The Seams of Royalty: Justine Picardie’s Fashioning the Crown

In one of the opening chapters of Fashioning the Crown, Picardie reminds us of Queen Elizabeth II‘s famous quote: “I have to be seen to be believed.” This quote usually justifies the late Queen’s choices of bold colors and patterns. However, the author’s research proves that the politics behind these choices are not that simple. In fact, they are not only meticulous but also loaded. From the founding of the House of Windsor in 1917 until the early 1960s, Picardie argues that the British monarchy survived abdications, world wars, and the rise of fascism precisely because it mastered the soft power of image-making.

The Secrets in the Seams

The most interesting details in the book are not about the royals themselves. They are about the designers who dressed them. Picardie reveals the secret lives of couturiers such as Hardy Amies and Edward Molyneux, and states that their precision with a needle was often matched by their skill in wartime espionage. For example, Hardy Amies was also a high-level officer in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), navigating the Belgian resistance while simultaneously sketching silhouettes for the future queen.

Picardie’s investigative background shines here. She connects the dots between the “disciplined line” of royal tailoring and the rigid requirements of military secrecy, suggesting that the fashion houses of London and Paris were essential—if not invisible—in the British intelligence apparatus.

Wallis vs. The Windsors

Another interesting element of the book is Picardie’s ability to profile the psychology of the characters through their fashion choices. This gives us further insight and even funny anecdotes about historical figures that we wouldn’t have known. For example, we learn about the “sartorial warfare” between traditionalists and outsiders. Using archives and records, Picardie describes how the Duchess of Windsor used Elsa Schiaparelli’s surrealist designs as a weapon of rebellion. Wallis’s wardrobe wasn’t just chic; it was a deliberate middle finger to the dusty, Victorian expectations of the palace.

In another chapter, we learn a surreal anecdote regarding the Windsors’ meeting with Hermann Göring in 1937. While Wallis was dressed impeccably, the Nazi commander was not. In fact, he had a weird thing for Elizabeth Arden products, so… he wore bright red varnish on his toenails—a jarring detail that highlights the grotesque decadence of the era.

Verdict

This is a historical book, based on true archives and records. With over 100 images, many never before published, Fashioning the Crown is a cinematic, atmospheric work that proves the most powerful weapons in the Royal Arsenal were often made of silk and lace. It is definitely worth reading, especially if you are interested in how fashion becomes a soft power and how it can shape cultural diplomacy, particularly in times of crisis.

Fashioning the Crown: A Story of Power, Conflict, and Couture will be published on February 24, 2026, by Pegasus Books.