Vogue's "most glamourous"

She is never seen in public in anything less than her top attire, her fashion sense is admired by millions, and she had just been voted one of the top 50 glamourous women in the world by fashion bible Vogue.

No, we’re not talking about Kate Moss. We’re talking about the one and only Her Majesty the Queen.

It may come as a surprise, but the 81 year-old Queen of England features in Vogue’s “definitive list” of the most influential and glamourous women on our planet today.

When it comes to thinking of glamour, you wouldn’t usually put the Queen up with the best supermodels, actresses and fashion designers the industry has ever produced.

So what exactly makes her formal suits and sensible shoes glamourous?

We all have to admit, she does have colour-coding down to a tee and her crown jewels create more bling than the rest of the 49 women’s jewellery put together.
But does she really deserve a place in one of the most exclusive lists in the fashion world?

According to Vogue, it’s “not what you wear but how you wear it,” and that the Queen looks “as glamourous in her brogues and headscarves at Balmoral as she is wearing the crown jewels.”
“Everything the Queen wears is worn with confidence and style, setting her apart in the fashion stakes.”

The Queen favours conservative but often brightly coloured assembles for her public appearances, and always accessorises them with sensible shoes and handbags. And when it comes to her days of relaxation, brogue shoes, waxed jackets and headscarves knotted firmly under the chin are clearly no passing fad for Her Majesty.

When compared at first to the likes of Claudia Schiffer, who also made the list, the Queen seems a lot less fashionable and much more reserved. Yet as we take a closer look we see that she has grown more elegant with age and she always stays true to her own personal style.

This shows that having the latest fashion fad doesn’t make you worthy of glamour, as the most famous quote from Coco Chanel states: “Fashion fades, only style remains the same.” This woman ruled Parisian haute fashion couture for almost six decades, so she certainly knows what she is talking about.

“It’s a great compliment,” A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told the media. “She has a very practical approach to fashion and a great sense of occasion."

And she also seems to have a hold on the fashion industry, as when Dame Helen Mirren appeared as the British monarch in the Oscar-winning movie “The Queen”, sales of Barbour waxed jackets were given a major boost in the US.

The older generation certainly holds its own in Vogue’s list, out in its December issue, with 70 year-old Vanessa Redgrave and 62 year-old Charlotte Rampling up there with the teenage supermodels of today.

And the advice from Vogue for all of us out there who can’t quite buy the pearls around the Queen’s neck or use her status to get into the definitive list? “Beauty is within everyone’s grasp.”