While watching “Spencer,” the latest British royal family flick released last November, I caught a glimpse of how much emphasis the royal family puts on proper attire.
As the immaculately dressed and ever-poised Kristen Stewart, who plays Princess Diana, flitted across the big screen, I looked down at my ketchup-stained crew neck and pilled yoga pants, and realized I could really step up my game. I felt a challenge in front of me.
But the royal game is a serious game, with a lot of rules. And given my general disdain for any kind of dress code, dressing like a royal for a week — which is what I decided I simply must do — was not going to be easy.
The rules aren’t a secret. I made a list of what I found online and began to formulate my plan.
First, I couldn’t wear a crown unless I was married (darn). Otherwise, I had to wear bright colors with the intention of being seen, and all-black only if I were attending a funeral (which I was not). My hairstyles would have to be kept neat and natural, nail polish could only be nude, shoes would need to be clean and fresh, skirts would be selected over pants, and it would be entirely unladylike to remove my jacket while in public.
So, almost entirely the opposite of my daily wardrobe. I really had set myself up for a difficult task.
On day one of my experiment, I stepped out of my house in an argyle turtleneck, black skirt, my mother’s pantyhose and black boots. All my shoes that are not sneakers have a heel, so I felt pretty self-conscious hearing the click-clack of my boots on the tile floor as I made my way to class.
I decided to collect tips on how to curate my style for the rest of the week from Jacqueline Champagne ’23, who runs the fashion account, @north56th, on Instagram. Champagne said the professionalism of her style depends on the event.
“I first choose an appropriate outfit for the occasion,” Champagne said. “I try to add one unique piece to my outfit such as shoes or fun jewelry. This keeps the outfit simple while being interesting.”
I woke up early on day two to curl my hair and drench it in hairspray to keep it “neat.” I then paired a knit sweater with a long silky skirt and my trusty pantyhose and added some of my grandma’s jewelry to get the whole royal effect. Despite the pain I felt in my soul, I painted over my black polka dot nails to comply with the nude polish rule.
On any given day, you can find me sitting in class with the posture of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but my outfit forced me to sit upright with my ankles crossed.
When day three rolled around, the weather dropped to 35 degrees. I had to wear a coat and decided to go with a long, classy plaid choice. The clack of my heels on the floor no longer bothered me since I’d grown used to the sound.
I walked tall and proud, ready to take on the day. I’m the type to sit in the back of the classroom for my own comfort, but suddenly I felt like I commanded the room when I walked in. The only struggle I faced was not being able to remove my coat in the always-toasty Merion Hall. I was sweating bullets just to avoid being unladylike.
Once home, I decided to stay in my prim and proper outfits all day instead of changing into an oversized hoodie and sweats like I normally would. Previously sitting criss-cross applesauce in my desk chair, I instead sat with my newly improved posture and told myself I could not change into comfy clothes until I finished all my work for the day.
I banged out all of my assignments by 6 p.m. and had the rest of the evening to relax.
How was it that my attire was changing my behavior?
“Dressing like a member of the royal family is tied to behaving like one,” said David Loranger, Ph.D., professor of fashion marketing and merchandising at Sacred Heart University, who has a 17-year-long career in the luxury fashion industry under his belt.
“They’re a standard for comportment, like how people should go about their daily lives and relate to other people and have this sense of dignity,” Loranger said.
I wondered, after talking to Loranger, if somewhere within my royally dressed persona existed not so much a royal, but the best version of myself.
Carly Becker ’23 is a student at the University of Delaware who works with the school’s fashion magazine called “UDress” and runs the fashion blog @fashionbyclbon both Instagram and TikTok. However, even she said she does not keep up to date on what the members of the royal family wear. But she said she sees their influence on modern-day fashion.
Becker said she has been dressing more professionally in her own pursuit of style.
“Recently I’ve been really into blazers and dress pants,” Becker said. “I think that tapping into this more business-casual style of dress is really fun to experiment with because it’s simplistic, but also mature and androgynous. Matching pantsuits and monochrome blazers are professional but still trendy and fun to wear.”
I’ll be honest. After a week, I couldn’t keep it up. I’m back to the comfy attire of a mere subject with holes in her tights.
But I am aware that I have been carrying myself differently, knowing that somewhere beneath these yoga pants is a person worthy of being seen.
