Despite reading e-tabloids daily, I can never resist picking up a magazine with a power couple on the cover. Would I care what Angelina wore if she weren’t dressing to accessorize Brad? Would Katie have developed an eye for fashion or begun to stand up straight without Tom? Would David have a Beckingham Palace without Victoria? It’s likely the answer is no. I for one, love celebrities who appear to grow into better versions of themselves as someone else’s half! If you feel the same, I think I ought to introduce you to Wallis Simpson, the woman who blossomed into a style icon as Edward VIII’s better half.
Bessie Wallis Warfield was born in Pennsylvania in 1896 as the only child of Teackle Wallis Warfield and Alice Montague. Several months later, her father died of tuberculosis, resulting in a sometimes impoverished, dependent childhood upon the charity of wealthier relatives. Simpson made the most of her modest upbringing, spending much time at the top of her class. As she grew older, she shifted her priorities to climb to the top of the social ladder instead.
In 1916, Winfield married Earl Winfield Spencer Jr., a US Navy pilot. She began to travel with her husband, making friends and suitors along the way. When she made her way to China, she only learned a single Mandarin phrase, “Boy, pass me the champagne.” She continued to live hard as Mrs. Spencer, that is, until she had an affair with Mussolini’s son-in-law and got herself pregnant. This led to an abortion mishap that left her unable to conceive and soon after, divorced.
By the time her first marriage was dissolved, Spencer was already involved with Ernest Aldrich Simpson, who divorced his first wife to marry her in 1928. Whilst married, Simpson allegedly became Prince Edward VIII’s mistress in 1933. Over the years, the Prince became completely dependent on her, eventually abdicating the throne to marry the divorced socialite, on the orders of his very displeased family. In 1937, they were married to become the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Not a single member of the royal family attended the wedding.
Simpson’s three wedding looks
While the world already knew of Simpson as a socialite scandalously blacklisted by the royal family by then, she had yet to make a name for herself as a fashionista.
Diana Vreeland, however, marked her turning point writing, “One day Wallis Simpson came into [my] shop. She wasn’t very well dressed then… She knew exactly what she wanted. She ordered three nightgowns, and this is what they were: there was one in white satin copied from Vionnet, all on the bias, that you just pulled down over your head. Then there was one I’d bought the original of in Paris… The whole neck of this nightgown was made of petals… Then the third nightgown was a wonderful crepe de chine. The nightgowns were for a very special weekend. The Prince of Wales had discovered Wallis Simpson… Then suddenly, she had the most beautiful clothes in London.”
With the duke perpetually by her side, Simpson played the role of the duchess well. She began to hold herself in ways worthy of her title and the clothes that came along with it. And boy, the clothes she wore…
With Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun of Japan
With President Nixon
With the Queen and Prince Charles
Quite naturally, she began receiving exclusive designer pieces. One of the most famed items include a dress by Elsa Schiaparelli that featured a lobster painted on by Salvador Dali.
People began to forget why she was initially disgraced, and started to see her as a pinnacle of grace and style.
Perpetually complimenting her lean frame with severely simple silhouettes, of course, only helped her appear impossibly polished, refined and sophisticated.
She wasn’t exactly what you’d call a conventional beauty, but with the equally fashionable Duke by her side, she was always exquisitely radiant. Together, they gave the world a romantic glimpse of wealth.
The Duke’s subtly flamboyant clothes (note the socks and salmon slacks below) and her severe grace became a fashion standard. When she stopped wearing hats, everyone followed suit. She began to move fashion.
Not long after, Time honored Simpson as their Woman of the Year. And it wasn’t any wonder. She knew how to make the most of her body shape and title, and used quirky Cartier brooches and accents to make her a tinge more accessible to the public. She stuck to a defining hairstyle that highlighted her cheekbones. She wasn’t conventionally beautiful for her time, but she made sure she was presentably handsome at all times anyway.
For modern adaptations of her style philosophies today, you might want to look to Gwen Stefani, Daphne Guinness and Carla Bruni.
Or you could wait for Madonna’s Wallis Simpson biopic, titled W.E. starring Vera Farmiga and Ewan McGregor as Simpson and Edward VIII respectively. Madonna took on the project, explaining that she saw many similarities between Simpson and herself, as they were both from the US and married Englishmen.
But I digress. The Duke and Duchess continued about the social circuit in style throughout the ’50s and ’60s. In 1972, however, the Duke lost a battle to cancer. Simpson travelled to England to attend his funeral, and stayed at Buckhingham Palace during her visit. By then, Simpson had aged into a shadow of her famed self, and was frail and senile.
Simpson lived the remainder of her life in recluse, though she allegedly continued to put paper clips and fresh ink in his study and ended each day walking to his empty room to whisper good night. She passed away in 1986.
The world continues to celebrate Simpson and her Duke as a standard for grace, style and elegance. And as a hero to the fashionable romantic.
What do you think of today’s fashion icon?
Related articles: Icon of the Week: Diana Vreeland, Icon of the Week: Elsa Schiaparelli, Icon of the Week: Gwen Stefani, Icon of the Week: Madonna
[Photo Credits: artandculture, fashionsmostwanted, marieclaire, theestoriccuriosa, wanderingplaces, pigtown-design, thevine, fashion-era, thisislondon, thefashionspot, sanfranciscosentinel, vintagegown, flowersforroyalweddings, guardian, escarradordedavimotta]
