Overview

Fashioning the Crown tells the story of a tumultuous half-century of British history through the lens of royal fashion and image-making. Informed by Justine Picardie's entirely original research in the Royal Archives, as well her own interactions with Elizabeth II and her family, it will reveal how, from the outbreak of the First World War to 1960, the power of clothing played a crucial role in helping the Royal Family, and the nation, to navigate seismic changes and challenges. Justine will take us behind the glamor and mystique of the Crown, introducing us afresh to three generations of royals, including the glamorous Queen Mary; the Chanel-wearing young flapper who would become the Queen Mother; and the little Princess Lillibet, setting fashion trends at the age of three. Justine will reveal the crucial importance of image-making in an era of abdications and assassinations, and amidst the rise of revolutions and fascism. She will also uncover the fascinating, little-known lives of the couturiers behind the clothes. Figures like Hardy Amies, Edward Molyneux, and Norman Hartnell had secrets that they kept in the shadows--from their sexuality, to their work in espionage--even as they dressed some of the most recognizable figures in the world. Fashioning the Crown will present a secretive institution in a captivating new light.

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Justine Picardie is the author of several books, including her critically acclaimed memoir, If the Spirit Moves You: Life and Love After Death, and the international bestseller Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life. She is a contributing editor to Harper's Bazaar UK, having previously been its editor-in-chief. She was formerly an investigative journalist for The Sunday Times in London, a columnist for The Telegraph, editor of the Observer magazine, and features director of Vogue. Her most recent book, Miss Dior, was published to extensive critical acclaim. Justine lives in London. Melissa Chambers is an actor, writer, and narrator with over twenty years of experience behind the mic. She has recorded over 100 books across genres for publishers like Bolinda and Podium Audio. In her natural Australian accent she brings stories and characterizations to life with warmth, friendliness, and intelligence. In flawless British and American accents she has narrated everything from sci-fi to romance to nonfiction. Melissa lives between South London and South Yorkshire, where she and her family are the custodians of roughly 200 trees.

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