by 
We’re used to seeing the Princess of Wales pull dazzlingly classic princess styles out of the bag, but last night she looked different. This is by far the most confident and relaxed Kate we’ve seen on an official night out, as she attended an event hosted by The Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood at the Bafta headquarters in Piccadilly.
With straight, shiny hair, this is Kate playing to her natural strengths – she always looks her best when wearing simple, tailored outfits. Regardless of the turmoil she’s experienced in private in recent months, she Kate is the ultimate swan of The Firm.
None of that is noticeable on the surface. Her red Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen pantsuit, in Welsh red (natch), Crepe Leaf, was inspired by a trip Burton and her team took to Wales in 2020, where they discovered the traditional red houses of Wales. She’s bold, strong-shouldered, and definitely not Butlins. It’s no surprise that other European royals, like Grand Duchess Maria Theresa of Luxembourg, have one.
Paired with chunky Art Deco costume jewelry from small independent label Chalk, this makes for textbook dressing: smart, modern, understated. He’s worn these £70 earrings before, but they didn’t look quite as flashy. There are no prisoners here. The Gianvito Rossi pumps with their 10 cm heel are red. Miu Miu’s bow-embellished suede evening bag is red. This is Kate’s color. It’s also Meghan, one of the few things they seem to share and while they generally avoid wearing each other’s designs, colors can’t be monopolized so easily – just ask Valentino or Christian Louboutin who over the years have had they fight in court to keep their particular brands of red to themselves.
Look: Princess highlights ‘critical importance’ of early years
Dressing for these kinds of occasions (technically not red carpet, but not exactly casual, either) can be a sartorial challenge to navigate, especially for a royal who needs to shine, but at the same time wants to look increasingly contemporary and not rigidly on top.
The Princess of Wales began wearing pantsuits publicly during the pandemic. The first was a pink one from M&S which struck the right chords with the video conferencing mood at the time, she has made them her own.
During the Wales trip to promote the Earth Shot award in Boston last November, he wore Roland Mouret and McQueen pantsuits. But this is the first time she has worn such a daring one for a formal evening.
The asymmetrical cut of the jacket and bootcut pants suggest that the more she digs into the subject of early childhood, the more confident she feels. On social media, the consensus is that she looks like a real boss. She has not only found the color of it, but also the cause of it.
