While Queen Elizabeth II was officially crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1953, her ceremonial gown carried a particular message concerning relationships, both domestic and foreign. This thoughtfully designed article of clothing turned a ceremonial gown into a symbolic story about the composition of the UK and the Commonwealth as a whole. While the majority of the audience at home tended to concentrate on the crown jewels and the ceremony order, the design of the gown became one of the key elements of the formal occasion. Indeed, the silk dress was designed to become an illustration of a unified identity in terms of heraldic symbolism.
The creation of the gown marks an actual milestone in the history of ceremonial dress design in the twentieth century. Under commission from the royal family, British dress designer Norman Hartnell took months analysing dresses of the past to design one that would fulfil state protocol requirements and, at the same time, be camera-friendly.
