I’ll admit it, I actually think Queen Camilla has nice style for her age. She’s a bit too tweedy for my taste, but for her body type and position, I think Camilla wears some nice looks. My favorite pieces of hers are when she wears more Indian-style designs, like high-fashion kurtas, but she’s got some nice conservative, flattering gowns too. My least favorite looks are when she wears anything lacy or velvet. Camilla tends to favor a handful of old-school British designers and she rarely ventures out to the younger designers or more avant-garde looks, which is also fine. So, long story short, Camilla has chosen the person who will design her coronation look. And the designer is one of Princess Diana’s favorites and one of Diana’s close friends.

The Queen has chosen her close friend Bruce Oldfield, who was also a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales, to design her Coronation dress. Camilla has been working on the creation in secret with Oldfield, who once claimed he had given the royal her “confidence”.

The design of the dress, which will be one of the most significant of the Queen’s life, will remain under wraps until she is crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6. Oldfield, 72, has long been one of the Royal family’s favoured couturiers. He is synonymous with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, with whom he worked closely for 10 years, designing many of her most iconic gowns in the 1980s.

The designer said in 2014: “I gave Diana her glamour and Camilla her confidence.”

But a source added: “Camilla has a very close friendship with Bruce spanning many years so in many ways it is the natural and obvious choice. Camilla trusts Bruce because he has really delivered on dresses for so many important occasions recently for her.”

Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation dress is regarded as one of the most important examples of 20th-century design. She requested that the gown, made of white satin, conform to the line of her wedding dress.

[From The Telegraph]

I keep forgetting that the coronation will be a big fashion and jewelry event, honestly. While Charles claims to have simplified the ceremony, that basically only means that men don’t have to wear knickerbockers or hosiery. The women – Lady Hootentooter and the Countess of Craven-Biscuit – will be expected to wear conservative evening gowns and all of their best family jewels. Tiaras, giant necklaces, brooches, rings, everything, piled on. My guess is that, for Camilla, Oldfield will design something long-sleeved and high-necked, probably something in white. As for Camilla choosing one of Diana’s favorites… well, Camilla co-opted as many people as she could. Who was Cam going to choose instead, Alice Temperley? Jenny Packham? Please.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.