King Edward VIII - Duke of Windsor (1894-1972)
This brief, rebel, King led the way with fashion when he was Prince of Wales in the 1920s. He was an advocate of breaking down stuffy royal protocol in favour of dressing comfortably, which he named ‘dress soft’.
At a height of 5’5 Edward had to use fashion to try and make him seem taller and grander. To do this he worked on the cut of his clothes, often wearing high-waisted trousers to elongate the legs. He also went against Royal protocol and had cuffs added to his trousers, which apparently enraged his father, George V.
Edward also had a love for pattern and texture in his clothing wearing patterned shirts and striped ties. Despite being exiled to France after his abdication, he was still very proud to support British, often wearing a clean made to measure Savile Row suit.
“I was in fact produced as a leader of fashion, with the clothiers as my showmen and the world as my audience.”
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