On Monday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge set off on a three-day Royal Train Tour, starting at Euston Station in London and ending in Windsor. Before boarding, the couple posed for a photo opp, which showed the Duchess wearing one of her favorite winter coats: a long, emerald green number by Alexander McQueen that she first debuted in January while at an event in Bradford. But that’s not even the best part. Since their train took off earlier today, Kate Middleton’s worn not one, but two other coats — both of which she also recycled from previous outings. And the trip’s only just begun.
“The Duke and Duchess are off,” reads a caption posted by the official Kensington Palace Instagram account. “This evening, The Duke and Duchess departed on the Royal Train Tour to pay tribute to the inspiring work of those who have gone above and beyond to support communities across England, Scotland, and Wales,” the caption continued. “We hope you can join us here, in thanking these amazing individuals and organizations along the way, in what has been a challenging year for the nation.”
Upon their arrival in Edinburgh, Middleton revealed her second coat of the tour: a bespoke Catherine Walker coat in a very royal shade of blue. This piece, too, has appeared in the past, with the Duchess having worn it in 2018 during a trip to Norway. From there, the couple returned to northern England, where Middleton had her third outfit change of the day. Keeping it in the blue family, she chose a navy blue, Hobbs double-breasted coat with bronze buttons.
If we are to go by the last three appearances, Middleton will debut a new, covetable coat for us to swoon over as the Royal Train Tour continues. With that in mind, we’re rounding them all up in the slideshow ahead.
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Hobbs Navy Blue Coat
Following their trip to Scotland, the couple returned to England, where Middleton traded in her Catherine Walker coat for a navy blue one by Hobbs. She paired the coat, which she first wore in February during a trip to Wales according to The Daily Mail, with a cognac-colored clutch, navy blue gloves, and an off-white sweater. Photo: Danny Lawson/AFP/Getty Images.
Catherine Walker Blue Coat
For their stop in Edinburgh occasion, Middleton paired her Catherine Walker outer layer with knee-high, suede boots and a Strathberry clutch that just so happens to be available for pre-order. Photo: Andy Barr/AFP/Getty Images.
Alexander McQueen Green Coat
While at Euston Station, Middleton wore an emerald green Alexander McQueen coat with a micro floral face mask — her go-to — and a tartan, wool scarf. The latter, which appears to be from York Scarves on Etsy, is sold out, though there’s a similar option that’s still up for grabs.Photo: Chris Jackson/AFP/Getty Images.
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On Sunday, host Vanessa Hudgens (in Versace), Wonder Woman 1984’s Gal Gadot (in Louis Vuitton), and more celebrities got dressed up for the 2020 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The annual event — which, this year, celebrated the greatest TV and film moments of all time — took place without its usual star-studded crowd. (Only Hudgens and her fellow presenters attended the ceremony in-person.) Still, Emily In Paris star Lily Collins wowed with her look for the night.
There to present Jason Segel and Kristen Bell with the award for “Most Heartbreaking Break-Up” for Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Collins wore a black, latex dress courtesy of Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. The fitted dress, which was plucked off the Parisian brand’s fall ‘20 runway, featured bra-like details and silver, metal accents. She paired the dress with lace-up, black heels, also by Saint Laurent, and a slicked-back ponytail. All in all, it was a sexier, more daring take on the black formal looks Emily Copper wore while galavanting through the French capital on the Netflix show.
Among her many bold Emily In Paris outfits — which included items like a pink Dior newsboy cap and a Kermit-green Chanel jacket — the fictional expat also showed off a taste for little black dresses. In episode two of the series, Emily paired an Alexandre Vauthier bustier with a black, tulle skirt. Later in the season, for a night at the opera, Emily chose an off-the-shoulder, black dress by Christian Siriano.
“When [the show’s costume designer] Patricia Field called and told me she needed an amazing dress for Lily for a show being filmed in Paris, immediately, I was like ‘I got it,’” Siriano told Refinery29 earlier this month, explaining that the dress was a homage to Audrey Hepburn. “It was sexy, but covered, and still playful because of the shape.”
If you ask us, between her tulle-covered Christian Siriano frock and this skin-tight Saint Laurent body-con, there isn’t an LBD in the world that isn’t perfect for Emily Collins.
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On Thursday, Ivanka Trump hit up one of her usual haunts, the Oval Office, to witness the signing of a new technology bill. As the Trump family does little without the presence of a camera, Ivanka posed ever so stiffly for a photo that invited immediate comparisons to another authoritarian regime. She wore a teal pussy-bow dress in the same shade and silhouette as those worn by the wives of commanders in Gilead, the fictional dystopian version of the United States that exists in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel of the same name.
Soon after Ivanka posted the photo on her personal Instagram, Diet Prada followed suit, though the notorious fashion canceller didn’t stop at just that one photo. They added a selection of comparison images that portrayed just how eerily close in style and color Ivanka’s dress was to those worn by the show’s star wife Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski). Diet Prada even went as far as to describe the shade as “Gilead blue.”
The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a zealously conservative and religious regime where powerful men called commanders control everything: women, reproduction, the food supply, thought, capital punishment, religion, and more. Commanders are assigned handmaids to bear their children; they rarely reproduce with their wives due to infertility (which is always blamed on the woman). Handmaids, clad in fiery red, represent sinful carnality and impersonal breeding vessels, who bring children into the world through ritualized rape ceremonies. Serena Joy is married to Commander Waterford (Joseph Fiennes), one of the most prominent leaders in Gilead. She wields his status like a weapon, especially because she also had a hand in crafting the regime. Serena Joy was once a well-regarded public speaker. Now, she’s relegated to the domestic sphere, cooing over other wives’ babies as she yearns for her own.
It’s debatable whether Serena Joy has truly realized the error of her — and Gilead’s — ways in later seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, but she’s curried far more viewers’ favor than Ivanka has in the real world. “Unlike The Handmaid’s Tale, there are no writers that can offer Ivanka a redemption arc like they gave Serena Joy, the anti-feminist First Lady of Gilead who came to represent cowardice and complicity,” Diet Prada captioned the Instagram slideshow.
Unfortunately, while the similarities between the two dresses are certainly apparent to anyone who’s watched the show, it’s unlikely that Ivanka gave the outfit a second thought. According to Footwear News, this isn’t even the first time she’s worn the long-sleeved, ankle-length dress. She first debuted it in September at an election event in Pennsylvania. Though the First Daughter and apple of her dad’s eye probably wasn’t trying to conjure thoughts of Gilead, we’ll accept Diet Prada’s comparisons. The damage her father has done during his administration is a chilling reminder of Gilead’s controlling regime. But, blessed be the fruit, Trump’s reign will be over in a month, and we will no longer be under his eye.
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At this point, it shouldn't surprise you that dad trends are on the rise. Last year, we saw Hawaiian shirts, chunky sneakers, and Bermuda shorts — all of which were previously considered "lame" — make an appearance on the runways at fashion week and the street style parade outside. But the trend didn't stop there. The latest dad-inspired silhouette to get the style treatment? Sweater vests.
From Louis Vuitton and Coach to Tory Burch and The Row, so many designers are embracing the sweater vest this season. And the 2020 iteration doesn’t look anything like the ones stored in your dad's closet. The new sweater vest ranges from edgy to dainty, cropped to oversize; there’s really no end to the colors, fits, and styles you can choose from. So while you run the risk of showing up to dinner in the same look as your middle-aged father, at least you'll be doing so in style.
Ahead, see how designers incorporated sweater vests into their spring '21 collections and shop our favorite options that are available now.
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Louis Vuitton
Paired with baggy trousers, a collared shirt, and a big belt, this sweater vest is the perfect stolen-from-dad ensemble, except unlike your father's look, it has Nicolas Ghesquière's stamp of approval. Photo: Peter White/Getty Images.
Dries Van Noten Intarsia Merino Wool Tank, $, available at Net-A-Porter
FP Beach Donna Sweater Vest, $, available at Free People
Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen can do no wrong, so when they say sweater vests are cool, they mean it. Pair yours with extra slouchy jeans or slacks for a comfy, chic look that's perfect for your next Zoom meeting.Photo Courtesy of The Row.
Acne Studios Ribbed Knit Vest, $, available at Acne Studios
The Series NY Granny Tank Custom, $, available at The Series NY
Coach
When stealing a look from dad, you might as well go full send by pairing your favorite kitschy sweater vest with a trench coat and Birkenstocks à la Coach.
Daisy Street Oversized Sweater Vest, $, available at ASOS
