Queen Elizabeth’s coronation shoes included an important symbol

(Image credit: Time Life Pictures)

You might think that younger royals created the trend of adding significant details to their outfits, such as Meghan Markle with her veil, and Kate Middleton with her wedding dress sleeves, but you'd be mistaken.

Long before they arrived on the scene, Queen Elizabeth II was already setting the tone, and on her coronation day no less. While we didn't see much of her shoes, due to her floor-length ceremonial gown, they were quite significant.

First off, they were designed by Monsieur Roger Vivier, which was quite unusual, as he was the only French designer to have taken part in the momentous occasion.

Secondly, he made sure they were extra special. Created in fine, kidskin gold leather, rubies were added to both heel and upper leather in a decorative motif, which echoed the fleur-de-lys that decorates the St Edward Crown and the Imperial State Crown worn by Her Majesty on the day. The heel was elevated and Roger Vivier created a hidden platform within.

SHOP THE VIVIER QUEEN SANDALS HERE

Though of course, these were a one off, the brand's current creative director Gherardo Felloni is re-issuing them as part of his SS20 collection. The Queen Sandal will feature a delicate fleur de lys motif on the front and a high heel completely covered in crystals, and will be available to buy using the above link at the end of May, to tie in with the 67th Anniversary of the coronation on 2nd June..

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.