Fashion trends come and go, but Queen Elizabeth II‘s sense of style is timeless.
Her Majesty is set to become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee on Feb. 6—meaning she’s dedicated 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. And while Buckingham Palace has already previewed the stacked lineup of celebrations to come, we’re honoring the Queen by chronicling her metamorphosis into a style icon.
Believe it or not, this journey begins in the early 1940s when Elizabeth—or little princess Lilibet, as her father affectionally called her at the time—was drawn to garments with cinched waists and flowing hemlines à la Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.
She quickly traded any skin-baring looks for more regal combinations when she took the throne at just 25, and it was then she slowly began working toward her unmistakable signature style.
