Behind the scenes of our coronation-themed fashion photo shoot

 

When you think of the monarchy, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Probably tradition, ancient rituals or age-old customs. But that’s reportedly not the reign that Charles III is planning to bring us. With values in-step with the 21^st century, we can look forward to a bit of a shake-up, and if recent headlines have anything to do with it, a bit of a rebellion…

 

 

Radical, royal, coronation-themed fashion photoshoot

Our latest photoshoot for Dorothy’s House’s DotShop was inspired by this rebellious royal streak. dorothyhouse.shop rejects fast fashion, instead promoting conscious fashion consumption. Fast-fashion employs cheap labour, often shipping from third world countries to the West, using cheap fabrics, toxic dyes and mostly ends up in landfill.

At DotShop we advocate sustainability through vintage and second-hand clothes shopping. Shunning fast fashion and buying from charity and second-hand shops encourages individuality through fashion and drives up income for charities hit by the cost of living crisis.

Rebellious royals

Climate change

As a campaigner for the environment, Charles has been described as a radical. For almost half a century, Charles has been an activist for conservation, ahead of his time. 30 years ago he converted his farm to organic practices and in 1990 founded Duchy Originals after commissioning research into the potential market for organic food. Instead of supporting ever more intensive farming methods, Charles wished to produce natural and organic food, produced using traditional skills and sustainable production.

A family affair

But it’s not just Charles who’s been daubed with a radical streak. Both his son and daughter-in-law follow in his footsteps with their environmentally-conscious choices.

Kate has often been spotted in the same outfit more than once – admittedly something that most of us do – but still quite unusual for a senior royal. Meanwhile, in 2020 William founded the Earthshot Prize, which searches for extraordinary solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges.

Chatting with plants

While many were amused when Charles first told the world he chatted with his plants to encourage them to grow, it seems he was ahead of the game again. Sir David Attenborough himself says we don’t engage with plants enough. A study by the Royal Horticultural Society even found that plants grow faster to the sound of a female voice than to the sound of a male voice. Perhaps Queen Camilla’s blooms will be outgrowing Charles’ camellias?!

Slimmed down monarchy

It has been widely reported that Charles is considering slimming down the monarchy to a team of just seven, with Charles, Camilla, William and Kate as key members. Reducing the number of royals would also reduce public funds to support them. The would make for a leaner, more hard-working team.

The coronation fashion photoshoot: Punk Royalty, People and Places

For us, Dame Vivienne Westwood was a great example of how someone can be a voice for positive environmental change in the fashion industry; starting out as a rebel and becoming a ‘queen’ in her own right. For our recent photoshoot, we were inspired by her beautiful creations – pieces that work for women of all ages and defy trends.

We chose the ‘punk’ institution, The Bell in Bath as our venue. In 2013 the pub was bought by over 500 members of the Bath community to save it from being bought by a pub chain and to preserve its individuality. It was so easy to find interesting backdrops in this venue with its unique character.

Age is just a number

For our punk-inspired coronation fashion photoshoot, we chose to use two truly regal models aged over fifty. We played with vibrant colours and textiles, rejecting the concept of ‘aging gracefully.’ Feeling comfortable in your skin and wearing what you want, when you want, is another radical trend that we admire. Charity shops like ours give every generation the opportunity to experiment and find a sense of ‘self’ without spending a fortune. Second hand style really is inclusive, and can also be avant-garde, adventurous and surprising, as well as ‘every day.’

Future Voices

We are really proud that local sustainability influencer @poppyella modelled for our shoot. A chameleon-like beauty with great personal style, Poppy is a passionate advocate for sustainable fashion and second hand clothing. She uses her large following to promote charity shops and environmental causes.

A Team of Strong Women

As well as our amazing beauty and fashion photographer Egle Vasi, who believes that fashion should never compromise on sustainability, we worked with Louise Mead, a brilliant local makeup and hair stylist and long term Dorothy House supporter. Egle has photographed amazing brands like Narcissist cosmetics, Jones Road, and L’Oréal Paris and Louise is the makeup artist for that iconic TV series Casualty!

 

Want to get in on the Royal Rebellion? – Click to check out our latest stock drop at DotShop.