An Ode to the Duchess of Cambridge’s 10 Most Unforgettable Outfits
It’s been just over 10 years since Kate Middleton wed Prince William wearing an ornate Alexander McQueen gown inspired by Grace Kelly. Since becoming the Duchess of Cambridge, her royal tenure has been categorized by similarly modern-day princess moments, but also looks that ground her as a woman working to advance causes close to the hearts of the British public. A brilliant ambassador of the high street and homegrown talent, Kate uses her platform to shine a spotlight on UK craftsmanship and creativity. Her habit of rewearing favorite designer looks has added a conscious element to royal fashion, while her wardrobe binders—such as Breton tops and pussy-bow blouses – make her personable, as well as unfailingly polished.
The “Kate effect”—the media term for the sell-out status automatically bestowed on the more attainable items worn by the Duchess—continues to reign supreme, but her healthy appetite for LK Bennett—nude Sledge pumps were a major royal headline in the early years—has subsided. Strong relationships with McQueen’s Sarah Burton, Catherine Walker, Emilia Wickstead and Erdem Moralıoğlu ensure that Kate’s public-facing looks are au courant but classic, which is essential when every minute detail is analyzed.
Comparisons to Diana, Princess of Wales are still drawn by the newspapers, but Kate has cultivated her own image which, like her mother-in-law’s, toes the line between outdoorsy and official. A consummate professional, the Duchess’s style legacy will lie in her penchant for precisely-cut dress coats that mean business, peppy prints and color palettes that say a thousand words and, of course, immaculate blow-dries.
Here, an ode to the Duchess of Cambridge’s defining looks over her decade as a royal.
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The red-carpet look that set the bar
Six weeks after Kate Middleton walked down the aisle at Westminster Abbey and became the Duchess of Cambridge, the newly instated royal showed us what to expect from her eveningwear going forward. One word: dazzling. Years later, she would rewear her blush Jenny Packham gown, but on that red carpet in the summer of 2011, the world saw quintessential Kate: glossy and beaming with pride.
WPA Pool2/10In full duchess mode
Kate is never more resplendent than when she glides through the rich interiors of Buckingham Palace at state banquets, which give license to old-school, high-fashion drama. Custom confections by Burton at Alexander McQueen, such as this ruched pearlescent blue gown with an exaggerated peplum hem, are her most regal. Worn with the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara and the Royal Family Order in 2018, the Duchess was the picture of a modern princess and totally breathtaking.
Pool/Samir Hussein3/10Diplomatic dressing
Kate’s Falconetti dress by The Vampire’s Wife, worn to exchange salutations with Irish locals during a 2020 trip to the Emerald Isle, was a game-changing moment in the royal’s wardrobe. Her choice to wear a British indie label, beloved by celebrities from Kate Moss to Keira Knightley, suggested a new willingness to try designers outside of her trusted circle. Her ladylike, ruffled dress was a playful nod to diplomatic dressing, but the Duchess looked, dare we say it, fashion...
Getty4/10The chicest military dress coat
An early style hack deployed by the Duchess was the dress coat – a hybrid piece that brings a certain degree of polish to the royal’s public-facing looks even on the most blustery days. Her military-inspired designs, such as this sky-blue favourite executed to perfection by the house of McQueen, shows an air of respect during important state engagements without ever looking contrived. Her deftness of touch at commissioning expert tailoring has only sharpened over the years.
Tim Rooke/Shutterstock5/10Her homage to Princess Diana
Polka dots always call to mind the Duchess’s mother-in-law, Princess Diana, who shared a great enthusiasm for the cheering, cartoonish print. This delightfully prim Alessandra Rich dress doubled down on Diana comparisons owing to its sharp contrasting collar and glamorous-yet-conservative appeal. Worn with a winning smile, first for the official portraits of Prince Charles’s 70th birthday and since then on two less formal occasions, Rich’s playful spots nod to the past, while paying royal fashion forward.
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The emerging designer moment
Back in 2016, this Barbara Casasola dress was the Duchess’s most exciting to date. The off-the-shoulder design was uncharacteristically minimalist – and whisper it, cool – for Kate, and it suited her. Her confidence in wearing emerging fashion talent was buoyed by this turn in the Italian designer’s refined, rib-knit day dress, and she later showed how far she had come by pairing it with glitter-encrusted Jimmy Choos.
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Photo: Getty Images7/10In her natural habitat
While the Duchess’s country wear sometimes misses the mark, her relationship with florals has blossomed thanks to Erdem. Pretty blooms are a literal nod to her love of nature and her ongoing mission to share the mental and physical benefits of the great outdoors. Here she is in her element, while wearing one of her most memorable Erdem looks to date, at the Chelsea Flower Show 2020.
ARTHUR EDWARDS8/10The signature blouse
Kate gave her hyper-feminine pussy-bow blouses a shot in the arm via Gucci last year. The jewel-toned blouse, tucked in wide-legged trousers – also new ground for the Duchess – lifted her workwear and showed that she keeps a finger on the fashion pulse. Kate might not be ready to recycle her skinny jeans yet, but this directional take on the classics showed she is making great strides.
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Samir Hussein9/10Redefining royal tour style
Ignore the nude patent pumps and focus on the flippy lemon Jenny Packham tea dress that Kate wore to touch down in Calgary during her first official tour of Canada in 2011. The sweet fashion moment – helped by the drama of the windy airport runway – showed that the latest royal recruit would not be bound by traditional dress codes, but wished to tread her own path… in those trusty LK Bennetts.
Photo: Getty Images10/10The headband influencer
Since Prince Louis’s christening in July, when Kate offset her luxuriously muted McQueen dress with a Jane Taylor headband-cum-fascinator, she has been expanding her headband repertoire in earnest. Her love of hair adornments is a natural extension of the ornamental crowns, tiaras and tokens that are a part of her image, but Kate has carved out her own niche via velvet Alice bands and halo styles, which bring a preppy flourish to her more restrained ensembles.
