“I have the heart and stomach of a king” Elizabeth I.
Our Christmas collection is inspired by our favourite monarch Elizabeth I, and the celebrated “Golden Age” – a time when art and literature flourished, and national pride rose with the growth of maritime strength. It was also a period of opulence and extravagance, embodied by the Queen herself, who wore lavish outfits and jewellery to showcase her wealth and power (see below!). We love that she is an influence on fashion for us today, as she was for society back in the 1500s.
We named this collection “Gloriana” as a nod to Edmund Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”, an epic poem published in honour of Elizabeth in 1590. Our print is full of symbols that can be seen in paintings of Elizabeth’s own regal wardrobe. The eyes and ears suggest her all-seeing, all-hearing authority, while the hearts represent her love of God and country. You may also be able to spot the Tudor rose, which artists of the time used to symbolize the relative unity the Tudor era brought to the land. For Elizabeth, this included religious unity. She is famously said to have declared that she would not open “windows into men’s souls”, indicating that she wouldn’t concern herself with people’s private beliefs.
To complement the symbolism of the collection’s print, and echo Elizabeth’s love of lavish jewellery, we thought this was the perfect time to collaborate with the incredibly talented Agnes Walker who explores the connection between heritage and modernity in her work. Specially for us, she created fifteen, beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces – the perfect finish to your Gloriana look. Let us know your favourites!
Designers’ Pick
Hattie - Golden Age Robe (coming back into stock)
“It’s so extra, but comfy, and the print looks great on such a long piece”
Olivia - Elizabeth Collar (coming back into stock)
“It’s a great accessory to add over a jumper or T-Shirt, and the print means it can be mixed with lots of colours”
We are looking at bringing some of the Gloriana pieces back into stock in a new Navy blue Colourway of the ‘Gloriana’ Print. Sign up to our newsletter for early access as these will be very limited edition like before. We will also be re-making the Elizabeth Collar in Navy Gloriana Velvet.