When Kate Middleton rewore her olive green Victoria Beckham trouser suit earlier this month, she was using her wardrobe to signal the importance of two things close to her heart: British fashion and sustainability in fashion.
While the look (which Kate previously wore in May for the presentation of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design) may have also been signaling support for Victoria Beckham herself, whose fashion brand is covered in her new Netflix documentary, no detail in the Princess of Wales’s wardrobe is coincidental. Kate’s affinity for pantsuits in recent months is significant, according to fashion insiders.
“The Princess of Wales is sending out an important message about how her style has evolved and why the trouser suit is now part of her fashion armor and a staple in her working wardrobe,” says Claudia Joseph, author of How to Dress Like a Princess: The Secret of Kate’s Wardrobe.
According to Joseph, Kate’s penchant for pantsuits dovetails with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. “There’s been a notable change in what Kate has worn since the death of the late queen. Kate has always been careful to toe the line, wearing tights, for example, which would please the queen. She has always been properly dressed for the occasion, but we are seeing some subtle shifts with the trouser suits,” she says.
“We did see the queen in trousers, but only [on] a couple of occasions when she was on duty. Each generation adopts their own style, and the trouser suit has become an important part of the princess’s working wardrobe.
“Kate has gone up in the pecking order. She’s adopted a working wardrobe of suits. They are convenient, comfortable, and very practical.”
The power suit is Kate’s go-to. Just days after wearing the Victoria Beckham ensemble this month, the Princess of Wales opted for a caramel-colored blazer and trousers by Roland Mouret (the designer himself is also featured in Beckham’s documentary) for a meeting at Windsor Castle with Prince William, Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, and Princess Rajwa. The suit has been in her wardrobe for at least two years.
In June, Kate wore a navy pantsuit by Alexander McQueen to visit the newly opened V&A East Storehouse. Come September, she was photographed wearing a Bella Freud–designed Prince of Wales check suit for a visit to a British textile mill.
The Princess of Wales’s choice of tailored suits has delighted British designers and is spearheading a new trend. “The princess wears products that champion the British textile industry, and that’s hugely important,” says designer Jade Holland Cooper, founder of Holland Cooper, whose designs Princess Kate has worn regularly. The “Kate effect,” an increase in a brand’s sales after the princess wears one of its items, has made an immediate impact on Holland Cooper and other designers. But for Holland Cooper, Kate’s dedication to wearing sustainably made British brands offers more than a sales boost.
“It’s wonderful to see the princess flying the flag for ‘made in the UK.’ Kate is continuing the king’s amazing work when it comes to supporting the British textile industry,” adds Cooper. “You can see she actually cares about the textile industry, from the mills to the pattern-cutters. When it comes to her fashion choices, she invests in legacy pieces that will stand the test of time. The suits she wears are the new workhorses in her wardrobe.”
At age 43, Kate is keen for the focus to be on her work rather than her outfits, and her tailored suits are a way of showing the public she wants to be taken seriously. She amicably stopped working with her close friend and longtime stylist, Natasha Archer, this summer, and since then there has been a move toward more understated fashion choices that generate less press coverage. Kate has opted for a largely neutral wardrobe, favoring shades of brown, burgundy, and gray.
“When the palace announced earlier this year that they were not going to comment on what the princess is wearing, it was significant,” says Joseph. “She stemmed the interest in her outfits, to a degree, by going for elegant suits over eye-catching dresses when she’s out on engagements. Her intention is to have the focus on her work and on comfort over anything else. She always dresses for the occasion, and she’s grown into her role. The trouser suit is part of that progression.”
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