From The Crown to Kate’s Coats | Spilling the Tea on Anglophile Style

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A little-known fact about Suzy: I lived in England for three years when I was growing up! Yep. We lived in the village of Cobham, in the county of Surrey, just southeast of London. While there, I attended the ACS International School in Cobham, studied ballet and piano, immersed myself in British history, and took class field trips to places like Rome and Paris. It was a magical time in my life.

Living in England for those formative years is undoubtedly what initiated my fascination with all things Anglophile. I fell in love with British literature, music, fashion, culture, vocabulary, and food. (I still prefer tea over coffee!) I’m the girl who has celebrated all of the royal weddings by (This is so embarrassing!) donning my old high school Homecoming Queen tiara and drooling over every detail from start to finish! ????

Once The Crown came along, I finally felt that the rest of America caught up with me in my love for everything British! Several seasons into the series, we can see the influence of Anglophile style, literature, music, and movies are stateside to stay.

Anglophile Style

Without a doubt, we’ve seen the British influence on American fashion in a big way over the past year. From Barbour jackets and Hunter rain boots to Kate’s coats and the Royals’ favorite nail polish!), it’s everywhere!

In today’s post, we’re going to take a close-up look at royal style. I’m sharing everything from the outerwear we’re all obsessed with (Barbour jackets, anyone?) to the amazing barely-there pantyhose (aka “tights”) that are de rigueur for royal women.

Anglophile Style: Outerwear

I love how The Crown has given us a BTS (behind-the-scenes) look at the recreational life of the royal family! Whether on hunts, long walks, or royal walkabouts, their outerwear styles are worthy of replication. They favor Barbour waxed field jackets and vests, Hunter rain boots (aka “Wellingtons” or “Wellies”), and gorgeous dress coats for official engagements.

That’s right! Dressing like you’re going stalking in the Scottish Highlands is trending! ???? For beautiful dupes of the Royals favorite jackets, check out the field jackets and dress coats I found at some of my favorite spots:

• Check out these coats at J.Crew
• Affordable options at J.Crew Factory
• Land’s End is a perfect place to find affordable, quality royal-inspired outerwear.
• I love everything at British brand Boden.

Anglophile Style: Dresses (aka “Frocks”)

Today’s duchesses favor sheath dresses, or conservative fit and flares, with a few things in common: high necklines, covered shoulders, and wrap ties.

This year’s Netflix smash The Queen’s Gambit had definitely contributed to the Anglophile style invasion in the United States. It gave us a younger, girly 1950s look at British “frocks.” (Check out this polka dot dress and this corduroy pinafore, similar to those Beth wore in the series.)

Nude Pantyhose (aka “Tights”)

While it’s not mandatory for members of the royal family to wear pantyhose (known in the UK as “tights”), it’s seen as a respectful alternative to bare legs, especially when in the presence of senior royals. The royals favor nude pantyhose from Heist Studios — a brand that boasts seven shades of nude. With a seamless toe-to-toe tube, and an adaptable, soft, hand-sewn waistband, which comes in low or high waisted, Heist claims to make digging, sagging, or rolling a thing of the past.

Anglophile Style: Pants (aka “Trousers”) & Skirts

Megan loves pleated flowy skirts, and the classic a-line skirt is practically a uniform for royal women! When it comes to pants, who could forget Princess Diana’s pink gingham pants that were immortalized on The Crown this season. As far as the duchesses go, both have been seen in high-waisted, flowy pants.

Anglophile Style: Tops & Blazers

It’s no big news that the white tie-neck (aka “pussy bow”) blouse similar to the one Diana wore in her engagement photos is trending! In fact, if you love this trend as much as I do, be sure to check out the fabulous selection at British brand Hawes and Curtis. (They ship to the US, and their prices are excellent!)

Peter Pan collared sweaters (aka “jumpers”) and tiny neck ruffles (aka “pie crust collars”) are two of Diana’s favorite looks, and you’ll see them everywhere this season! I just ordered this sweet pie crust collar and placket top from my favorite Amazon in-house brand!

White poplin button-down shirts are a wardrobe staple for every woman, royal or not, and the clean, crisp look of a white or striped button-down is a go-to casual look for the Duchess of Cambridge. She typically tops it off with her go-to navy blazer with gold buttons.

Lest you think we in the over-50 crowd are the only ones obsessed with all things Anglophile style, when I pitched the idea for this post to my 24-year-old and 26-year-old assistants, they both got very excited! Many of the styles you see in this post and that you’ll see in tomorrow’s post are based on their research and I’m so grateful for their help!

Anglophile Style: Want More?

Do you love Anglophile style as much as we do? Here are a few of our favorite British brands. All are available in the US.

• Joules – They may be known for their rainboots, but there’s a lot more to this colorful brand!
• Hawes and Curtis – Great prices!
• Boden – Colorful, beautifully-made clothing with a preppy vibe. (Take 15% off full-priced items right now.)
• Ted Baker London – High-quality, designer styles with a distinctly feminine flair. (Up to 60% off End of Season Sale going on right now!)
• Burberry – Known for their iconic Nova Check plaid (I’m a collector!) and their gorgeous coats.
• Topshop – British street style at its best! Inexpensive.
• Sweaty Betty – The Brits version of Lululemon!
• Asos – Fast fashion, with prices to match. (Take up to 80% off right now.)

Anglophile Style: Sweets & Savories

When it comes to British food, pub fare like fried fish & french fries (aka “Fish & Chips”) may not be as widely embraced here in the States, but tell that to the people at McDonald’s! Their 380 calorie Filet-O-Fish and classic McDonald’s fries are perpetual best-sellers. ???? ????

When it comes to British food, give me all the tea ☕ with scones, jam, and clotted cream you can find! Known for their love of cookies (aka “biscuits”) and other sweet treats, when it comes to food, the Brits seem to believe a strong cup of tea is pretty much the cure for anything that ails you! On the PBS show Call the Midwife, whenever someone gives birth, breaks up with a boyfriend, or cries for any reason, someone inevitably says, “What you need is a nice cup of tea!” Bad day? Tea! Boy trouble? Tea! Birth? Tea! I love this uplifting British show that tells great stories with a strong emphasis on accurate social history, including the prejudices and difficulties the poor experienced in the 1950s. (It’s binge-worthy, for sure.)

My love of tea started when we lived in England. It never stopped, although about five years ago, the tannins in traditional tea began to cause migraines for me. (I explain more about this in my post What I Eat in A Day (Or Not, as the Case May Be) Thankfully, after much research, I discovered Guayusa Tea, which is naturally low in tannins but still contains energy-boosting caffeine. I order mine loose-leaf and steep it in these happy little tea infusers.

Of course, the classic British tea is Earl Grey, but in our research, we found that the Queen’s royal breakfast favorite is actually Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Gold! In the US, Lipton is our common, everyday tea, but in Britain, Tetley tea is the tea of the “common” folk. Here are some of our favorite British teas:

If you watch any British TV at all, you know that tea is never served without sweets alongside it. My favorite? Scones. I love them with jam or clotted cream, but my favorite way to eat them is with whipped cream! (Non-traditional, for sure!)

If you want to bake your own, you need this scone pan, and you’ll want to try THIS recipe! It’s from the Queen’s former chef, Darren McGrady. He worked as a personal chef to Princess Dianna, Prince William, Prince Harry, and the Queen for 11 years. Now he has his own YouTube Channel, where he shares recipes for some of the royals’ favorite foods.

We rounded up our favorite sweet treats to enjoy with your tea, plus we’ve got an all-in-one British afternoon tea gift box that would be perfect for a British tea party with your quarantine bubble friends & family (aka “mates”).

Stay tuned as Anglophile Style week continues later this week! In the next post, I’ll be covering accessories! From boots and headbands to nail polish and sunglasses, we’ve got more Anglophile style inspiration coming your way! ????