FROCKS FIT FOR A QUEEN

Coast’s Jubilee range is inspired by Sir Norman Hartnell’s royal designs. Celebrate with one of these...

Coast may have achieved the impossible — it has made me want to shop there. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve long understood the appeal of the brand, beloved by so many for its (relatively) affordable occasionwear.

But it’s never quite been my cup of tea. It’s always been a shop where I might pick up a dress I like, only to realise it’s got an annoying cut-out across the midriff.

But they’ve made a convert of me and all it took was the Platinum Jubilee.

to celebrate the Queen’s 70-year reign, Coast has launched a capsule collection inspired by her favourite, long-serving designer, sir Norman Hartnell, who died in 1979.

as the designer of the gowns she has worn for many of her most significant historical occasions, his name is inextricably linked to the House of Windsor. Most notably, of course, he created her 1947 wedding dress and her 1953 Coronation gown (far left), the latter adorned with the intricate embroidery (to symbolise the UK and its Commonwealth countries) that would become a Hartnell signature.

No one would have predicted that the son of south London publicans would rise

to such heights and rival Parisian ateliers as the go-to for London’s aristocrats. But Hartnell’s time at Cambridge University ignited his love for fashion, and also gifted him the connections that would ultimately allow him to set up shop on his own in Mayfair.

One such connection was Lady Alice Montagu Douglas Scott. When she married Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, in 1935, she commissioned Hartnell to make her wedding gown and the dresses for her bridesmaids — Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. This caught the eye of their mother, our future Queen Mum, who became a client.

It set Hartnell on a course with his destiny, one that continues to influence royal fashion to this day. Those floral embroideries from the 1953 Coronation gown were echoed in the Duchess of Sussex’s 2018 wedding veil.

Princess Beatrice chose a vintage Norman Hartnell dress, first worn by the Queen in 1962, and repurposed it for her 2020 marriage to Edoardo Mapelli

Mozzi. Now, with this new HighStreet collection, we can all channel a bit of old-school regality.

The range is called Presenting Coast x Norman Hartnell: A Style Legacy, and as you’d expect takes huge inspiration from the couturier’s signature ‘greatest hits’.

The sweetheart necklines and nipped-in waists evoke 1950s glamour. The fitted, feminine silhouettes are then overlaid with softening, flattering ruffles. The fabrics are luxe — think satin, georgette, organza.

There are delicate, pastel shades, most notably the pale blue favoured by the Queen. And it wouldn’t be a Hartnell homage without exquisite hand-beading and embroidery.

I love the simple midi-dress so much I’m trying to justify buying it in both black and white. That length is my favourite, and the ruffled detail is enough of a flourish to make the style something I’ll pull out again and again for years.

Any one of these looks would be perfect for a summer wedding or garden party. The fact that the inspirations have worked so beautifully for an endlessly wearable collection in 2022 proves the eternal appeal of Norman Hartnell. A true great.