Kate, Princess of Wales tends to stick to bold colours or tonal outfits, and rarely wears floral pieces, instead favouring stripes and polka dots. The latter which she has worn for years, turning it into one of her signature styles.
The royal has been spotted wearing dots after giving birth to Prince George, attending Ascot, Wimbledon and even for official royal engagements like the Order of the Garter this year.
But, as with much of her wardrobe, her polka dot choices have evolved; Kate originally wore supersized spots with shorter hemlines, nowadays “she chooses a more demure take on dots”, Femail claimed.
After giving birth to Prince George on July 23, 2013, Kate stood on the steps of the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital with Prince William wearing a sky blue Topshop dress with large white polka dots.
Compare that to her Order of the Garter Day Service where the dots of her white Alessandra Rich dress were smaller, resembling the size of an M&M.
Both the style of her dresses and print size have changed; midi hemlines instead of mini, and large dots instead of small.
The price tag of her dresses has also changed; the sell-out Topshop dress was £38, compared to her £2,405 bespoke Alessandra Rich dress.
Many of Kate’s newer polka dot pieces come from Alessandra Rich – a Italian-born, London-based designer who likes to make dresses with hidden “naughty details” in.
In 2022 alone, Kate wore five different pieces by the designer, four of which were polka-dot dresses, and perhaps this is why there has been a shift in the polka dot style, as the brand’s signature style is a midi dress with a dot print.
The designer spoke to The Telegraph about Kate’s affinity to her label. She said: “It was a huge surprise for me.
“We only know she’s wearing one of the dresses when we see her in it—we’re never told anything in advance. We don’t ask and they don’t say.”
Alessandra said she is “super grateful” for Kate wearing her designs as she is a “style icon” and is “thrilled” Kate “likes [her] clothes”.
As for what Alessandra’s favourite look of Kate’s was, she said the white and brown polka-dot dress that was worn to Ascot was “beautiful”.
She explained: “It was a crepe de chin, with an asymmetrical hem—she was like light in it, she looked amazing. It was the perfect choice for this incredible event.”
