Madame Elizabeth Handley-Seymour was a London-based fashion designer and dressmaker for the Royal family who would become famous for her creation of a future queen’s wedding gown. Assisting Handley-Seymour in the historically important development of the wedding trousseau was former Johnston woman, 71-year-old Margaret Goss.

An English native, Margaret spent her life traveling back and forth between her homeland and Johnston, Rhode Is-land, where her son James and his family resided. Standing 5 feet, six inches tall with grayish brown hair and gray eyes, the widow of James Goss, who had died in 1901, had a great deal of experience in weaving and lacework. Sailing between Rhode Island, Nottingham and Liverpool aboard such vessels as the Ivernia and the Saxonia, she divided her time between being a mother and her fashionable responsibilities.

Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon to Albert, the Duke of York, on Jan. 15, 1923. Elizabeth was the 23-year-old daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore while Albert was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. The engagement ring was designed with a large sapphire in the center with a diamond on each side.

The wedding gown which would assure Handley-Seymour a place in fashion history was a medieval-inspired ivory chiffon gown with a square neckline, adorned with pearls, embroidery and silver metallic threads. Cream-colored chiffon with appliqued silver lame, the dress was affixed with priceless heirloom laces and was affixed with both a train and an over-train. The veil was patterned and held in place by a simple wreath of myrtle leaves with clusters of orange blossoms at each side.    

The royal bride’s going-away outfit was of a delicate gray color and almost entirely covered with gray embroidery. A matching jacket was created to be worn over it, made of the same embroidered material.

The outfits fashioned as daywear for Elizabeth’s honeymoon consisted of a beige crepe outfit with a square bodice and long accordion-pleated sleeves, and another beige selection with a pleated skirt and pouched bodice over a white blouse designed with red embroidery.

For Elizabeth’s honeymoon nightwear, Handley-Seymour designed a sleeveless dress of cream lace over cream satin with a rounded neckline. The lace was embroidered with tiny crystal and coral beads as well as mother of pearl se-quins.

During the wedding at London’s Westminster Abbey, Elizabeth’s father was walking her down the aisle when she paused to pay her respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, an unidentified British soldier. In memory of those killed in battle, she placed her wedding bouquet on the tomb and began a tradition for future royal brides.

When Albert’s brother Edward VIII gave up the throne so that he could freely marry an American divorcee, Albert automatically became King George VI. As he was crowned king, Elizabeth became a queen. The coronation took place on May 12, 1937. Upon becoming a widow, Elizabeth’s 25-year-old daughter, also named Elizabeth, became the new Queen of England.

Kelly Sullivan is a Rhode Island columnist, lecturer and author.