The Ditchley Portrait
This is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, titled "The Ditchley Portrait". It was painted in 1592, by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. I find this image absolutely intriguing, for many reasons. Firstly, from a makeup and styling point of view, it is one of the portraits for me personally, that shows the alabaster skin, and red cheeks and lips perfectly. Her hair is up in a typical Elizabeth I way, and adorned with jewels. Her dress is elaborately decorated and she is layered in pearls right through from her hair, to her ruff and layered around her neck. Pearls were a symbol of purity and virginity, and this was the image Elizabeth wanted to reinforce time and time again in many of her portraits. She looks absolutely regal, and I love her white dress that again casts her in a pure, virginal light. Behind her, we see a clashing of dark and light, with Elizabeth positioned perfectly in the middle. I think that this shows her bringing the balance between good and evil, and although there is speculation that this portrait is a message of forgiveness to her champion Sir Henry Lee for becoming a "stranger lady's thrall", I believe that to her subjects, who didn't know the story behind the painting, it would appear that Elizabeth was promoting an image of her being the mediator between dark times and light. She is standing on a map of the world, symbolising her strength and power in leading England towards a strong future. I also notice she has her back towards the dark and is facing the light, possibly trying to show that the dark can be overcome, or that the darker times are behind them?
Anna Wintour is one of the most famous icons of fashion in the world. As the editor-in chief of American Vogue since 1988, she is one of the most influential figures in fashion history. The fact that she is best known for her over-sized sunglasses, bob hairstyle, and “chilly demeanour”, reminds me so much of Queen Elizabeth who had her trademark red hair, pale skin and untouchable image, yet related to so many people. She transformed Vogue magazine from a magazine aimed at wealthy, leisure loving women, to a magazine directed at the modern woman- fast paced, independent executives who earned their own money and were not afraid to speak their opinions. She has such an amazing understanding of what the industry needs, at the right time, and makes brilliant, fearless decisions constantly. She was the one who ended the ‘Supermodel era’, for example. She started favouring celebrities for the cover of her magazine over models. She was also the first to mix low-end fashion with high fashion in her magazine. It is this kind of thinking and decision making that makes me consider her a true Elizabethan. She is fearless, independent and knows what is right for her ‘people’, just like Queen Elizabeth did.
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