A short sleeved ivory silk satin gown with sweetheart neckline, natural waist and crinoline skirt embroidered with tiers of crystal, silver and pearls depicting the national emblems of Great Britain and the countries of the Dominions of which Queen Elizabeth II was Queen in 1952 carried out in coloured silk thread. The hem, neckline and sleeves terminating with further bugle beading, a rose with ears of wheat on each of the sleeves.

In the autumn of 1952, plans began in earnest for the coronation, which would take place on 2 June 1953. Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Dress is regarded as one of the most important examples of twentieth-century design created by a British couturier. Norman Hartnell was entrusted with the task of designing the dress in October 1952, given his talent for combining rich fabrics with exquisitely designed embroideries. He submitted nine different designs and The Queen accepted the eighth, but suggested the addition of embroideries in various colours rather than all in silver. The Queen also requested that in addition to the four national emblems of the United Kingdom (the English Tudor rose, Scottish thistle, Irish shamrock and Welsh leek), those of the Dominions of which she was now Queen should also be added. These were the silver fern (New Zealand), wattle (Australia), maple leaf (Canada), lotus flower (india), protea (South Africa), wheat cotton and jute (Pakistan)  and lotus (Ceylon; now Sri Lanka). The silk was produced at Lady Hart Dyke's silk farm at Lullingstone Castle, Kent, and was woven by Warner & Sons in Essex. The embroideries are arranged in three scalloped, graduated tiers below the waist, bordered with alternating lines of gold bugle beads, diamantes and pearls.

Hartnell was also responsible for designing the dresses of several other female members of the royal family who attended the coronation, including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, the Duchess of Kent and Princess Alexandra, as well as the dresses worn by the six Maids of Honour, thereby creating an unprecedented cohesive sense of elegance and style for a coronation.