For their Spring 2014 Ready-to-Wear collection, designers Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff looked to Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) for inspiration. The Queen’s opulent and elaborate wardrobe was one way she–much like her father Henry VIII–asserted her wealth and authority. Following in her father’s footsteps, Queen Elizabeth even enacted sumptuary laws barring the use of certain fabrics and materials by anyone other than herself.
CASSIDY ZACHARY 