In her Uniqlo puffer jacket and straight-legged, dark-wash jeans, she could have been any woman of a certain age out for a relaxed holiday outing with her family. But the woman in question was no ordinary tourist. No, this was the Queen in jeans.
Enjoying lunch in Ballater near Balmoral with her son, Tom Parker-Bowles, daughter, Laura Lopes, and her grandchildren on Monday, Queen Camilla was well and truly in off-duty mode. And yet, the message was still unmistakable – that she may be married to the King, but that her attitude to fashion is as relaxed and practical as it has always been, reminding us that, at heart, she is probably happiest pulling on her denim for a day pottering in the garden or tending to her beloved horses.
“She’s doing a relaxed smart-casual look,” analyses personal stylist and fashion editor Annabel Hodin. “You might think that everyone’s got a Uniqlo jacket but she’s chosen a subtly chic shade which is soft and flatters her colouring. It’s not frumpy, heavy or traditional, her look is a nod to modernity whilst also being an intelligent choice in the Scottish weather.”
In royal fashion terms, the Queen’s ease in jeans is a remarkable break with tradition. She is the first queen of the United Kingdom to wear in public the everyday staple so many of us rely upon.
The late Queen Elizabeth was reportedly wearing jeans at (or around) the moment when she ascended the throne on February 6 1952, while she was enjoying a private safari holiday in Kenya. But the public never glimpsed her in Levi’s and the sight of her in trousers was a matter of national conversation – one newspaper wrote that there was “an audible intake of breath” when Elizabeth wore trousers to leave hospital following a knee operation in 2003, while another described it as “the equivalent of Prince Philip stepping out in a sarong”.
We’re not quite at those levels of hysteria now, thankfully. And surely the most striking thing about 77-year-old Queen Camilla’s penchant for jeans is how they add a youthful verve to her public image, which is otherwise mostly dominated by her uniform of carefully tailored dresses.
This is by no means the first time we’ve seen her wearing jeans, but this week’s sighting is especially significant because Camilla opted to team her denim with the kind of Uniqlo padded coat which has become a staple in wardrobes across the globe. It’s a true everywoman purchase.
At last year’s Braemar literary festival, she teamed a similar pair with a crisp white shirt and navy blazer. In 2020, she posed casually on the steps of Birkhall in a pink shirt, lilac jumper and jeans. She’s been pictured in jeans with a Barbour and wellies, too, and even loved them as far back as 1975, when she wore belted jeans to a polo match where she was snapped in conversation with the then Prince Charles.
By wearing the kind of jeans she’s loved since she was young, Camilla looks agelessly elegant – it helps, of course, that she still looks fantastic in them. However, it’s notable that she’s wearing a cut in which she’s always felt confident.
There’s no risk of mistaking her for a Gen Z devotee of wide legs, although you shouldn’t be put off trying that trend if you feel ready to dip your toe in – simply look to 53-year-old Queen Rania of Jordan who recently wore a fairly avant-garde pair of wide-leg indigo jeans in the same week that she became a grandmother for the first time.
Hodin believes that Camilla could have pushed the envelope a little further with the silhouette of her jeans. “She could have gone wider and stiffer with her jeans to achieve a tailored effect, avoid anything too skinny, tight and instead look for styles which skim the body,” she advises.
While we don’t know the exact style the Queen is wearing, there’s plenty of excellent straight leg cuts available, from Agolde’s ‘90s pinch waist style to M&S’s ‘Sienna’ straight legs and Good American’s straight cut.
I don’t think there’s any danger of Camilla using denim to make a big fashion statement like Queen Rani, but her love of jeans is just one of several style habits she deploys to keep her image modern and stop things veering into frumpy territory.
The Queen has made headlines with her collection of flowy jumpsuits. Designed by Anna Valentine, they’ve seen her through more laidback receptions and concerts when she can afford to relax her regal look a little.
Along with her dresser Jacqui Meakin, Camilla has also added a selection of contemporary dresses from contemporary British brand Me + Em to her wardrobe, providing an antidote to the more formal pieces other occasions demand – a beautiful emerald green crushed velvet design worn late last year was especially striking without veering into what Hodin describes as “clownish” territory.
“To be youthful and appropriate, I’d always suggest adding colour but not anything obvious. It needs to be subtle, gentle, charming,” she explains.
She also advocates for investing in brands which are a little pricier if you can afford to, like Me +Em. “I would suggest spending more to get an expensive feel, you want pieces which are cut and made well.”
There are even more understated wats which the Queen keeps her wardrobe contemporary. Her collection of Chanel bags would be ogled by fashion fans of all ages and demonstrate that she not only has an eye for an investment piece but also a timelessly chic accessory.
Then there’s the Queen’s approach to wearing jewellery. It is sometimes described as a “neck mess” or an “arm party”. This simply means that she layers her favourite necklaces and delicate bracelets in an eclectically jangled way which makes even precious pieces like a Van Cleef and Arpels “Alhambra” bracelet look effortlessly thrown-together.
It’s a trick which complements Hodin’s other key piece of advice: “Any outfit will look more youthful if you show a flash of bone, be it ankles, wrists or collarbones.”
With a glint of gold or silver, the effect is only emphasised.
Hodin’s final words of wisdom? “Avoid anything tight or knee length, dress for you and for your shape, look for an icon who is similar to you and hone in on what it is exactly you want to emulate about their style. Above all, you need to enjoy what you’re wearing and feel comfortable because then you will look good.”
It’s advice our jeans and puffer jacket-wearing Queen would surely agree with wholeheartedly.
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