Floral patterns might not be the most groundbreaking of fashion choices, but you know what they say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That must have been what the Duchess of Cambridge was thinking when she chose to wear this floaty dress with a leafy, flowery pattern.
Kate wore the outfit to visit a photography workshop run by the Royal Photographic Society and Action for Children in a children’s centre in Kingston-upon-Thames in London. It marks the news of the Duchess being named the new patron of the Royal Photographic Society, succeeding the Queen. As a keen amateur photographer, the role makes perfect sense.
Along with the dress, she wore a fail-safe favourite: espadrilles. Some are speculating that they’re by Spanish brand Castañer (£80 on Net-a-Porter).
When the summer weather is unpredictable and tricky to dress for, Kate often relies on florals to get her through.
Last month, she visited the Chelsea Flower show in an Erdem dress – the floral pattern particularly fitting for the event. And once again, she was wearing her trusty espadrilles. You can’t blame her – the wedge makes walking about so much more comfortable than in a stiletto heel.
Kate also experiments with brighter florals. On a visit to Heidelberg in 2017, she opted for a sunny yellow dress by Jenny Packham – a British designer who the Duchess frequently wears.
Kate wore a floral-patterned Prada dress in August 2017 to tour around The White Garden at Kensington Palace – a garden dedicated to Princess Diana and full of her favourite flowers. It’s here you can really see a pattern forming: Kate loves to match the event she’s going to, so if there are flowers involved she’ll find a way to work it into her outfit as a tribute.
Canadian designer Erdem Moralıoğlu is a favourite of Kate’s – perhaps because he’s chic but also favours demure cuts of dresses, most often with high necklines, long sleeves and flowing skirts. But his designs often also involve florals - like the white dress she wore during a summer visit to Poland in 2017.
Looking at her fashion sense as a whole, it’s clear that Kate prefers to wear block colours. However, if she is going to veer into a pattern, chances are she’ll be dabbling in florals.
