6 pieces Carole Middleton and the Duchess of Cambridge have in their wardrobes
The most stylish mother-daughter dressing is usually entirely inadvertent and bred from years of sharing the same house and often having the same body type. It doesn’t (thankfully) mean choosing identical dresses for Christmas lunch, but instead means naturally turning to similar colours, fabrics and cuts.
Carole Middleton and the Duchess of Cambridge exemplify mother-daughter dressing at its best. While Kate has to turn up the glamour a lot more often than your average person, she also seems happiest outside of London in well-cut jeans and a jumper. And it is clear where she gets this country-chic aesthetic from… This week, to promote the importance of keeping our beaches clean, Carole put up an image on the Party Pieces Instagram account of herself in a Fjällräven all-weather jacket, jeans, Blundstone ankle boots and a striped Zara top. The entire outfit was Kate down to a (Breton) T.
Over their shared years in the spotlight, the two women have passed hats, dresses and even shoes between Bucklebury Manor and Kensington Palace - but I’d wager that most of the time their similar outfits are pure coincidence. Both on and off-duty, their aesthetic is remarkably similar and while Kate is taller and now a bit narrower than her mother (in an interview with the Telegraph in 2018, Carole explained that her changing shape had made her rethink some of her favourite dress shapes) their bodies and complexions also suit the same cuts and colours.
Although one thing the Middletons rarely do is wear matching outfits on the same day - thankfully, really, as the result can be somewhat ridiculous. I learned this the hard way when my mother and I met one morning at a cafe in Paris wearing identical bright red ballet shoes with very similar tweed jackets, white shirts and jeans. It looked like we had dressed that way on purpose and Parisians were openly laughing at us. On the bright side, my mother offered to buy me a new pair of shoes on the spot.
Six Middleton staples
The Blundstone ankle boots
On a trip to Denmark earlier this year, Kate wore a pair of celebrity-approved Blundstone boots to meet local children at a forest kindergarten.The Australian brand’s famously comfy and sturdy footwear is beloved by stars like Emma Watson, David Beckham, Benedict Cumberbatch and Lily Collins - and now Carole Middleton, who was spotted wearing a pair in her Instagram post this week.
The pink coat-dress
When the Duchess of Cambridge wore a light pink Alexander McQueen coat dress in 2013 when she was pregnant with Prince Goerge, speculation was rife that this meant the baby was a girl. That did of course turn out to be wrong. Although when Carole celebrated the marriage of her other daughter Pippa, she chose to wear an almost identical pale pink Catherine Walker coat.
The burgundy winter coat
Other than the buttons, these two double breasted burgundy coats look remarkably similar, despite being worn nearly four years apart. The Duchess of Cambridge first wore her Dolce & Gabbana number in February 2018 on a trip to Norway, while in December 2021 - for her daughter’s carol service - Carole chose a very similar design.
The green silk dress
Both women suit green shades and regularly wear the colour in summer and winter - Carole in this picture is in a silk Scotch and Soda dress that she wore to Wimbledon in 2019. Seven months later, Kate followed her lead in Dublin, opting for an emerald coloured Suzannah dress with a Sezane belt and Ralph Lauren boots.
The white eyelet summer dress
Kate first wore this white eyelet Zimmermann dress on a tour of Australia in 2014 and looked cool and casual on the beaches of Queensland. Temperatures were no doubt lower in England, but Carole followed suit at Wimbledon in 2018 - matching with her daughter right down to the tan shoes.
The Breton top
The low-key Breton paired with jeans is an off-duty staple for every stylish woman. Both Middletons here are in classic Breton three-quarter length tops - the perfect uniform for looking after the little Cambridges.
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