Kate Middleton’s 1950s styling

The public engagements are coming in thick and fast for the Duchess of Cambridge right now. The end of last week saw two more appearances, with Kate visiting the Dulwich gallery,and then inspecting the Irish Guards on St Patrick’s Day. And I noticed that  on these two occasions, Kate was styled in a way that evoked images of the New Look looking distinctly 1950s. Is Kate now taking her sartorial cues from Grace Kelly?

At the Dulwich Gallery Kate wore another dress from Orla Kiely. This was a dark grey wool dress with pretty black applique flower detailing on the neckline. In terms of styling this was pure 50s, nipped in waist, full skirt and a small tie front belt. The accesories were kept simple, and the hair loose and flowing. Kate is becoming well known as the Duchess of Dresses, seeming to prefer to wear a dress rather than traditional suits worn by Royal ladies.

On Saturday Kate paid tribute to the Irish guards by wearing a gorgeous bottle green coat by Emilia Wickstead, along with a small hat from Lock and Co.  Again, the silhouette was very similar, waist nipped in with a thin belt, full skirt on the coat, and simple accessories. I loved the shamrock brooch that she wore on her lapel, this once belonged to the Queen Mother.

I love the 1950s silhouettes. They are supremely elegant and also very ladylike, just right for a Duchess. And this season they are also popular on the High Street. One of Kate’s favourite High Street stores, Reiss, has a great selection of beautiful 1950s style dresses.

Get the Look – The 1950s

And in more  Reiss News…

Today Kate visited The Treehouse hospice in Ipswich in a very royal blue dress that was another piece from the Reiss archive. The Trina dress was from 2008, and was actually also a piece from the Middleton archive, as mom Carol had worn this on a visit to Ascot in 2010. Kate styled the dress by adding a black belt which slightly changed the look. I can’t be the only person thinking Reiss should introduce a capsule Duchess collection that revisits the designs that have been worn by Kate. That would be a smash hit collection.

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