This is a picture built on excess. Why have one corgi when you can have four? Why go for a plain backdrop when you can have lairy florals? And why wear one shirt when you can wear two? OK, so one’s a cardigan, but the doubling of collars is bold and novel and divisive. It’s weird enough to feel Manrepeller-appropriate, yet as styling goes, it’s not even on the Vetements catwalk. Still, it does add a sense of regality (funny that) to what is ostensibly a casual, staid look.
The multiple shades of blue keep it grounded – it’s the royal colour after all and, well, the convoy will only move as fast as the slowest ship – but note the possibly Gucci loafers (are they furry? – we can’t see the heels so let’s assume so); the over-the-knee skirt, a definitive nod to spring, and Warholian pink make-up. What else? The mixing of floral background and block colours is very Holly Fulton, and the styling pretty Gucci. Even for prop-happy photographer Annie Leibovitz, there’s a lot happening here. But then it is Vanity Fair and it is the Queen. So ...
