Divided Attention, Part III

In which Kate dresses for the job she wants

By now, Kate Middleton’s sartorial switch from coat dresses to pant suits has been well-cemented in the royal watcher’s mind. Since taking on the mantle of Princess of Wales, the pieces pulled for Kate from her covetable royal wardrobe have seemed to hammer home one key point: she means business.

This shift also renewed conversations around royal fashion in general, causing me to occasionally sound like an absolute loon as I insist that a suit, when worn by a royal, is suddenly SO MUCH MORE than just a suit.

Let’s explore where Kate started in the royal fashion game, where she’s landed 12 years later, and how we got here.

Notes on personal style

When you’re a modern royal, you become more than your own person. You become a symbol. And not just to your own subjects. You represent an entire nation, and its values, to the world.