Kate's Day Wearing Iconic French Fashion...But Will Givenchy Become a Staple?

In 2017, William and Kate visited Paris, and the Princess wore a tweed Chanel suit that sent fashion fans swooning. For many, we have been waiting and hoping for years that Kate would also wear—at some point—an ensemble from Dior. So, there was certainly a lot of excitement when the Princess of Wales arrived at RAF Northolt yesterday (to welcome Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte) wearing a classic blazer and skirt from the French fashion giant.

If you are interested in fashion and haven’t watched it, I recommend Dior and I, a 2014 documentary on Netflix about then-creative director Raf Simons’ first collection heading the House of Dior. Christian Dior is famous for creating the “New Look” in 1947, which featured a structured blazer (the Bar jacket) with a nipped in waist and a dramatic hip and full skirt to create an hourglass figure. This “New Look” marked a post-war shift from more austere and boxy styles to fashion that celebrated luxury and plenty with an emphasis on the feminine form. Dior’s ultra-feminine style dominated the 1950s.

Kate was wearing a softened, modern version of this ensemble yesterday. You can see that Dior uses the pockets to subtly create the earlier silhouette while still remaining modern. I love that Kate finally wore Dior, and I am particularly over the moon that she really leaned into it and wore such a classic ensemble, too.

Kate paired the jacket and skirt with a boater hat made by Jess Collett, a British milliner with whom she has worked before.

Kate was carrying a Mulberry Bayswater clutch and wearing Gianvito Rossi heels—staples in her wardrobe. She chose to wear the Collingwood pearl earrings and the three-strand pearl necklace (so, the late Queen’s not the vintage one she also owns).

---

There was a lot of waiting and wondering if Kate would attend the State Banquet. As I mentioned in Monday’s post, I didn’t think the odds were great, but I didn’t think it was out of the realm of the possible! Happily, just a few hours before the dinner, Kensington Palace confirmed Kate would attend. Then, just before the banquet, William and Kate released a formal picture to their social accounts. It revealed Kate’s beautiful evening gown, which was designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy.

As you know, Kate has been working with Sarah Burton since the start of her royal journey. Burton, after all, designed Kate’s wedding gown, and Kate has been wearing McQueen for major events ever since. But in 2023, Burton stepped down as Creative Director at McQueen. Since then, we have been wondering whether Kate will continue to wear McQueen. The Princess has certainly worn McQueen in the last several years, but she has chosen pieces from Burton’s tenure at the fashion house (unless I missed something?).

Burton is now the Creative Director at Givenchy—another iconic French label—so it was fascinating to see Kate appear in a new, custom creation by Burton. What I wonder is, will it continue? Having debuted Givenchy, will Kate continue to turn to Burton for various big ticket events, introducing a non-British label into the top tier of her closet?

It would be a first for her. Kate wears “foreign labels,” but usually for lower-tier engagements. She does wear Erdem. Erdem was founded by a Canadian, so a major part of the Commonwealth, but based in London. Dolce & Gabbana might be the best example of a true foreign label that Kate wears relatively regularly to reasonably high profile events. Still, if she were to sub in Givenchy for events that were erstwhile McQueen-level events, it would be a big shift. I would be fine with it! Other royal women have enjoyed French brands for high profile events, and Kate has plenty of opportunity to continue wearing all her favorite British brands. But it would be a big shift for Kate.

William is scheduled to play again in his big charity polo match on Friday. I really, really want Kate to attend. On her current lighter schedule, though, I won’t be shocked if she skips it. There is also Wimbledon to consider. I am as certain as one can be without knowing that Kate will be at the gentlemen’s final on Sunday. But, she probably is also trying to decide whether to fit in the ladies’ final on Saturday. The men’s semis are Friday, which she has attended on occasion. If she does everything she wants to do—or would usually do—it will be a very busy week for her. I feel like something is going to give; we’ll see what event(s) gets chopped.