“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.
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“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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