09/21/2020

Fashion journalist Holmes debuts with a flattering and thoroughly enjoyable assessment of style choices made by Queen Elizabeth II, Diana Spencer, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle. In Holmes’s view, Elizabeth, typically seen as the fustiest of the bunch, is a “strategic genius” for her decision to dress head-to-toe in a single, sensational hue. Princess Diana’s clothing choices changed drastically during her 16 years in the spotlight, Holmes notes, from “demure and romantic” to “bold colors and big shapes that seemed to scream: Look at me!” Kate Middleton’s commoner status has influenced her style, according to Holmes, who lauds the Duchess of Cambridge’s habit of wearing “off-the-rack pieces” that burnish her “every-girl appeal.” Meghan Markle’s breezy, California-girl style took the requisite conservative turn when she married Prince Harry, though the scrutiny of the British tabloid press never let up, eventually contributing to the couple’s decision to distance themselves from the royal family and relocate to America. Holmes makes a strong case, in enthusiastic prose along with lavish photographs of all four women, that her subjects’ sartorial choices say as much about their positions in the royal family as they do about their individual identities. Royal watchers will delight in this breezy survey of Windsor family fashions. (Nov.)