Kate Middleton dazzles in yellow during Caribbean tour
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Considering they’re related, it’s no surprise Kate Middleton and her sister Pippa share a similar style and love of clothes. Image coach and personal stylist Melissa Lund spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about their individual looks and who nudges into the lead when it comes to fashion.
Melissa exclusively told Express.co.uk: “Kate and Pippa are both classic dressers. I’d say that Pippa’s style often appears sportier while Kate’s is more dramatic.
“Having said that, Kate loves sport and both sisters can switch it up when they want to, with Pippa looking casually glam at events such as Wimbledon and Kate looking sporty when it’s appropriate.”
Their style was influenced by none other than mother Carole Middleton, who always looks elegant accompanying her daughters at royal engagements, the expert said.
Melissa continued: “But when it comes to evening looks, there’s an element of old-school Hollywood glamour in Kate’s choices and it suits her well,” referencing the iconic Jenny Packham gold cape dress she wore to the No Time to Die premiere.
But what does the style expert think Kate and Pippa could do to ramp it up in the style stakes?
“There are quite a few areas in which both sisters could improve their style; however, I don’t want to say anything controversial!”
Her tips included dressing for their body shape, balancing their proportions and choosing the right neckline – avoiding high necklines “as these don’t suit either woman”.
She continued: “Make sure the fit of their clothes is perfect – sleeve length and hem lengths have to be right or it looks like they’ve borrowed the item!
“Both sisters have strong colouring so they look good in stronger colours rather than anything wishy-washy, i.e. sapphire blue rather than blush pink.”
Finally, with a world of shoes at their fingertips, Kate and Pippa could be more “adventurous”.
Melissa said: “Often you’ll see both Kate and Pippa wearing a version of a black suede court shoe which ruins the rest of the outfit.”
Of the two sisters, Kate’s style evolution has perhaps been the most significant, with the Duchess “becoming more fashion forward of late”.
“As she’s grown into her role, she has become more confident and is not afraid to make some bold choices.
“We’ve seen her swapping her skinny trousers for high waist, wide leg styles and she makes an effort to reflect current trends in subtle ways with fabric, colour and pattern choices.”
While royal women are typically seen sporting traditional high heeled closed toe pumps, Kate has been “a little more adventurous with her shoes”, partial to a block heel, wedge or sandal.
Most recently, on her royal Caribbean tour, Kate made headlines when she wore her £350 Stella McCartney Hestia Espadrille shoes with a gold anklet attached.
It is unsurprising that on occasion the two fashion-forward sisters choose the same – or similar – pieces from time to time.
Melissa remarked: “Kate wore a blush Alexander McQueen to Pippa’s wedding and Pippa wore a similar dress style by Alexandra Rich to Prince Louis’ christening.”
Aside from the small detail that Kate’s dress had a V-neck whilst Pippa’s had a collar, both dresses were “essentially the same shape”.
Just like sisters in a non-royal setting, it seems that the pair take style inspiration from each other.
“Pippa was spotted wearing coral coloured skinnies and a while later, a similar pair appeared on Kate.
“Kate’s engagement dress – a sapphire blue silk wrap dress by Issa – was spotted on Pippa in a gorgeous red.”
But who wore it better?
While it’s a “difficult question to answer”, for the style expert, “Kate just nudges ahead of Pippa most times because she looks more polished”.
But it’s important to note that this polished look may be more out of necessity than personal style.
“Pippa is definitely able to be freer with her clothing than Kate.
“Kate’s royal role has a fair amount of protocol attached to it and she’s not only in the public eye, she’s on the world stage.”
While Pippa is of course in the limelight, “everything” Kate wears is “scrutinised intensely and it has to function correctly”.
Melissa concluded: “She can’t afford any wardrobe malfunctions or to offend anyone with her wardrobe choices”.
This suggests that a lot of thought goes into the construction of Kate’s outfits and while her ensembles may look effortless, they are far from it.
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