When it came to recreating the royal christening gown,Queen Elizabeth’s dressmaker used an old-fashioned form of dye for the secret project — a tea bag!
“To make sure it looked authentic we dyed it in Yorkshire tea (the strongest, as we all know),” reveals Angela Kelly, the Queen’s longtime dressmaker in her new book. “We placed each piece of lace in a small bowl, from the Dressers’ Kitchen, filled with cool water and a tea bag, and left it for about five minutes, checking regularly until the colour was perfect.”
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Since then Kelly’s replica has been worn for all royal christenings, including those ofPrince Williamand Kate Middleton’s children,Prince George,Princess Charlotte,Prince Louisand most recently for the christening ofArchie,Prince HarryandMeghan Markle’s son.
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“At each stage of the process, I would show our progress to the Queen: first the bodice, then the sleeves attached to it, then the skirt with the under-layers on, and finally the completed robe,” reveals Kelly, who was born and raised in Liverpool. “Her Majesty was very interested to see how it was developing.”
The christening gown also formed part of a2016 exhibition to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday. ‘Fashioning A Reign: 90 Years of Style From the Queen’s Wardrobe’ at Windsor Castle was the largest exhibition of the Queen’s wardrobe to date.
source: people.com
