What girl wouldn’t want to be Kate Middleton? Besides the fact that she’s tall, gorgeous, and has impeccable style…she will one day have the title every little girl dreams of, a princess. Even though right now she is just the Duchess of Cambridge, she seems to already be ruling not only England but many parts of the world—through her amazing fashion sense that is. Although Kate is known to wear (somewhat) affordable clothing from stores such as Reiss, it’s inevitable that her wardrobe cost a little lot more than most.
Earlier this month, Kate took her royal tour to Canada with her husband Prince William. It seemed as though this was not only a tour but also an opportunity for Kate to make just about every female in the world envy her effortless style.
Kate first stepped off the plane in this Erdem Moralioglu navy lace shift dress and nude heels. It may seem a little fancy for travel-wear but hey, if you’re a princess you can do what you want. She accompanied the dress with matching blue earrings and a nude clutch to match her heels. To steal Kate’s elegant but simple look, I paired a similar navy dress by Jane Norman for only $64. This lace dress may be a little more risqué than Kate’s, but that is one perk to not being a princess! With the dress I paired similar nude heels costing $120 (the only splurge on this outfit) and a matching nude clutch ($19) to imitate Kate’s look. The outfit is then finished off with $50 simple sapphire studs to bring out the blue in the dress. This whole outfit cost a total of $252.
Later, for an evening concert Kate wore a purple silk Issa dress (a favorite designer of Kate’s). Her dress was adorned with a crystal brooch in the shape of a maple leaf in honor of Canada. She finished off the outfit with modest black heels and small black clutch. To recreate Kate’s look, this indigo dress by Isabella Oliver ($125) captures the same feel as the Issa dress with the draping technique used. In order for it to be a little more practical, I ornamented the dress with a $24 crystal brooch in a more traditional shape. Like Kate, the dress is paired with simple drop earrings ($48) that match the brooch and finished off with understated $90 black heels that go with the clutch ($88). The total cost of this outfit is $375. That price may sound expensive however even though I couldn’t find the cost of Kate’s exact Issa dress online, every Issa dress I did see cost more than $500.
On her trip Kate opted for a more casual look when taking a boat ride to an island. Kate wore a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and brown belt paired with a khaki colored top. She also wore a pair of completely affordable Sebago boat shoes, which I’ve paired with the less expensive outfit (only $80 to have the same shoes as a soon to be princess!). The boat shoes are worn with $90 skinny jeans by Cheap Monday with a classic brown belt for $52. I paired the jeans with a $90 top by House of Fraser that features the same laid back look and style with the front pockets. To finish off the outfit is a pair of plain brown oval earrings for $20. The entire look cost a total of $332.
The couple then took a flight out of Yellowknife airport and Kate was seen wearing the same jeans and belt as the day before (doesn’t it make you feel good to know that princesses repeat outfits too?). To make this outfit a little dressier than the previous day, she added a ruffle blouse and classic blue blazer. She completed the outfit with a pair of black sling back wedges. Since Kate repeated, I also paired the same jeans ($90) with the same belt ($52). On top is a silk ruffle blouse for $89 and the only splurge of the outfit is the blazer for $140. The good thing about the blazer though is that you can repeat it many times in various ways so your money isn’t going to waste; or you can forget the blazer all together and still have a polished look. And last but not least are the black wedges from Zara costing $50. All in all, this outfit is so uncomplicated but sets off a loud yet classy statement costing a total of $421 ($281 without the blazer).
Unfortunately, we can’t all live the life of royalty however; we can dress like we are!
Just remember, when spending money on anything (not only looks for less) ask yourself if you will ever wear it again, that is the ultimate way of spending less. And as we saw the duchess herself do it, it is okay to repeat clothes! So mix and match, find good deals, and remember you don’t have to be royal to look like a princess.
You can find the exact products with shopping links from
my Polyvore pictures.
Credits:
Outfit 1, 3 & 4 pictures of Kate Middleton: mirror.co.uk
Outfit 2 picture of Kate Middleton: people.com
Outfit 1: Dress- janenorman.co.uk, Shoes- houseoffraser.co.uk Bag- Debenhams.com, Earrings- fantasyjewelrybox.com
Outfit 2: Dress- Isabella Oliver, Shoes- Steve Madden, Bag- Tasha via Nordstrom, Brooch- Debenhams.com, Earrings- charmandchain.com
Outfit 3: Blouse- houseoffraser.co.uk, Jeans- Cheap Monday via generalpants.com.au, Earrings- houseoffraser.co.uk, Belt- Day by Birger et Mikkelsen via boutique1.com, Shoes- Sebago via Sebago.com
Outfit 4: Blouse- oasis-stores.com, Blazer- welikefashion.com, Jeans- Cheap Monday via generalpants.com.au, Shoes- Zara via zara.com, Belt- Day by Birger et Mikkelsen via boutique1.com
