Kate Middleton has firmly cemented British designer label Alessandra Rich as a new fashion favorite by wearing her fourth design of the year to Wimbledon on Tuesday.
Kate, a patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club that hosts the Wimbledon Championship in London each year, attended the quarter finals men's singles matches accompanied by her husband Prince William. The pair watched as defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic played against Italian professional Jannik Sinner on the famous center court.
For the occasion, Kate wore Alessandra Rich's pleated midi dress design in a blue with a white polka dot print. The dress featured an asymmetric closure with covered buttons, three-quarter length sleeve, and box pleated skirt.
This is not the first time Kate has worn this dress, having appeared briefly at a Platinum Jubilee street party in Kensington wearing the design in June. This does mark the outfit's first formal public appearance with the royal's Wimbledon outfits garnering particular attention year on year.
With the outfit, the royal paired a white box handle bag by British luxury leather goods designer Mulberry, which she first debuted at the 2021 Wimbledon championships and has worn on a number of occasions since.
The duchess also wore a pair of slingback Alessandra Rich shoes in white leather with patent black toe boxes and simple pearl jewelry.
Kate has been a fan of Alessandra Rich's designs for a number of years, first wearing their famous navy and white polka dot midi dress with contrasting white collar multiple times—including the 70th birthday celebrations of Prince Charles at Clarence House in 2018. The same style was worn by Suits actress Abigail Spencer at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 and has since been adorned by Sarah Jessica Parker, Ivanka Trump and Christie Brinkley.
Over the following years, Alessandra Rich items have been incorporated into Kate's working wardrobe—from an emerald green ensemble during a visit to Ireland to a petal printed evening dress worn to a special pantomime performance for key workers in 2020.
2022, however, has been a year of consistent dressing in Alessandra Rich by Kate with the royal debuting more looks from the label than ever before.
The most notable first outing Kate made in the brand was during her polarizing tour of the Caribbean in March, which garnered a backlash of negative press after a series of PR blunders and calls for the royals to engage with slavery and reparations protesters.
Throughout the tour, Kate's fashion was praised—even if overshadowed by the more pertinent discussions taking place.
For the final outfit of the lengthy royal visit, Kate selected an Alessandra Rich dress with a special aesthetic link to the royal's late mother-in-law Princess Diana.
The yellow silk floral print dress with belted jacket detail closely echoed the print used in a dress worn by Diana on a visit to Australia in 1988.
The design direction taken by Alessandra Rich draws heavily on historic and vintage elements focusing mainly on the styles and silhouettes of the 1980s. The similarities between Rich's designs and Diana's wardrobe are not coincidental.
In a 2020 interview with the British magazine Tatler, the designer said: "I'm drawn to history's polite rebels, such as Princess Diana, and I want to embody that spirit in the Alessandra Rich woman."
It is then perhaps a touching tribute to Diana that her daughter-in-law should choose to patronize a fashion brand that sees her as an inspiration.
Immediately following the Caribbean tour, Kate debuted another new Alessandra Rich design—this time in the form of a black-and-white polka dot midi dress with pleated detailing which was worn to the service of thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey. The dress, combined with an oversized wide brimmed hat, saw Kate present an image of true vintage royal glamour.
The most recent debuting of an Alessandra Rich design by Kate came during Royal Ascot week in June. On the fourth day of the five-day-long horse racing event, William and Kate represented the queen as royal hosts, leading the carriage procession along the racetrack.
For that occasion, Kate wore another polka dot design, this time in a white colorway with contrasting spots. The dress, from the brand's 2019 collection, featured an asymmetric pleated bodice element, puffed sleeves, and covered button shoulder closure.
William and Kate's joint appearance at Wimbledon has become somewhat of an annual tradition with the duchess also making two joint visits to matches in 2018 and 2019 with sister-in-law Meghan Markle.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
