Suits You, Kate

Published article here -

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12600969/Kate-Middleton-pays-subtle-tribute-Princess-Diana-outfits-doesnt-set-compared-late-mother-law-experts-tell-PALACE-CONFIDENTIAL.html

Royal fashion obsessives know that in the 1990s, Princess Diana made a purposeful shift in her wardrobe.

No longer playing at being the perfect ingenue wife, she found a new maturity and confidence. Gone were the early days, trailing behind her husband as he cut ribbons and made speeches. Diana meant business – and her wardrobe full of suits reflected this.

Perhaps there's a similar impetus behind Kate's recent move towards tailoring. This week, visiting a Berkshire charity hub sending parcels to Ukraine, she chose a pair of exquisitely cut grey wool trousers, £130 from French brand Sezane, a crisp white shirt and £120 grey knitted tank top from Samantha Cameron's label Cefinn.

She accessorised the look with block-heeled shoes from JCrew and £68 earrings from British brand Shyla London. It's a outfit that wouldn't look amiss in the boardroom.

On Tuesday, she stepped out in Cardiff in a navy pinstripe suit, the same one she wore a few days earlier to meet Apple CEO Tim Cook. In September, she looked impossibly chic in a Roland Mouret camel suit to visit a youth intervention charity.

The very next day, a suit was her choice again to visit Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton. Days later, she wore a green Burberry trouser suit to visit textile mills in Yorkshire.

Gone are the flowy midi dresses of old. September, for Kate, was a positive homage to impeccable tailoring.

Twelve years into her marriage, Kate no longer feels the need to 'perform' princess in coatdresses and twinsets. She is a fully embedded royal, trusted to be the face of their most important engagements.

Who said a princess belongs in glass slippers and fussy gowns? This one certainly doesn't.