite pearl- and diamante-encrusted star flowers, roses, jasmine blossoms, and ears of wheat, with more than 10,000 seed pearls and thousands of white beads. The final design was kept secret until the wedding day, when the dress glittered, bejewelled with pearls and diamante.
Hartnell described the creation of Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress as the "pinnacle of his career", alongside the Coronation dress he designed for her in 1952.
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The dress was embellished with pearls and diamante
The wedding dress of Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) was embellished with pearls and diamante. The dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, who was appointed as the designer of the gown in 1947, three months before the wedding. Hartnell submitted 12 potential designs to the royal family, and one was approved. The final design was kept secret until the wedding day.
The dress was made of ivory silk and featured a heart-shaped neckline, long tight sleeves, and a 13-foot train. The silk was chosen at the directive of Queen Elizabeth's mother, who desired a "rich, lustrous stiff satin." The silk was made from silkworms imported from Nationalist China. The dress was adorned with 10,000 pearls imported from the United States, as well as crystals and diamante. The pearls were combined with flowing lines of wheat ears, the symbol of fertility, and worked in pearl and diamante.
The dress also featured intricate embroidery of roses, jasmine blossoms, and ears of wheat, all stitched in silver and gold thread. The embroidery motifs were transferred to drawings to enable embroidery experts to work on them. The total cost of the gown reached $42,000, which is equivalent to approximately $1.6 million today.
The wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip was a significant event, taking place just two years after the end of World War II. The country was still recovering from the war, and clothing was rationed. Despite the challenges, Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress was a stunning creation, made possible by the dedication of hundreds of people behind the scenes.
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It was inspired by Botticelli
Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, the Court Designer at the time. The dress was made of ivory silk and featured a heart-shaped neckline, long tight sleeves, a tailored bodice, and a full skirt. The train of the dress was 13 feet (4 metres) long and adorned with intricate embroidery. The final design was approved just three months before the wedding, and hundreds of people worked to bring it to life.
The dress was inspired by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli's "Primavera", which symbolises the coming of spring. Hartnell drew inspiration from the painting's elaborate embroidery motifs of scattered flowers on the rich satin dress and the tulle veil worn by the model. The dress featured flower designs of jasmine, smilax, lilac, and white rose-like blossoms added to the train, embellished by 10,000 seed pearls and white crystals.
The silk cloth was specifically chosen by Queen Elizabeth's mother, who desired an "unusually rich, lustrous stiff satin". The silkworms used to manufacture the silk were sourced from Nationalist China, avoiding the UK's enemies during the war, Italy and Japan. The dress was created in the context of post-World War II austerity measures, and Princess Elizabeth had to use clothing ration coupons to pay for the dress, with additional coupons granted by the government.
The wedding dress of Queen Elizabeth (then Princess Elizabeth) was a highly anticipated event, as it was the first big celebration of the postwar era. The dress did not disappoint, and it has since been considered one of the most fashion-forward gowns of its time. The design was kept secret until the wedding day, and the public was enamoured by the glittering bejewelled dress, which has since drawn parallels to the wedding dresses of Grace Kelly and Catherine Middleton.
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Frequently asked questions
Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress cost $42,000, which is equivalent to approximately $1.6 million today.
Due to stringent economic rules at the time, the royal family had to pay for the dress themselves. Princess Elizabeth used ration coupons to pay for her dress, with some members of the British public even sending her their coupons in the hopes of contributing to the making of her gown.
Norman Hartnell was the designer of Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress. He is known for his elaborate embroidery, which he did not skimp on for Elizabeth's gown. The dress featured a heart-shaped neckline, long tight sleeves, and intricate embroidery of star flowers, roses, jasmine blossoms, and ears of wheat.
