For hundreds of years, queens have inspired awestruck respect through artful sartorial strategy and symbolism galore. Want to be queen for the day? Here are five pieces of jewellery to give you that regal vibe!
Forget dragons, how about being Mother of Dragons? Better than forlornly chasing your oblivious pooch around the park (as onlookers snicker), right?
Glossing over the questionable “Mad Queen” GOT storyline, Daenerys offered us a female character who, like many non-fictional queens/women worldwide, suffered major trauma – childhood abuse and the loss of her parents, to name a few – but retained a steely core.
Likewise, folk hero Boudica, with her “mass of the reddest hair” and “terrifying” appearance, was a fearless warrior. Before a final battle against invading Roman forces, she drove around in her chariot with her daughters, urging her tribes to bravely fight.
Both of these queens worked a distinctively strong look: throw on this fierce dragon body chain and join the ranks of the rebellious.
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Was anyone else obsessed with the 1997 Fox classic Anastasia as a child? Forget Disney and Pixar, Fox knew what was up. Even now, as I search in vain for a “fun cocktail dress,” deep down all I really want is cartoon Anastasia’s deep blue, velvet dress with the glittering cape and those crisp, white, elbow-length gloves.
Unsurprisingly, the animated movie concocts a sanitised version of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna’s plight: the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II who, alongside the rest of her family, was murdered at the hands of Bolsheviks.
The 1997 version is a beautiful fantasy in which Anastasia somehow escapes this fate, a myth that circulated for years after the real Anastasia’s death. The songs rival those of its relative, Frozen, and the visuals are an aesthetic feast.
In this fictional re-telling, Anastasia retains a locket, which is the key to a treasured family music box. Now, go check out this elegant locket ring, you princess in disguise, you.
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Next up, Nefertiti. So inimitable that Queen B herself nominated her as muse for a clothing line and a phenomenal Coachella wardrobe, this enigmatic Egyptian queen was rendered upon temple and tomb walls with uncommon frequency, illustrated driving chariots and acting as a conduit between her people and god Aten – so, yeah, basically Beyonce, right?
In the annals of fashion, Egyptian queens were trailblazers. Can’t find a local drugstore stocking your fave eyeshadow? These queens used crushed up lapis lazuli, daubing the gold-specked, blue powder across their eyes then filling in the brows with smoky kohl.
The phrase “making an entrance” should probably be attributed to the most iconic Egyptian queen: Cleopatra. She allegedly rocked up to her first meeting with Mark Antony on a golden barge, dressed as Aphrodite, with helpers wearing the obligatory Cupid outfits.
Is Beyonce a reincarnated Egyptian queen? Who knows, this panegyric could go on forever. In the meantime, try these gorgeous door-knocker earrings, your Majesty.
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True Blood’s Sophie-Anne Leclerq, Vampire Queen of Louisiana, was magnificent. Like many of our beloved queens, she has a troubled backstory, having been forced into prostitution. Yes, she had a questionable moral compass, but she also emanated the breath-taking glamour of a 1920s silver screen star.
A real-life style icon/badass of the 20s was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, described by Hitler himself as “the most dangerous woman in Europe” – I would’ve had that inscribed somewhere.
Initially, she wasn’t too sure about life as a royal, rejecting Albert Duke of York’s proposal twice, as she was “afraid never, never again to be free to think, speak and act as I feel I really ought to.” She/Helena Bonham Carter went on to be a powerhouse in the Royal Family.
During World War II, Queen Elizabeth and her husband refused to evacuate London. She learnt how to use a gun, in case of Nazi invasion, and visited troops and bombsites. So, grab this sparkling, 20s-inspired lily hair comb and emulate another worthy queen.
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The year is 2018, it’s the Met Gala, and the theme is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” Rihanna arrives in papal regalia, exquisitely bejewelled, glowing like the queen/pope of gorgeousness she is.
Queen Elizabeth I was another sartorial powerhouse. She was a shrewd survivor, maintaining a highly choreographed public image throughout her reign. Like modern queens such as Rihanna, she used symbolism as a means of signalling strength and individualism, with portraits of the Tudor queen portraying a woman of weighty status, dripping in jewels and pearls.
She had a childhood the Lannister family could relate to: her mother was accused of incest and beheaded, then Elizabeth was shunned by her father, a grade A narcissist. Later, she lived with her widowed step-mother Katherine Parr and Parr’s predatory partner, Thomas Seymour. Elizabeth vowed never to marry, and who can blame her?
Command respect in your own realm with this jewel-encrusted cross necklace, fit for a queen.
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