Since her inaugural appearance in 2016, she’s been seen annually wearing elegant dresses, eye-catching hats and heirloom jewellery. For this year’s event, she stepped out in her boldest Ascot look to date with a vivid red dress by Alexander McQueen.
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1. White lace Dolce & Gabbana dress, 2016
For her first Royal Ascot appearance, she wore an A-line dress by the Italian luxury label, which had a high neckline, long sleeves and a full skirt, with nude pumps by Gianvito Rossi, a woven clutch bag by LK Bennett and pearl drop earrings.
She previously wore the dress – which cost US$4,383, according to a 2016 Vanity Fair report – just a month earlier, at the Windsor Horse Race, where she paired it with a red coat from Zara.
For her hat – a Royal Ascot must – she wore a gold-hued number with a large cream rose. It was designed by one of her favourite milliners, Jane Taylor.
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2. Alexander McQueen dress with Queen Elizabeth’s earrings, 2017
The following year, she wore a similar white dress – this time by Alexander McQueen – that fell just below her knee – as royal protocol dictates.“This year Kate made a return appearance, and … if you thought you were in fact looking at a picture of her at last year’s Royal Ascot, it would be understandable,” wrote Vanity Fair’s Josh Duboff in 2017, despite also noting that the latest dress had a higher neckline.
She accessorised the dress – which had a lace overlay reminiscent of her wedding gown – with suede nude Gianvito Rossi pumps and a Loeffler Randall clutch.
Her custom white hat was also similar to the 2016 design, although it had additional, delicate floral embellishments.
She also wore earrings reportedly borrowed from Queen Elizabeth.
3. Sky-blue Elie Saab dress with velvet polka dots, 2019
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The sky-blue dress features velvet polka dots, sheer sleeves and a large bow detail. She finished the look with a hat by royal favourite Philip Treacy.
Her topaz and diamond earrings were by Kiki McDonough.
4. Polka dot dress by Alessandra Rich, 2022
Beyond the polka dots, her 2022 outfit shared other elements with her 2019 look, from the cuff sleeves and fitted waist to the high neckline. This midi-length dress also had a pleated design across the chest.
She paired it with brown pumps and a brown clutch.
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She also wore a saucer-style hat by Sally-Ann Provan and a pair of diamond and pearl earrings that had once belonged to Princess Diana.
Her brown hat was designed by Sally-Ann Provan – another favourite milliner of the royals, and it featured white orchid embellishments.
5. A bold red dress by Alexander McQueen, 2023
Middleton returned to the races earlier this month in a dress featured a V-neckline, a belted waist and long sleeves with a slight puff. She wore coordinating red heels by Jennifer Chamandi.
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Her coordinating hat by Philip Treacy featured large flowers, keeping with her floral-hat theme, and she finished the look with a pair of black and gold earrings by Sézane – a departure from the heirloom jewellery she’s worn to the event in the past.
This article originally appeared on Insider.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tK%2FMqWWcp51kuqKzwLOgp52jZMC1xcueZpydnJqvs7XTsmaaqqSesK2xjmxpa25kaINwgYytoKado2K4osDEZqSinJShsrW7zWapqJubmrFuvsSgmKVllpbAqbXOp2Srp6mWuW6t0pymrWWgp7avr8SsqmavkaGytL%2BMm5ysrF2hvLC30maqrZmip7avs4ydnKyhl6Oysw%3D%3D