Charles III: last well-dressed man in the British crown?

(Cover photo credit: King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, visiting Wilstshire, 1999 - photo: Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

A very English education

Charles Philip Arthur George was born on November 14, 1948 at Buckingham Palace, London. His mother, the future Queen Elizabeth II, acceded to the throne of England 4 years later. Charles's status as eldest son naturally makes him the future heir to the Kingdom.

At the beginning of the 1950s, the clothing style of English society was such that we can rediscover it in the films of this period: readily formal among men, even more so in more affluent circles. If the young Prince quickly takes to costume, we discover outfits that are a bit more casual, particularly sports outfits, and other magnificently retro outfits through the archives.

The British royal family is, however, governed by specific, very formal rules, in which costumes and uniforms obviously participate in the effort of representation .

Among the male models of young Prince Charles: his father Prince Philip or his uncles like Prince Edward or even his mentor Lord Mountbatten, better known as “Dickie”.

Each of them has a classic formal style, perfectly impeccable. However, it is precisely this style that the legendary Derek Guy favors, whose writing you can follow on Twitter , on his blog Die, Workwear! or on the Put This On website. He tells :

“I am particularly interested in the classic formal style and tailoring art. When it comes to clothing, my tastes are slightly conservative. I am therefore quite naturally attracted to the style of the now King Charles III. When you become the Prince of Wales, there is necessarily a lot of cultural capital at stake. In fact, I think that your status as a style icon comes both from your way of dressing and your social position. »

If you've never heard of this style lover, Derek Guy, I invite you to read his advice on how to learn to develop your taste for style . Or, for lovers of the formula, take a look at this lightning presentation from my colleague Jordan:

An improbable style icon

With the transition to adulthood, celibacy, mystery and the aura of the English monarchy helping, Prince Charles gradually becomes a sort of style icon for costume lovers . He was enthroned Prince of Wales in July 1969.

But for the youngest among you, Prince Charles, now King Charles III, perhaps more easily resembles Josh O'Connor in the television series "The Crown" . If it is very freely inspired by the history of the royal family, certain gimmicks and style traits of Prince Charles regularly shown on screen are true : the hand always slipped into the jacket pocket, the taste for a double-breasted suit , etc.

On our side of the Channel, we must admit that we have not always been kind to Charles: we have made fun of his outdated style, his ears and generally his disconnect with civil society. However, with hindsight, we realize above all that this style is above all timeless .

What makes Charles III's style unique? Derek Guy has his own idea on the matter and we quickly understand that all this is not just a question of money and status . It is the story of a long tradition of style:

“Prince Charles, now King Charles III, never really wore any brands, except perhaps Barbour . Most of his clothes are bespoke, made for him by shoemakers and bespoke tailors. I know he has a preference for draped cuts, so he wears Anderson & Sheppard and suits that are in that same style family, like Thomas Mahon (now at Redmayne) and Steven Hitchcock (son of the former tailor by Anderson & Sheppard John Hitchcock). His shoes are John Lobb , which come from the house's workshop on St. James Street in London.

Charles wore single-breasted suits when he was younger and then moved on to double-breasted suits (although lately he's back to single-breasted). For my part, I am interested in his style not to imitate his way of dressing, but rather as one would follow a guide, to understand what it means to find your own style and dress with taste . Charles has an eye for patterns, colors and how clothes should go together, both in terms of cut and silhouette. »

For Derek Guy, the style of Charles III therefore coincides with a clothing tradition that is disappearing and/or reserved for the elite: bespoke , which we could translate to a large extent. Most often it involves making a piece of clothing, formal of course, from scratch, just for you. We traditionally think of Saville Row when we think of bespoke. But to better understand what it's about, Derek Guy certainly has the image you need:

Scottish journalist and author Caroline Young , who recently told us about Alfred Hitchcock's costumes, agrees with Derek Guy. She even talks about transmission:

“When he was Prince of Wales, Charles had that formal elegance that you see in Cary Grant in Alfred Hitchcock's films – in 'The Dead', for example. It's a thoughtful style, which follows all kinds of meticulous little rules . When he was younger, he was indeed a sort of style icon, even though he was often made fun of for his clumsiness.

In the 70s and 80s, however, he was truly recognized for his way of dressing. In my opinion, he had a sense of style similar to that of the Duke of Windsor, Prince Edward. However, for the men of the royal family, all this perhaps ultimately amounts to passing down tweed jackets and style baggage from generation to generation . »

The King of Patches

If Charles III is part of a very British clothing tradition, he is also distinguished by an atypical character and a long-standing commitment to the environment. When it comes to clothing, we can even say that King Charles III is an example of “sustainable fashion” : he throws nothing away and systematically has his things repaired.

Some of his clothes (coats, suits, shoes) are several decades old. The more observant will be able to have fun noting the small repairs and other visible patches. The wardrobe of King Charles III is therefore alive: it takes on a patina and can be reused endlessly. However, the very high quality of its clothing and shoes also has its limits.

We can see this quite clearly in the images: some pieces are now in a pitiful state, which obviously raises the question of style and durability. Where does elegance end? And how far can we go in the art of wearing and repairing the same clothes for 20, 30, 40 years?

For King Charles III, the choice seems quite clear: choosing your clothes well is a way of never parting with them . In fact, his leitmotif in this matter could be summed up in a few words: style always mends itself .

For the love of the kilt

The sartorial history of King Charles III obviously does not stop at tailor-made suits. We also discover official costumes, military outfits, sports outfits or less urban outfits and even a very Scottish tradition: the kilt, which he has worn almost forever.

Camille, Customer Experience Manager at BonneGueule, has long been passionate about the royal family. She returns to King Charles III's passion for the kilt and the tartan pattern.

“In my opinion, it is impossible not to emphasize King Charles III's love of the kilt, and what it represents. Will William, as the new Prince of Wales, follow this path and wear kilts? At the Queen's funeral, Charles was in a kilt. He is also there during his visits. In my opinion, the kilt is a uniform which is one of the last links with the United Kingdom (Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), which is crumbling more and more.

The fact that this tradition continues accentuates this link and brings people together. I don't think I've seen Princes William and Harry in kilts since they were teenagers. It is now Prince William's wife, Kate, who wears the tartan pattern. It remains an important symbol. And in my opinion, it is the kilt which favored for some this kitsch side in Charles . I adore ! »

The latest in a line of men of style?

We pointed out above: the men of the British royal family have passed down their style tips from a very young age . Charles and Princess Diana's children, William and Harry, were raised in a good school and were most likely dressed head to toe by the same tailors as their father. Take a look, for example, at this photograph below:

The cut, the fit, everything is perfect. But is all this just the result of the bespoke style so dear to the royal family ? One might think that its members are refraining from what our politicians are doing, namely revising the range of their sartorial ambitions downwards to improve their popular image. Derek Guy thinks there is something else behind all this:

“I don't think it's a question of cheap clothes or luxury clothes, popular brands or not. Above all, it's about having taste in the way you dress . But Charles III has, in my opinion, very good taste . In fact, I think we could achieve the same result with a smaller clothing budget. »

Either. In the meantime, the young princes Williams and Harry initially follow in their father's footsteps. They certainly don't choose their clothes on their own. The result is often astonishing. See the impeccable fit of the jackets and pants below. Probably none of us were blessed with such a sense of style at this age.

Then the children became adults. Some will say that they don't particularly stand out for their style. And that's somewhat true. But for Derek Guy, things clearly need to be nuanced:

“Charles’ sons are from another generation. Their clothing style naturally reflects this difference. However, I wouldn't say they don't have style. Simply William and Harry dress like people their age , although sometimes with a little more subtlety. »

Should we understand that nothing will ever be the same again in the royal family's locker room? Like everyone else, and despite a very strict sense of tradition and protocol, the royal family has no other choice but to evolve with the times. For Caroline Young, the style has in a way changed sides :

“Unlike their father, Princes William and Harry have never really been the subject of comments about their clothing style and I don't think they will follow the same path as their father on this subject. It's more their wives Megan and Kate who attract attention. Of course, Charles also experienced this with Princess Diana, but when he was still single, he was really known for his dress sense. This is not the case for his children. »

But then, is Charles III the last man in the British royal family to be well dressed ? If the notion of elegance has evolved over the years, Derek Guy's observation leaves no room for doubt:

" Unfortunately yes. I think the golden age of classic men's style and tailoring was between the 1930s and the 1980s . However, Prince Charles, now Charles III, is the last to have a connection with this period of history. Now that he is King of the United Kingdom, however, I think he will continue to dress the same way he always has. »