All the Hidden Meanings Behind Kate Middleton’s Royal Tour Outfits
We always love to see what Kate Middleton wears when she travels. Her schedule is packed with events that call for her signature polished looks, sometimes three in a day. Her trip to Poland and Germany with the whole family was no different. The Duchess of Cambridge showed off her style in a mix of British, Polish, and German designers for the diplomatic trip. In addition to a little more fashion risk taking, many of her looks have subtle symbolism and hidden meanings as well. Let’s explore her stylish week abroad!
1. Arriving in Poland in Alexander McQueen: It’s no accident the family (well, besides Prince George, who had pops of red in his patterned shirt) coordinated in red and white looks. The Polish flag and national colors are red and white, and Middleton’s beautiful jewelry and red clutch, Charlotte’s Dress, and Prince William’s tie are all nods to the national hue.
2. A Cocktail Party Honoring Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday in Gosia Baczyńska: Continuing her summer 2017 staple of the LWD, Middleton wore an architectural look by Polish designer Gosia Baczyńska. We don’t often see her in edgy designs (or low necklines!), but here she wears the sign of respect to the host country well.
3. A Day Touring Polish Sights Near Gdansk in Erdem Separates: This day’s agenda mixed solemn visits, like a tour of Sutthof concentration camp, and lighter activities like a liquor tasting. Middleton wore one of her favorite British designers while carrying a clutch by Polish designer Etui, and not for the first time. If you look closely and catch a glimpse of The Duchess’s necklace, you’ll see it’s made of Baltic amber, a material that makes up a big portion of business in the city they were visiting, Gdansk.
4. The Catherine Walker Blue Dress for the Royal Family’s Germany Arrival: Middleton sported another British designer in a symbolic and pretty blue hue. Now for a little history! Before Germany was the country it is today, it was made up of many kingdoms; one of them was Prussia. This blue color was a pigment developed in Berlin in the early 1700s, at the time called Berlin Blue or Prussian Blue. It soon became the color of the Prussian and other German territory Army uniforms, all the way up until WWI. You might know the color better as cornflower blue, which also has German historical significance. The cornflower is the national flower of Germany. The story goes that Queen Louisa of Prussia fled Berlin when Napoleon came to occupy the territory. She hid her children in a field of cornflowers to save them, so it seems appropriate that Prince William and the kids are also dressed in this color. Depending on who you ask, people might say the blue is royal blue, a color with decidedly British roots. We’ll referee and say it’s both.
5. German Celebration for Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday in a Red Alexander McQueen Dress: Middleton made another rare fashion move here and wore a very of-the-moment off-the-shoulder silhouette. She paid tribute to Germany here both in the color — it’s one of the three colors of the German flag — and in its design. The Alexander McQueen dress is British designed but resembles elements of the traditional Bavarian dirndl in its detailing. It’s a subtle nod to the heritage of the host country.
6. A Day Full of Activities in a Yellow Jenny Packham Look: The Duchess wore one of her British favorites for a day seeing sights all around Heidelberg that included visiting a lab, then heading off to pretzel and candy making. Again, it’s no accident that she’s sporting one of the colors of the German flag in this custom look. Although she covered up the dress with a lab coat and apron at times, the marigold color managed to shine through.
7. A Boat Race in Hugo Boss: Even in this casual look, Middleton manages a subtle nod to Germany by wearing Hugo Boss, one of the country’s most famous fashion names.
8. A Creative Industries Reception in Markus Lupfer: Here, Middleton continues to wear more trend-forward cocktail looks, and she’s doing it in a London-based designer who was born in Germany. The look, that has since sold out (big surprise), features an artsy print that is perfect for this reception celebrating creative professionals.
9. Visiting Hamburg and Saying Goodbye to Germany in a Lavender Emilia Wickstead Outfit: The red clutch by British designer Anya Hindmarch is possibly another nod to the German flag. Middleton’s purple dress by the New Zealand-born, London-based designer is thought to be a softer mirror to her husband’s “royal” purple tie. Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents in coordinating outfits to check out some aircrafts and have a family sendoff to the country.
Now, the family is headed back to the UK to celebrate Prince George’s fourth birthday. In the meantime, we can’t wait to see what the Duchess of Cambridge wears next!
Did you love Kate Middleton’s traveling looks? Tell us which was your fave @BritandCo!
(Photos via Michael Ukas, Robin Utrecht, Sean Gallup, Thomas Niedermueller, Bruce Adams, Arthur Edwards, Chris Jackson, Julian Simmonds/Getty)
