Queen Elizabeth II: A 70-year reign filled with many colorful outfits

Unique, colorful, considered and inimitable. These are some terms that could be used to describe the fashion style of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday, September 8, at her Balmoral residence in Scotland.

In seven decades on the throne, the Queen always maintained the very particular style that characterised her, composed of intentionally colorful dresses -- almost never pants -- paired with hats, pearls and her trusty patent leather handbag.

Since her accession to the throne in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II made the skirt suit her go-to outfit for daily outings and engagements, while opting for more sophisticated gowns for her banquets, dinners and various other receptions in the United Kingdom and overseas. Her style varied very little over the decades, right up to her death at the age of 96, and had many specificities, starting with her unwavering loyalty to her trusty and ever-present handbag, not to mention her taste for -- or her choice to wear -- very colorful outfits.

Blue, a color of choice

Did Elizabeth II have a taste for bright colors, or did she choose them for purely strategic reasons? Probably both, according to some members of the British royal family, including Sophie Rhys-Jones, the Countess of Wessex, and the biographer Robert Hardman in his book "Our Queen." Her Majesty chose yellow, pink, mauve, green, orange or purple outfits with matching hats to make herself as visible as possible to her followers. It was a strategy that was always perfectly thought out and applied wherever she went. So green, for example, was banned for engagements taking place amid nature or in a park.

But it is the blue that appeared to be her favorite color, a hue she wore in all its shades over the decades. It is precisely this color of outfit that the Queen chose for her last official portrait by photographer Ranald Mackechnie, unveiled for her Platinum Jubilee. This portrait shows the Queen sitting in a light blue ensemble, paired with a double strand of pearls -- an accessory of which she was also fond. Symbolic of peace, wisdom, calm and confidence, blue has accompanied the Queen throughout her 70-year reign as a regular choice, demonstrating her affection for this color that will forever be associated with the first monarch in British history to have celebrated a Platinum Jubilee.

Always with her handbag

If Queen Elizabeth II's style was frequently watched and studied -- regularly sending bookmakers into a frenzy -- little was ever really known about her personal fancies or preferences. In her book "The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe," Angela Kelly, Her Majesty's assistant and style advisor, reveals some of her secrets, starting with her unwavering loyalty to her legendary handbag, of which there were several hundred versions over the decades.

A model from the London leather goods house Launer, this smooth patent leather bag apparently even underwent some modifications to make it unique in the world, and even more suited to the Queen's outings. Without any shoulder strap, the said model is adorned with handles larger than the original bags to allow Elizabeth II to wear it on her wrist. Upon making an unexpected appearance at the fashion show of the designer Richard Quinn, and taking a seat on the front row next to Anna Wintour, Royal watchers may remember that the Queen delicately removed her bag from her wrist to place it at her feet.

And if you're wondering how the Queen managed to avoid the effects of the elements -- especially the wind -- while out and about, it's simple: weights were slipped into the hems and seams of her clothes and accessories, including her hats, to prevent them from blowing away. Her style was certainly unique, as was the reign of this sovereign, today mourned by many around the world.