What would you wear in the presence of the Queen? For the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee festivities that took place in early June, Sheherazade Goldsmith, the jeweler behind Loquet London, spruced up her daily rotation of feminine yet fun staples and added a dash of vivacity and British patriotism.
To celebrate the Queen’s 70 years of service, Great Britain is holding various events throughout the year under the umbrella of her Platinum Jubilee. The Central Weekend, spanning from June 2 to June 5, featured a concert (with a prior reception at Buckingham Palace), street festivals, and general merriment. Goldsmith not only anticipated the festivities for their celebratory propensity, but embraced them as a style challenge.
“Usually, you wake up in the morning and put on whatever you can find, but to actually have to kind of plan out things that felt fun, one, and and two, looked really pretty [was great].” Goldsmith’s own personal style memorializes the Britain of the ‘90s and early 2000s. “I think it's a hang-up from being 20 in the '90s and not being able to afford anything,” she muses. “[Now], I always reference that era, which I still think is the best era in fashion.” This manifests through sleek column skirts and delicate yet feminine blouses.
British style, on the other hand, is less streamlined. “The U.K. is a funny country because it never quite gets things right,” Goldsmith laughs. “For example, when we got to Buckingham Palace for the reception, we got a goodie bag, which had a royal magazine in it and a box of biscuits from Fortnum and Mason.”
Photo: Courtesy of Sheherazade Goldsmith
For the first event on her Jubilee itinerary, the British journalist, environmentalist, and socialite unveiled her new Loquet shop window in celebration of both the Jubilee and the Chelsea Flower Show happening just around the corner. To coincide with the theme of her most recent charm collection, “Britain in Bloom,” she of course wore florals. Goldsmith selected a yellow column skirt from N°21. “As I said, I love a long ‘90s pencil skirt; there's nothing more flattering than that. But it has a sense of humor to it.” The skirt sports a vibrant stripe down the back. She paired it with a classic black Celine blouse then infused the look with an extra dose of femininity with her Saint Laurent platform heels and a Loquet locket.
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Photo: Courtesy of Sheherazade Goldsmith
On Friday night, Goldsmith and her boyfriend hosted a pre-Jubilee dinner for their kids and all of their respective partners. During this, she sported a floral Louis Vuitton blouse from the Marc Jacobs era. ”I think it was the best Louis Vuitton ever. He just created the most beautiful pieces.” She paired the blouse with a classic Chloé denim skirt reminiscent of the early 2000s and accessorized with another Loquet pendant.
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Photo: Courtesy of Sheherazade Goldsmith
For the penultimate celebration—Saturday’s pre-concert reception at Buckingham palace followed by the concert itself (dubbed the “Platinum Party at the Palace”)—Goldsmith embraced a more festive material: silver sequins. No dress code in place, Goldsmith threw caution to the wind with a glittering midi dress from The Vampire's Wife. “I'm not sure I would otherwise have bought or worn this, but it worked really well for the moment.”
That’s the magic of these events; they provide the opportunity to push the limits of your personal style. The dress paralleled the magic of the evening itself. “It was quite a small reception for people that were just involved in the actual concert,” reveals Goldsmith. “I've driven past Buckingham Palace a million times and I have actually been in the palace before, but I've never been in the garden so that was really lovely.” She completed the look with metallic platform sandals and a pink Saint Laurent shoulder bag.
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Photo: Courtesy of Sheherazade Goldsmith
Sunday brought the street festival in Oxford. The most casual event of the weekend, Goldsmith notes “people go out in their royal best.” She leaned into denim, this time in pink Celine. The skirt is “from the ‘70s and I was born in ‘74. So I thought it was a good reflection of when I was born.” She paired her vintage skirt with a blue jean jacket.
The designer did not forgo the reason for the event; she proclaimed it on her T-shirt (it read "Platinum Jubilee") with designs from British artist Charlie Mackesy. Goldsmith selected another British designer for her footwear: Alexander McQueen. They were sneakers, of course, as the day consisted of hours of walking and standing. She also proudly sported her goodie bag tote received at the Buckingham Palace reception.Shop the Look:
“For me, each outfit had something that was very feminine to it,” Goldsmith says her ensemble roster. “There was a bit of fun in each and something a little sexy about them actually.” Though the jeweler might not classify her sense of style as entirely British in nature, she does identify with the U.K.'s timelessness. “Culturally, there's always an element of things being quite classic.”