The two first seasons of The Crown depicted Elizabeth II’s life through a gradual progress of from 1947 to 1963. As for the respect of the historical events and the shooting sets, the costumes in the shows were a crucial aspect as well. The task was entrusted to Michele Clapton, three-time Emmy-winning costume designer.

Surprisingly enough, costumes were often original creations rather than copy clothes from archives, or actual clothes borrowed from the forties to the sixties. Indeed, there was very little use of actual vintage fashion because of the rarity of it. As a result, eight y to ninety percent of Elizabeth wardrobe was created instead. Michele Clapton mainly took inspiration on historical facts to catch the essence of the characters’ personalities.

For example, the evolution in Elizabeth II’s clothes is based on her state of mind.  In the beginning of the series, the official costumes had to be a little unfit in order to illustrate the unease of the status which is imposed on her. But as the Queen gets older, the clothes eventually fit her completely, symbolically mirroring her state of mind about her role.

Michele Clapton would also ask the actors what they would imagine the character to wear for inspiration and minded to make the clothes match with the surroundings as complementary, to prevent the characters to blend with background.

The only times the clothes were recreated were for key events (such as Elizabeth II’s marriage or Margaret’s) and tours, when the clothes were heavily documented, thus allowing to be as accurate as possible in the reconstitution of the costumes.

Queen Elizabeth II's Presidential Dress, receiving J. Kennedy

Princess Elizabeth's suit in Kenya

One exception among the costumes was the coronation dress. It was neither created by the costume department or copied but was actually borrowed from an exhibition which faithfully reproduced the dress.

Sources:

• Grazia - Unpicking The Costumes On Netflix's The Crown With Michele Clapton
• Harper Bazaar - How The Costumes From ‘The Crown’ Measure Up To The Looks They’re Based On
• Vogue - The History Behind The Crown’s Most Incredible Looks
• Town & Country - The Crown's Costume Designer Reveals How She Re-Created the Royal Jewels

The historical genre is not an unprecedented concept in the entertainment industry. There are numerous series or films which are dedicated to a historical event of a personality. However, The Crown certainly brought the genre to another level, waking a general enthusiasm towards the British Monarchy. But what possibly made it so efficient? There have been several series on the British Monarchy with Victoria or The Tudors. However, the main characters happen to belong to a past era while The Crown covers a contemporary period, in which its main character, Queen Elizabeth II, is still alive today. But why is it relevant to the series’ success?

Everybody knows Queen Elizabeth II. In the collective consciousness, the Queen is the one the major embodiment of the United Kingdom among Big Ben, tea, The Beatles or London imperial red buses. However, there are few less people who actually know in details the story of the Queen. Most people agree on the fact that she had been reigning over the United Kingdom for a long time but then what? Her person is dehumanized behind the neutral behavior that she has to display in public and thus, nobody is really able to know what could think and feel the Queen.

This is when The Crown becomes interesting. People are enjoying the show because it assumes what happen behind the Buckingham Palace’s walls. Surely, the accuracy in terms of History, clothes and architecture provides a great background scene but what the viewers are rooting for is the drama, the emotions. The Crown depicts the Queen under a new light and connects the historical events to her. As a result, the series brings the audience to have empathy towards the Queen while simultaneously providing an aesthetically pleasing subplot of contemporary history.

To conclude, the British Monarchy became a source of entertaining to the extent that the historical events are popularized and that the Royal Family is approached as any other humans being. Viewers are enjoying the series because it provides a new point of view over the Monarchy. It takes the liberty to dramatize in order to make it more exciting. Overall, one can assume that the goal of the series is not to make it as accurate as possible, because it would be better to look out for a documentary. The Crown is above all a poignant and moving tribute to the Queen.   

ROUSSEAU Marion