Norman Hartnell was best known as one of the couturiers to the British royal family. From the late 1930s to the 1970s he designed a wide range of clothes that Queen Elizabeth, her daughters the Princesses Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and Margaret, and other members of the Royal Family wore for their official duties as well as in their personal lives. He opened his couture house in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London in 1923.

This elegant wine-coloured crepe evening gown and peach jacket were designed for Queen Elizabeth and probably formed part of her personal wardrobe, rather than being intended for state occasions. She would have worn them to dinner or for evening engagements held away from the public eye. The neckline of the dress and the jacket are encrusted with beading, sequins and gemstones. Such elaborate embroidery was a Hartnell trademark, and there is a sample of the beading and fabric attached to the sketch.