Business travel as the Duchess of Cambridge isn’t exactly the easiest gig to pack for. The 34-year-old mother of two has to be sartorially prepared for both black-tie receptions as well as more active pursuits like archery lessons and hours-long hikes—sometimes just a few hours later.
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As the past royal tour of Canada wrapped up, we were inspired to take a look back at some of Duchess Kate’s best travel style in hopes of channeling some of her fashion sense on our next trips.
Kate balances designer investment pieces with affordable finds and repeats clothes and shoes—just like a normal human. While this could be considered uncouth for an international style icon, it's really only made us adore her more. She has her favorite English design houses (McQueen, Erdem, Jenny Packham) but she also takes care to honor designers from the countries to which she travels. And most evidently, she knows which styles and silhouettes work for her, relies on them as a uniform, and is able to truly stun when she takes a departure from her signature look.
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Because Kate has a way of immediately selling out everything she wears that isn’t custom-made—a.k.a. the Kate effect—we sought pieces similar to her mainstays. And to keep in line with the world’s favorite high-low style diplomat, the Duchess herself, our finds fit a range of price points. Here are the clothes and shoes Duchess Kate rarely travels without.
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During the royals’ 2011 North American Tour (pictured left and right) , Kate wore a pair of J Brand skinny jeans when visiting Yellowknife, Canada. She opted for a similar pair of dark-wash, slim-fit denim during the 2016 America's Cup World Series (center) in Portsmouth, England.
Left: J Brand Maria high-rise skinny jeans (To buy: net-a-porter.com , $228)
Center: Madewell 10" high-rise skinny jeans in hayes wash (To buy: madewell.com , $128)
Right: AEO Denim X skinny jean (To buy: ae.com , $50)
Kate the Great still manages to looks polished even when she dresses down, opting for long-sleeved, tucked-in button-ups while touring with Prince William in Canada (left) , India (center) , and Malaysia (right) .
Left: Equipment patch-pocket button down shirt (To buy: matchesfashion.com , $318)
Center: J.Crew lightweight shirt in small polka dot (To buy: jcrew.com , $50)
Right: American Eagle Outfitters utility pocket shirt (To buy: ae.com , $45)
While touring Bhutan in April 2016 , Kate wore a pair of riding boots to hike to the Tiger’s Nest monastery. Her tasseled, side-zip boots are made by Penelope Chilvers , a much sought after English footwear brand known for superb quality and iconic styles. The pair is clearly designed to last, as she’s been photographed in them as early as 2004 and they made an encore appearance—yet another reason why we love her—in Canada during a trip to the Great Bear Rainforest in Bella Bella, British Colombia.
Left: Frye Paige tall riding boot (To buy: nordstrom.com , $311)
Center: Born Poly riding boot (To buy: nordstrom.com , $180)
Right: Sam Edelman Penny riding boot (To buy: zappos.com , $150)