The secret reason the Duchess of Cambridge's new Emilia Wickstead dress looks so good
The Duchess of Cambridge knows when she’s onto a flattering dress silhouette; that’s why we so often see her in knee or midi length frocks in fit-and-flare cuts. But her latest dress acquisition displays an even more nuanced knowledge of how to make a piece look its best, especially when the stakes are duchess-high, with cameras at every angle, interviews to be done and families to chat with.
Kate debuted her new Emilia Wickstead dress, a pleated polka-dot design from the designer’s autumn/ winter 2019 collection, for the launch of Tiny Happy People, a new BBC resource aimed at helping the under-fives with their communication and language skills. With its jolly, graphic pattern, the frock was an ideal choice for an engagement with young children.
The version of the dress which was available at Matchesfashion.com, originally priced at £1565 but later reduced to £469, coordinates with Kate’s style in almost every way, from the elegant mid-shin length to a wide, waist-cinching belt and pleated top.
However, one crucial detail is different; the Matchesfashion.com option comes with voluminous balloon sleeves - a signature element of Wickstead’s languidly elegant designs. The duchess’s dress, though, has slim, fitted sleeves - this may make the outfit a little less ‘fashion’ but it means the dress is more practical and guaranteed to look good on camera.
Kate has not been afraid to try the balloon sleeve trend in the past; in Ireland earlier this year, she wore a green abstract floral creation by Alessandra Rich with flounced arm detailing and in Wales in February, she opted for a red knitted Zara dress with dramatic sleeves.
Equally, the Duchess is renowned for tweaking her purchases - either by working with her favourite designers directly or having a tailor make alterations - so that they fit her perfectly and are suitable for the occasion. Another Alessandra Rich dress, which originally came with a revealing keyhole, was updated with a pussy bow neckline late in 2019, the flared cuffs of a Beulah dress were swapped for fitted sleeves last year and another Emilia Wickstead piece - a tartan dress or top was made sleeker by swapping sheer sleeves for wool ones for the Queen’s Christmas lunch last December.
While most of us don’t have top designers on speed dial in the same way as Kate, your local dry cleaner will usually provide an alteration service. There are also companies like The Wardrobe Curator and Clothes Doctor which offer bespoke tailoring to help you make adjustments so that a piece is perfect for you.
Matchesfashion.com explains that the Duchess’s new dress is from a collection that ‘draws inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy, and this black and white polka-dot shirtdress effortlessly captures 1980s Italian nostalgia’. Though nods to the mafia are unlikely to have been behind Kate’s desire to wear this dress, the polka dot has long been a royal favourite; it’s playful yet classic, feminine but not fussy and is particularly impactful for engagements with children.
She wore a similar dress in a bright floral seersucker fabric to visit RHS Wisley with Mary Berry last year - a look which came with fitted sleeves, too. Perhaps it was memories of that frock which prompted the Duchess to update the ‘Anatola’? After all, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is one of Kate’s go-to wardrobe commandments.
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