Last week Kate Middleton celebrated her birthday, and having married a Prince and become pregnant in the last year, she’s not doing badly for the humble age of 31. Well known for her style, the Duchess of Cambridge has got dressing like a princess down to a tee. Not only is she on trend with the top designers, she also knows exactly what shapes and colours work for her, so narrowing down our top 10 looks for the Duchess was a tricky task – here’s what HCX came up with:
10. That fashion show dress
Kate sported this daring number back in 2002 at a charity fashion show during her time at St Andrews University. This look isn’t exactly stylish, but it is certainly iconic, as it’s rumoured that Will fell for her as soon as he saw her modelling this particular dress. The designer appropriately named this dress, ‘the art of seduction’.
9.Alexander McQueen Jubilee dress
For special royal occasions Kate often turns to Alexander McQueen for a dress. At the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Kate stood out in this red dress and matching red hat made by the royal milliner. This dress was deemed inappropriate by some, perhaps it drew attention away from the rest of the royals who were decked out in a more muted palette, but we LOVE IT.
8. Cream Roland Mouret dress
Out for dinner at Claridges last year, Kate opted for a gorgeous cream full-length dress by Roland Mouret. At first glance this dress is conservative and elegant, but its cheeky thigh high slit adds an extra dimension to the beautiful dress. Kate daringly spruced it up with some Jimmy Choo sandals (a nice change from her usual choice of court shoes) and an embellished clutch.
7. Lace Temperley dress
Kate is clearly a big fan of dark lace overlay dresses, and this Temperley number has made it into our big top 10. She wore this intricately detailed dress to the premiere of War Horse. It was her first royal premiere and she made sure she didn’t disappoint, she wowed the crows by keeping her outfit classy and regal.
6. Matthew Williamson beaded dress
For the premiere of African Cats, Kate chose to wear a simple grey shift dress with beaded details. This dress is classic and the beading, typical of Matthew Williamson, adds a fun, quirky edge to what would otherwise be a typically conservative dress.
5. Teal Jenny Packham Lace dress
As we reach the top five it gets even harder to decide in what order these dresses make it onto the list. This stunning Jenny Packham floor length dress wowed everyone when Kate wore it to the Olympic concert at the Royal Albert Hall last summer. It features a jaw-droppingly beautiful lace back, which Kate showed off by unusually sporting an up-do. The designer even created a custom clutch to match the dress for the event.
4. Jenny Packham embellished dress
As you can see, Jenny Packham is a real favourite of Kate’s. Every time she wears a dress by the British designer it is sure to be a winner. This one is particularly show stopping, covered in sequins, beads and Swarovski crystals. Despite the heavy embellishment this dress is still decidedly delicate and shows of Kate’s beautiful slender figure.
3. Alexander McQueen lilac dress
At the final event of the royal North American tour, Kate pulled out all the stops in this fantastic McQueen dress. The lilac chiffon oozed Hollywood glamour, perfectly fit for a night at the BAFTAs. She often wears dresses that nip in her teeny-weeny waist, and this dress does just that, emphasising her hour-glass shape.
2 & 1. Alexander McQueen Wedding dresses
Obviously a list of Kate’s best outfits would be incomplete without both of her wedding dresses. Kept under wraps right up until the wedding, these dresses ticked all the right boxes. McQueen designer Sarah Burton was given the honour of dressing Kate for her big day, and she did not disappoint. Unsurprisingly the dresses stayed true to Kate’s timelessly elegant style, whilst being youthful and regal. The perfectly impressive and finely detailed wedding dress was complimented that evening by the younger, fun evening gown.
So, there we have it! Our Top 10 Looks from the Duchess. Kate has clearly got her style choices and designers perfectly sussed. She always manages to look elegant, sophisticated, regal, but clearly keeps her own style in mind and has a lot of fun with what she wears. So Happy Birthday Kate; to another year of beautiful clothes!
Picture credits:
http://fashionista.com/2011/03/kate-middletons-sheer-student-fashion-show-dress-sells-for-over-125000-at-auction/ http://www.instylemag.com.au/Article/Fashion/Latest-News/Kate-Middleton-dons-McQueen-for-Jubilee http://www.fabsugar.co.uk/Kate-Middleton-Wears-Roland-Mouret-Dress-Jimmy-Choo-Shoes-23024580 http://dressingroom.studiowhite.com.au/?p=2223 http://cristinahh.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/catherine-duchess-of-cambridge-in-matthew-williamson-african-cats-premiere-london/ http://astylishbride.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/my-favourite-jenny-packham-ss13-wedding-dresses/ http://wannabemodernpentathlete.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/day-58-59-how-fascinating.html http://www.gocitygirl.com/en/Blog/My-Blog/?userId=156&entryId=1268&ajax=truehttp://www.weddinginspirasi.com/2011/04/30/kate-middletons-wedding-dress-designed-by-sarah-burton-alexander-mcqueen/ http://www.glamour.com/weddings/blogs/save-the-date/2011/04/royal-wedding-kate-middletons-3.html http://www.wornthrough.com/2011/04/14/from-the- aisle-to-the-archive-british-royal-wedding-dresses/