The Duchess of Windsor’s 18 chicest style moments

The late Duchess of Windsor is remembered as the woman who rocked the British Royal Family. King Edward VIII, the brother of King George VI and uncle of Queen Elizabeth II, abdicated from the throne in order to marry the then Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée who had already been married twice before. The couple wed in 1937 and moved to Paris, where the Duchess of Windsor spent years living in a magnificent mansion in Bois de Boulogne, known as ‘Villa Windsor’, until her death in 1986 (her husband predeceased her in 1972).

While she is best known for the scandal surrounding her royal marriage (which was introduced to a new generation in Netflix’s The Crown), the Duchess of Windsor should also be remembered for her enduring sense of style. Her elegant taste in fashion and jewellery oozed glamour, making her an icon to designers during and after her lifetime. As a high society figure, the Duchess of Windsor had relationships with the crème de la crème of the fashion world which led to bespoke gowns being made for her on many occasions, by Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior and Paco Rabanne to name a few. More recently, Roland Mouret said, ‘Love or hate her, the world is still obsessed by that woman,’ which remains true to this day. Here, a look at her most memorable fashion moments…

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