For many, the Princess of Wales is a style muse, but when it comes to what keeps Prince William‘s wife inspired, it seems the royal takes cues from a woman who also became a pro at navigating the spotlight.
A decade on, we’re taking a look back at Kate’s style highlights from 2016, and it seems Jackie O (AKA Jacqueline Kennedy, the late wife of the former US president John Fitzgerald Kennedy) sparked an outfit idea or two.
Kate, now 44, made the 1960s-style mini dress her ‘thing’ in 2016, stepping out in October at the Mauritshuis in the Netherlands to view the ‘At Home in Holland: Vermeer and his Contemporaries from the British Royal Collection’ exhibition.
Kate’s 1960s mini dress inspired by Jackie O
She wore a pale blue Catherine Walker suit featuring a belted waist, collared neckline and oversized buttons running down the bodice. Styled with a vintage updo, Kate’s look felt very Jackie O. It’s no coincidence that Kate took fashion cues from the late First Lady in 2016, says fashion stylist Leanne Jones.
“The year 2016 saw a real Jackie O resurgence, sparked in part by the release of the former first lady’s biopic that year,” Leanne highlights of the film Jackie starring Natalie Portman in the titular role.
© Bettmann Archive“Suddenly, the hallmarks of 1960s style – clean collars, pillbox hats, sharply structured dresses and oversized sunglasses – were everywhere, and Princess Kate clearly embraced the influence.
© Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images“There’s a real sense of nostalgia in these looks, but also a confidence in how Kate made them her own,” the stylist adds. “It felt like something of a turning point in her style. Having welcomed her first two children, she appeared to step forward with a renewed sense of identity, refining her wardrobe into something more defined and self-assured.”
How does Kate modernise a 1960s aesthetic?
What interests Leanne is how Kate takes the classic Jackie O inspiration and modernises it. “You see it in moments like the Heads Together launch, where the print nods to the 60s, but the softer, more fluid skirt brings a contemporary ease to the look.
© Getty Images“Meanwhile, Kate’s look from her visit to the Mauritshuis in The Hague is beautifully structured and cinched at the waist; paired with her signature nude pumps of the time the whole colour scheme perfectly complemented Kate’s ‘summer’ palette.
“The elegant pearl earrings deserve a special mention as Jackie famously once said, ‘Pearls are always appropriate’. It seems Kate took note of that sentiment.”
© Getty ImagesKate’s look from her outing in the Netherlands isn’t her only Jackie O-inspired look from 2016. Keep scrolling to see our top picks…
Kate takes us back to the 1960s
© Corbis via Getty ImagesAt the Heads Together launch
The Heads Together launch event from May 2016, Leanne mentions saw Kate team a geometric print Banana Republic skirt, which looked straight out of the 60s, with a modern white blouse by Goat Fashion while stepping out at London’s Olympic Park.
© Getty ImagesIn France
Kate made an occasion-appropriate fashion choice with her Sophie Hallette midi dress during the Commemoration of the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Thiepval Memorial in France in July 2016.
Jackie O was a fan of statement headwear, but Kate’s choice was a more modern netted pillbox style.
© GettyIn Canada
On 24 September, day one of her and William’s royal tour of Canada, Kate took inspiration from Jackie’s penchant for a colour-block moment.
The princess opted for the navy blue outfit by Jenny Packham with a collar and a bold hat as she stopped to pose for a photo with the country’s then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his then-wife, Sophie.
© David M. BenettOn the red carpet
Kate incorporated the geometric shapes made popular in the 1960s in a subtle way while attending the UK premiere of A Street Cat Named Bob in aid of Action on Addiction at The Curzon Mayfair on 3 November.
Her white Self-Portrait gown featured the midcentury shapes cut into the bodice fabric but was modernised with a floaty leg-split skirt.
Read the full article here
