Kate Middleton is No Stranger to Rewearing Looks on the Red Carpet

Although repeating an outfit today is almost illegal, Kate Middleton broke the unofficial rule by wearing the same dress to this years British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTA’s. Showing up looking stunning in a gown she previously wore back in 2019. This is not the first time that the royal has worn the same outfit twice, however, she does accessorize differently to change up the look. 

Photo: Samir Hussein via Glamour

The dress in question is a white Alexander McQueen, one-shoulder gown created by Kate’s wedding dress designer, Sarah Burton. Kate originally wore this dress in 2019 to the BAFTA’s styled with a floral shoulder strap, diamond bracelet, white clutch, and diamond-studded heels. This time around she styled it the with long black opera gloves, statement gold and floral earrings, a black clutch, and gold Jimmy Choo’s. Kate’s gold earrings, which cost around 30 pounds, became the talk of the town as they immediately sold out from Zara’s platform after the royal wore them.

Photo: Chris Jackson via Glamour

The secret behind the princess’s outfit recycling is all in the details; shoes, jewels, hairs style and accessories! Plus, she will use the same piece with at least a year in between wears so that she can re-wear it while still showing off the rest of her wardrobe. 

Photo: Chris Jackson, Ben Pruchnie via Insider

One of Kate’s passions is sustainability. Supporting and wearing brands that prioritize sustainable material use, pay fair wages and support meaningful causes. (Except the Zara earrings which are fats fashion) While it is not thought of much, re-wearing outfits is also a big part of sustainability because it cuts off the cycle of buying something new, wearing it a few times, and then throwing it away. The fashion industry is known for being one of the biggest waste producers, so every little action counts.

Kate’s fearlessness with wearing the same outfits not only twice but sometimes more than two or three times is very admirable. This is something that is not done very often in general, especially on red carpets. Most celebrities want something new and exciting each time they step onto a red carpet, which is fair to keep the audience intrigued, but Kate is a reminder that it is okay to wear clothes over and over again and be publicly seen in them more than once.