Kate Middleton continued to show her love for “razor-sharp tailoring,” wearing a white Alexander McQueen blazer and contrasting black pants to launch her Center for Early Childhood Business Taskforce in the heart of London’s financial district on Tuesday, a fashion expert told Newsweek.
The princess restyled one of her favorite statement pant suits to attend the launch of the taskforce linked to her “Shaping Us” early childhood awareness campaign, showcasing her new corporate-minded “fashion uniform.”
Eagle-eyed royal watchers will have seen Kate wear the white structured McQueen blazer on a number of occasions, having first showcased the piece with its matching straight-legged white pants during a visit to Jamaica in 2022 as part of her Platinum Jubilee tour of the Caribbean with Prince William.
Most recently, the princess wore the suit during a visit to the Commonwealth Games with William and Princess Charlotte in August last year. She also owns the design in pink, navy and black variations.
Kate has increasingly worn pant suits over the past year, often relying on the simple style statement for her working wardrobe. Many of these suits have come from the house of Alexander McQueen, perhaps Kate’s most favored label, which was also responsible for the design of her wedding dress in 2011.
A number of other designers have supplied her suits, including Burberry, which designed an emerald green ensemble worn for a meeting with the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway at Windsor Castle earlier this month.
The outfit, according to celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert Miranda Holder, helped the princess blend in among the assembled British business leaders at Tuesday’s taskforce launch.
“The Princess of Wales blended in with the city slickers in her monochromatic business-like outfit for her launch,” Holder told Newsweek. “The princess chose immaculately cut separates by one of her favorite design houses Alexander McQueen – known and celebrated for its razor-sharp tailoring.
“The pale ivory blazer jacket was reminiscent of the pale pink version previously sported. This very apparent tailored approach to styling indicates that the princess’s new fashion ‘uniform’ is far more corporate in feel, allowing her to fully immerse herself in the causes she supports .
“Princess Kate means business and her looks most definitely reflects this mindset. Her tapered black trousers, also by McQueen complement the formality of the outfit, with the only fashionable edge being the sky high heels, most likely from her new favorite shoe label, Gianvito Rossi.”
Kate has developed a more corporate conscious approach to dressing for her daytime engagements over the past six months, the amount of time that she has held the Princess of Wales title, given to her (through Prince William) by King Charles III after the death of Queen Elizabeth II
A key example of this statement style of dressing, which has positioned itself slightly away from the previous fashion failsafes of coat dresses and lighter silhouettes, what the floral Erdem skirt suit chosen for the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey earlier this month.
The princess opted for a highly structured floral blazer and skirt from the British-Canadian designer who made many of her occasion dresses through the year and also dressed Meghan Markle during her time as a working royal.
The deep navy ensemble was accessorized with an angular picture, a departure from the smaller fascinator type designs she has worn in previous years.
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 continued to show her love for “razor-sharp tailoring,” wearing a white Alexander McQueen blazer and contrasting black pants to launch her Center for Early Childhood Business Taskforce in the heart of London’s financial district on Tuesday, a fashion expert told Newsweek.
