The Princess of Wales’s summer wardrobe typically consists of her Alessandra Rich polka-dot dresses, Erdem florals, and her go-to Castañer espadrilles. For Kate Middleton’s latest appearance at RHS’s Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital, though, she opted for another seasonal classic: A striped shirt.
Making the case for double stripes, Kate teamed her beige and white shirt with her pinstriped blazer from Blazé Milano, which she has worn several times in the past, and a pair of brown trousers. In many ways, it’s an archetypal look for the royal, who has been favoring sharp tailoring for official visits in recent years.
The last time the Princess officially made an appearance was back in June for the Trooping the Colour, where she wore a jubilant aquamarine Catherine Walker coatdress and had a joyous matching mother-daughter moment with Princess Charlotte. More recently, she gave this year’s Royal Ascot festivities a miss. Today’s look was all the more pared back.
Of course, the striped shirt happens to also be a fashion editor favorite, with a number of Vogue staffers living in the staple in recent months—usually paired with jeans and ballet flats. “It takes the stress out of having to pick what to wear,” British Vogue’s audience growth manager Ellie Davies previously explained. “It’s the ultimate throw-on-and-go office attire,” commerce producer Mia Portet added.
Kate was likely thinking the same thing as our Vogue colleagues when she got dressed this morning. Kate Middleton, the Royals—they’re just like us. In some ways, at least.
