Royal glove maker reveals Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite gloves, priced at under £200 - how to buy
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Genevieve James, head designer at Cornelia James,has revealed which gloves were Queen Elizabeth II’s favourites during her 70-year reign. Her Majesty was known for wearing silky gloves to match her outfits and they were designed by the fashion brand.
The designer has worked with the likes of model Claudia Schieffer and Madonna but she is best known for her work with the Royals. According to the Daily Mail, Cornelia James was started by Genevieve’s mother - the eponymous Cornelia - who fled Vienna in 1973 to escape the Nazi annexation of Poland.
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Hide AdThe designer set up Cornelia James in 1946 and was well known for her brightly coloured leather gloves. She then got her big break when she caught the eye of designer Norman Hartnell who designed Princess Elizabeth’s Coronation gown.
Genevieve told the Daily Mail: “My mother became his muse and when Princess Elizabeth got married Hartnell asked her to make a trousseau of gloves for her honeymoon. Everything took off from there.”
Female members of the Royal Family owned several pairs of the gloves, including the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne and Princess Alexandra. The fashion brand also went on to make gloves for Princess Diana, Sarah Ferguson, Kate Middleton and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
In 1979, Cornelia James secured a Royal Warrant as Glove Manufacturer to Her Majesty The Queen. It is understood the Queen was particular about her choice of gloves, with her favourites being the Regina design in white ‘sueded cotton. On occasion, Royal dresser Angela Kelly would ask the fashion brand for brushed cotton or even black gloves but never a leather pair.
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Hide AdGenevieve added: “Her taste never really wavered over the years despite the ebbs and flows of fashion.’The Queen simply loved her gloves, not just practically, because she had to shake hundreds of hands every day, but they were part of her style.”
Claudia James’ Regina gloves are handmade and priced at £195. There are seven colour ways available, including white, black and Ascot grey, all available on the Cornelia James website.
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