Poised, polished and perennially fashionable, the Duchess of Cambridge never puts a foot wrong. So what’s her secret? Royal expert Claudia Joseph explains how it’s all down to three simple rules
Sensational and sustainable: Kate at this year’s Baftas in an Alexander McQueen gown first worn on a tour of malaysia
Amid the recent chaos weathered by the Royal Family, there is one member of the Firm who outshines the rest: Kate, The Duchess of Cambridge. Throughout it all, Kate has remained poised and professional while inspiring millions with her enviable sense of style. So much so that she has just been voted Britain’s most fashionable Royal by the Fashion Retail Academy. Some fashionistas have suggested that a rivalry between Kate and her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, had sparked her new look, but I believe that she has finally found the confidence to be herself. As I discovered when I wrote my book How to Dress Like a Princess, Kate has become a modern icon.
Her carefully honed style can be explained by the three Cambridge commandments…
ACCESSIBLE
Perhaps Kate has taken notes from her grandmother-in-law for her first commandment. The Queen is known for her thrift, and the Duchess echoes this with her penchant for affordable labels. The 2019 Cambridge Christmas card featured her wearing a teal dress by Boden. In the sale for £60, it promptly sold out. Last month, the black and white check Zara dress she wore on a visit to Bradford, reduced to £15.99, sold out in three hours, with some shoppers posting it on Ebay for £125. And recently she’s set social media alight by rewearing a pair of £1.50 Accessorize earrings.
SUSTAINABLE
The Duchess wears her clothes again and again, and the second of her commandments was on show during October’s tour of Pakistan. Repeats included an Emmy London clutch and pumps, plus a leather vest from British label Really Wild, last worn in 2016. But it was her star turn at the Baftas, where she wore a gown recycled from 2012, that exemplified how Kate refreshes a piece: the sleeves were tweaked for a more structured shape. Reworking is a typical Kate tactic: for example, taking up necklines, and on the Pakistan tour she even turned a dress into a top.
ELEGANT
The Pakistan trip was the perfect showcase for Kate’s third commandment. With help from her stylist Natasha Archer, the Duchess’s wardrobe championed British designers and respected the host country in modest but stylish outfits. She wore dresses by Jenny Packham and Catherine Walker in varying shades of green and white, the Pakistani national colours, as well as a dazzling array of traditional costumes.
Over the following pages we show you these commandments in action…
Claudia Joseph is author of How to Dress Like a Princess: The Secrets of Kate’s Wardrobe (Splendid Publications, £12.99)
1. ACCESSIBLE
Left: Wild In Woking last month for part of her landmark survey tour, Kate sported a Zara bargain – an on-trend animal-print skirt. Right: Standout Kate dazzled in a gown by British label Needle & Thread at the recent UK-Africa Investment Summit at Buckingham Palace.
Left: Bargain Kate was ahead of the curve when she picked this Zara hound’s-tooth dress. It originally cost £89.99; when she wore it last month it had been reduced to £15.99. Needless to say there was a stampede, and it sold out in hours. Right: Casual At Peterley Manor Farm last year, to mark her patronage of Family Action, Kate wore an enduring classic crewneck by Really Wild
2. Sustainable
Sleek Kate first wore this Catherine Walker dress with a black hat. When she wore it again for Holocaust Memorial Day, she tied back her hair for a more modern look.
Stunning Kate first dazzled in this Alexander McQueen dress at a state dinner in Malaysia. She made headlines again this year when she wore a tweaked version with more fitted sleeves and shoulder pads to the Baftas.
The finishing flourishes: Kate’s déjà vu hats, bags and shoes
3. Elegant
Left: Shimmering For a reception at the Pakistani National Monument, the Duchess chose a bottle-green gown by one of her favourite eveningwear designers, Jenny Packham. Right: Sleek chic In a Hicks & Brown fedora and Roksanda coat for a Sunday church service on the Sandringham estate in January.
Left: Tribute In a navy Alexander McQueen suit for her trip to Loughborough’s Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre this month. Right: Diplomatic Kate wore a printed dupatta shawl by Pakistani high-street store Bonanza Satrangi to meet the country’s prime minister Imran Khan.
Left: Kate wearing lace gown by her favourite designer, Alexander McQueen at Decembers Royal Variety Performance. Right: Kate wearing her oft worn Oscar De La Renta suit during a visit to the Nook Children’s Hopsice last November
Left: Kate teams her black Philip Treacy hat with the Queen’s pearl drop earrings. Right: For a recent trip to Bradford, Kate swapped her usual clutch for an on-trend top-handle bag by Aspinal of London
Trinny Woodall, Alexandra Shulman, Dylan Jones, Sophie Dearden
1. Trinny Woodall, YOU columnist
The Duchess has a classic way of dressing. Her clothes are very fitted, and while I think it’s nice to see her lovely figure, I’d love to play with the proportions of what she wears. For a dress-down day I’d like to put her in wide-leg pants, cool trainers, a white shirt and a fitted jacket.
2. Alexandra Shulman, Former editor of Vogue and Mail on Sunday columnist
Catherine looks good in anything. I’d like to see her experiment with some of the younger British designers who could make her some terrific formal clothes. Michael Halpern’s sequined styles would adapt brilliantly to the red carpet, and Richard Quinn, who won the Queen Elizabeth ll Award for British Design, has beautiful florals.
3. Dylan Jones, Editor of GQ
The Duchess is so chic that it feels unnecessary to try to recommend what else she might wear. Although, having said that, I think she would look terrific in Vivienne Westwood. She has such a strong sense of personal style that I’m sure she could carry it off with conviction.
4 Sophie Dearden, YOU senior stylist
Kate is a huge fan of prints, embroidery and flowing dresses, so I’d love to see her try a few classic, minimalist looks. It would be great to see her channelling Princess Diana in shapes that are feminine yet strong. I’d like to dress her in this Jil Sander-inspired suit – a structural shape in a pared-down palette, with sleek accessories.
From her engagement announcement to the birth of Prince George, Kate likes to celebrate her milestones in blue. And this might not be a coincidence.
According to colour analyst Melissa Nicholson, who advises her clients on what shades to wear based on their complexion, hair and eye shades, Kate best suits a ‘summer’ palette, which means she looks better in clothes that have a cool blue tint rather than a warm yellow one.
‘I would say her best shades are French blue and bright navy,’ Melissa says.
The Kate effect changed our lives
A stamp of approval by the Duchess for an up-and-coming label can mean thousands of new customers overnight – with items selling out instantly. Her three current favourites reveal what the Kate Effect has meant for them
Worn five times
Left: Kate at Wimbledon wearing Soru Jewellery. Right: Marianna Doyle and Francesca Kelly, founders of Sory Jewellery
‘We’re so proud, the brand exposure was amazing’ Marianna Doyle (below left) and Francesca Kelly, founders of Soru Jewellery. The Duchess first wore our double-sided pearl earrings to an art ceremony at the Natural History Museum in 2016. The following day, she was spotted in the same pair at Wimbledon [pictured]. This really put us on the map: the brand exposure was amazing and our international audience grew instantly. Kate has regularly worn our earrings since then – most recently for a reception at Buckingham Palace last month. We’re so proud to see someone as influential as her wearing our designs.
Sold out in a day
Left: Kate wearing Beulah Shibani scarf. Right: Natasha Rufus Issacs, co-founder of Beluah London
‘Kate has created 300 hours of work for vulnerable women’ Natasha Rufus Isaacs, co-founder of Beulah London. We’re delighted that the Duchess chooses to make a positive fashion statement by wearing Beulah London. On a visit to Port Talbot steelworks in South Wales this month, she wore our Shibani scarf [pictured], which was made by one of our manufacturers that offers vulnerable women in India, Bangladeshand Nepal sustainable employment opportunities. The overnight interest in this scarf has already created nearly 300 hours of work for these women.
Finally back in stock
Left: Kate wearing Hicks & Brown Suffolk Fedora. Right: Alice Leet-Cook and Rosie Turner, co-founders of Hicks & Brown
‘We were small but now we’ve got a worldwide market’ Alice Leet-Cook and Rosie Turner (below left), co-founders of Hicks & Brown. We consider ourselves to be a fairly small UK hat brand, but the interest we have received following the Duchess wearing our navy Suffolk Fedora last month [pictured], has opened us up to a worldwide market. We’ve seen a huge spike in web traffic, particularly from the US, Canada and Italy, and the style she wore sold out almost immediately. We feel incredibly honoured. The Duchess is so inspirational with all the work she does, and her sense of style is iconic. We certainly won’t be forgetting this moment.