Kate Middleton may have gone through a considered style transformation in recent months since becoming Britain’s new Princess of Wales, but throughout she has remained a loyal client of one of the most influential fashion labels which has seen her develop from royal bride to one of the most influential women in the world.
Kate has been noted for her fashion picks since becoming a focus of public interest in the early 2000s while dating Prince William. Her most eagerly anticipated fashion choice was over who would design her 2011 wedding dress, which would ultimately become a defining moment in royal fashion history.
On April 29, 2011, just moments before Kate walked down the aisle of Westminster Abbey it was announced that the commission of the dress had been entrusted to the design house of Alexander McQueen.
Lee “Alexander” McQueen was a revolutionary designer, educated in London and a former head of the Paris house of Givenchy. McQueen was known as the bad boy of British fashion who joked that, when he trained on Savile Row, the heartland of British tailoring, he drew phallic symbols in chalk on the linings of then-Prince Charles’ suits.
McQueen died in February 2010, before Kate and William became engaged, and it was his right-hand-woman and successor as head of his fashion label, Sarah Burton, who formed the close working relationship with Kate that has stretched over a decade.
For many of the most important royal occasions of her married life, Kate has returned to Burton whose expert eye and famous tight-lipped confidential nature have made her one of the most prolific designers of her time.
From Trooping the Color parades to Jubilees and state banquets, Kate has regularly been seen in a McQueen coat dress, evening gown or, most recently, expertly tailored pant suit.
“Kate Middleton and the house of Alexander McQueen are a match made in heaven!” celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert, Miranda Holder, told Newsweek. “A beautiful royal princess aka our future queen, and a celebrated British design house, known for its unwavering attention to craftsmanship and detail, exquisite taste in fabrics and razor-sharp tailoring.”
“McQueen is a quintessentially British designer, rich in heritage with a quirky unusual past, married with contemporary design techniques and, under Sarah Burton’s leadership, a very feminine edge makes it the perfect choice, keeping things contemporary and relevant for a thoroughly modern princess. “
One of the unique draws to McQueen as a fashion house for Kate is the fact that it isn’t closely associated with any other royal, unlike Catherine Walker & Co. which is best known for dressing Princess Diana, or Erdem, Emilia Wickstead, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham, who have also dressed Meghan Markle for iconic events as well as more junior royals like Princess Eugenie—though all also dress Kate on occasion.
“Kate’s bond with Sarah Burton, together with the house not being particularly associated with any other royals has led Kate to truly make the designer her own,” Holder said.
“Sarah had to fill very big shoes indeed when she took over from the late Lee McQueen, who was undoubtedly a style genius, famed for his thrilling boundary-pushing runway shows. The new designer is unassuming and modest about her success, quietly retaining the elements of surprise and edge the McQueen was famous for, but giving them a softer, feminine, more wearable feel.
“Her workmanship and eye for detail are second to none, as demonstrated with Kate’s stunning wedding dress which was as lovingly made as any Parisian couture.”
Moving away from the romantic gowns worn over recent years, Kate has turned to the highly structured McQueen pant suit for her daytime engagements, most of which have been worn to events connected with her work with the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood.
Kate owns the classic McQueen pantsuit in a number of colors, including white, pink, navy, black and purple.
At her most recent high-profile engagement, the launch of the center for early childhood’s business taskforce, the princess mixed and matched her suits, wearing a white blazer from one set with the black trousers of another.
Here, Newsweek looks at some of Kate’s Alexander McQueen fashion moments:
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
Kate Middleton may have gone through a considered style transformation in recent months since becoming Britain’s new Princess of Wales, but throughout she has remained a loyal client of one of the most influential fashion labels which has seen her develop from royal bride to one of the most influential women in the world.
