Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Style

    Kate Middleton buys all her favourite outfits in two colours

    Penny Goldstone's avatar
    By Penny Goldstone
    Published 15 December 2021 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    (Image credit: 2021 Max Mumby/Indigo)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Last week Kate Middleton paid tribute to Prince Philip at a Christmas carols concert, by wearing the same outfit she wore to his funeral, but in red.

    Whilst touching, her wardrobe choice wasn't exactly surprising, since she has been known to buy a dress in two colours before. In fact, she does this with all her favourite buys, from dresses to coats.

    was £1,573

    EMILIA WICKSTEAD June gathered organza-seersucker midi dress, now £660, was £1,573 (58% off) at The Outnet
    This fit and flare dress by one of Kate's favourite designers comes at a fraction of the original price.

    View Deal

    For example, during her royal tour of Canada with Princess William in 2016, the Duchess donned a red Preen dress for a reconciliation ceremony with Canadian First Nations groups. She bought that same dress in black and wore it two months later to an evening ceremony in London, though this time she accessorised with a belt instead of a diamond brooch.

    Image

    FRANCESCA MIDI DRESS, £119 at Wolf & Badger
    This is a lilac midi dress with long sleeves. And they’re blouson sleeves, above a cuff which has a mother of pearl button. And at the top of the sleeve, a puff shoulder. Sleek and regal.

    View Deal

    In 2018, she wore a lovely Emilia Wickstead A-line dress in lilac, which she wore to the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit in London (she previously donned it for a trip to Germany in 2017). The following year, she wore the same dress in moss green, to the opening of a centre for children.

    Image

    Gina Bacconi Shola Floral Lace Mini Dress, Flamingo Pink, £160 at John Lewis
    The dress is fashioned entirely from a beautiful floral corded lace and chiffon frills sit elegantly at the shoulder and sleeve to frame the figure perfectly. Fully lined, the dress is fastened using a concealed back zip plus a dainty hook and eye key.

    View Deal

    In 2017, the Duchess loved an Alexander McQueen dress so much she bought it in two different shades of pink, one for Trooping the Colour, and the other for Princess Eugenie's wedding a year later. She even wore the same chandelier diamond earrings on both occasions.

    You may like
    • The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
    • Alexa Chung khaki shirt and shorts outfit Alexa Chung Just Styled the Most Elegant Colours Together, Along With a Shorts-and-Heels Trend Seen All Over London This Summer
    • red and blue outfit Fashion Experts Are Swapping "Boring" Neutrals for This Joyful Colour Pairing Instead

    Kate is adept at buying the same outfit twice, but waiting a year or so before wearing it in a different hue, thus keeping her wardrobe fresh and letting the public forget about the first one.

    Image

    WEEKEND MAX MARA Struzzo coat, £670 at MatchesFashion
    Weekend Max Mara's sophisticated aesthetic is synonymous with timeless wardrobe staples, such as this blue brushed-wool Struzzo coat.

    View Deal
    Image

    Blue relaxed coat, £80 at River Island
    A budget-friendly version of Kate's blue coat.

    View Deal

    Case in point, the Catherine Walker coat she wore in red to the Order of the Garter ceremony in 2016, and in blue during her tour of Germany in 2017, to visit a holocaust memorial.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Penny Goldstone
    Penny Goldstone
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Fashion Editor

    Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

    She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.

    Read more
    The Prince and Princess of Wales visit the Isles of Mull and Iona
    Royal News Royal Experts Predict a Major Milestone From Princess Kate This Autumn
    Alexa Chung khaki shirt and shorts outfit
    Fashion Alexa Chung Just Styled the Most Elegant Colours Together, Along With a Shorts-and-Heels Trend Seen All Over London This Summer
     
     
    red and blue outfit
    Fashion Fashion Experts Are Swapping "Boring" Neutrals for This Joyful Colour Pairing Instead
    Corsages Listing
    Shopping Carrie Bradshaw's Favourite Accessory Is Suddenly Everywhere—And It Just Appeared at Haute Couture Week
     
     
    Latest in Style
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    @nlmarilyn in transitional autumn outfits
    Fashion Goodbye Summer Dresses, I'm in Autumn Outfit Planning Mode—These 5 Are Fresh
     
     
    voranida outfits
    Fashion Everyone Sophisticated Is Wearing This Lesser-Known, Up-and-Coming Brand Right Now
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
     
     
    Latest in News
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: The Foundation Using Exosome Technology, the Treatment That Transformed My Skin Texture—Plus, the Ever-Earlier Advent Calendar Race
     
     
    Kaia Gerber
    Shopping Everything Kaia Gerber Wears Is a Masterclass in Minimalism—These Are the Pieces and Brands She Always Goes Back to
    Copenhagen Fashion Week street style
    Shopping Kitten-Heel Sandals, Lace Dresses and the Season's New Favourite Shade of Blue— These are the Copenhagen Fashion Week Street Style Trends to Note
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.