When the Princess of Wales, 43, visited a prison’s mothers and babies unit on Feb. 11, she wore an outfit that appeared, at first glance, to be a rewear of a distinctive look she wore exactly four weeks ago. While the colors were identical and the bespoke tartan Blaze Milano coat the same, on closer inspection, the outfit she wore to the prison was subtly different from the look she wore at the Royal Marsden Hospital on Jan. 14.
Wearing a chocolate brown knitted skirt from Sezane with a dark burgundy turtleneck, Kate accessorized the look with a pair of brown suede slouchy boots from Gianvito Rossi and vintage gold and pearl earrings. The Naelle skirt (currently on sale) is the same one she wore in cream on a visit to Nottingham in 2023.
The look is one of many that the royal has worn so far this year which seem to reflect a less-is-more attitude when it comes to her styling choices. Gone are the vibrant pantsuits we saw back in 2023 — instead, the Princess of Wales has kicked off 2025 with a trio of brown and black outfits, often removing her statement sapphire engagement ring and replacing it with a stack of eternity bands.
“This is the first time I have seen her dress in this way,” Petar Petrov, the designer of the brown blazer Kate wore to the National Portrait Gallery on Feb. 4, tells PEOPLE. “I appreciate it because it feels like she is a real person, and that’s appealing. She looks modern and fresh!”
Under the brown blazer, she wore a black turtleneck sweater with pinstripe smart trousers from Maxmara, a much more understated look for the royal.
“A similar thing happened with Gwyneth Paltrow when she became known for this ‘quiet luxury,’ ” says the Ukranian-born designer. “Sometimes when you don’t try so hard to look important, people react more because it’s effortless but in such a surprising way, and then it goes viral.”
The recycled plaid coat and lookalike outfit on Feb. 11 came hours after Kensington Palace released a rare statement clarifying that comments in a Feb. 1 Sunday Times article — which claimed that there was concern about Kate’s style overshadowing her charity work — were from a palace spokesperson rather than the Princess of Wales. The same article stated that the palace would no longer be releasing details of Kate’s day-to-day engagements.
“I think there will always be people talking about her clothes, whether she likes it or not because she has such good taste, people look to her for inspiration,” says Petrov, who experienced the famous “Kate Effect” when the blazer sold out within 24 hours of the royal wearing it, only for it to be re-stocked and sell out again 48 hours later.
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It’s a sentiment shared by Susan Kelley, the founder of the first-ever style blog dedicated to Kate’s clothing choices.
“It’s understandable that the Princess would like the emphasis to be on her work and not her fashion, and that’s a conundrum many women face, especially women in high-profile positions,” Kelley tells PEOPLE.
While the Princess of Wales has always been a fan of rewears and even upcycles some of her red carpet outfits (most noticeably at the BAFTAS, which neither Kate nor Prince William will be attending on Sunday), it’s not often that Kate repeats a coat or any item of clothing within the same four-week period.
The bespoke double-breasted tailored coat was first spotted on Christmas Day in 2021. Known for their classic but contemporary designs with a hint of glamour, Blaze Milano was founded by designers Corrada Rodriguez d’Acri, Delfina Pinardi and Maria Sole Torlonia in 2013 and are worn by many Hollywood actresses such as Julianne Moore and Jessica Chastain.
Despite the recent controversy and backlash over the palace’s comments, Kelley says she has no sense of concern from the style blogging community, all of whom regularly identify Princess Kate’s outfits independently, without any assistance from the palace.
“The reality is that people have an interest in the Princess’ style, and that is not something Kensington Palace or anyone else can control,” she says. “People are going to seek out the information by various means.”
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