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King Charles has an image problem. A recent poll ranked the King as the fourth most popular member of the royal family, trailing behind Prince William, Princess Anne and Princess Catherine with a 60 per cent popularity rating.
For a brand upgrade Charles can look to his mother Queen Elizabeth, who died one year ago, and his ex-wife Princess Diana, for inspiration. Both women remain incredibly popular and understood the power of fashion.
King Charles gets a makeover as design leaders suggest wardrobe tweaks to improve his image. Bomber jackets, T-shirts and long-sleeved polo shirts are all on the monarch’s moodboard.Credit: Artist: Aresna Villanueva. Images: Getty
With palaces packed with suits, Turnbull & Asser shirts and Hermès ties, waiting to be maneuvered into four-in-hand knots, Charles is the very model of a proper English gentleman, but not a modern king.
“So classical is his look, so out of time, that he looks to be from another century entirely, and possibly not even the last one,” says Anna Murphy, fashion director of The Times in London.
“Does his love of bespoke tailoring – all those suits from Anderson & Sheppard and Gieves & Hawkes on Savile Row in London – represent the excellence of British craftsmanship? Yes, it does. Does it showcase the best of Britain now? No, it does not.”
The most radical style shift Charles has accomplished in his short reign is launching a new tartan on his demure below-the-knee kilt at this month’s Braemar Gathering in Scotland. The green, blue and red King Charles III pattern designed by The Scottish Tartans Authority closely resembles a 1970s outdoor sun blind.
Contemporary Australian tailors Belancē propose more contemporary wardrobe tweaks to make the King a man of the people.
“He wears a lot of colour in his outfits, mixing pocket squares and ties,” says Belancē head designer Charles Dinn. “By using monochromatic outfits and focusing on one colour, his wardrobe will acquire a more modern feel.”
“It doesn’t change the garments, but it’s a more chic, clean and minimalist approach.”
The monochrome approach was famously used by Queen Elizabeth throughout her reign, most convincingly with the bright colours provided by Angela Kelly, who started as her dresser in 1994.
Dinn, a fan of Charles’ dedication to tailoring, would steer his potential client away from the late queen’s rainbow palette towards more flattering, darker colours.
“It’s a simple and effective way to evolve his wardrobe,” Dinn says.
Preppy New York label Rowing Blazers draws inspiration from British royalty, selling a Prince Charlie double-breasted blazer and knitted jumpers with a sheep pattern popularised by Diana. Founder Jack Carlson says that Charles is still finding his fashion footing as King.
“I think every bit as much as his great-uncle, the Duke of Windsor, Charles is a paragon of men’s style and reference for the right way to do things when it comes to getting dressed,” Carlson says. “I don’t think he’s looked quite as at ease, quite as much himself, since becoming King.”
“In his pre-Coronation official portrait, wearing a (slightly less usual, for him) single-breasted lightweight suit and printed tie, he didn’t look quite at home.”
Carlson suggests bringing elements of “the rakish, sporting side of things” into Charles’s wardrobe. The athletic approach was popular with Diana, whose ensemble of bike shorts and oversized sweaters continues to inspire influencers such as Hailey Bieber and model Bella Hadid.
“I think any picture of Charles on the polo pitch shows him at his most natural, his most effortless,” Carlson says.
Australian suit specialists Oscar Hunt, advise adding male supermodels to the monarch’s mood board.
“British model David Gandy is a great example of somebody who wears tailoring and causal separates seamlessly,” says Oscar Hunt founder Chris Edwards.
“Charles could benefit from introducing a third layer of knitwear with his suits. Lightweight long-sleeve polos, worn between the blazer and shirt, for a less formal look, or by selecting a suede blouson style of jacket rather than his favoured single-button suit jackets.”
“The King, or anybody for that matter, could easily update their wardrobe with a few minor adjustments. What we’ve seen on red carpets is the wearing of a singlet or vest or T-shirt under a traditional two-piece suit for a more fashion-forward take on tailoring.”
Charles’s hairy chest poking through a mesh vest might be a sartorial step too far for his subjects.
“It would be cringe-making to say the least if Charles suddenly started to channel, say, Daniel Lee’s new punk-ish take on Burberry,” Murphy says.
“The King is steering a straight course, sartorially speaking, and doing what he knows best. There’s a lot to be said for that.”
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