Last night, Kate Middleton made her third public appearance in her official role as Duchess of Cambridge, since returning from maternity leave, at London's iconic Victoria and Albert Museum.
As the museum's patron, the 37-year-old was bestowed with the honour of opening the site's new photography centre as a result of her passion for art and taking pictures (remember those adorable snaps of Prince Louis?)
For the occasion, Kate wore an Iman off-the-shoulder embellished bouclé-tweed midi dress by Erdem with a burgundy belt.
Read Next
The look might as well have been lifted from her sister-in-law Meghan Markle's wardrobe, given the similar shoulder detailing to the duchess of Sussex's peach-hued Carolina Herrera number at the Trooping The Colour earlier this year.
Middleton teamed with look with a pair of Erdem hoop-drop earrings worth £290 and a pair of Jimmy Choo Romy heels in Bordeaux velvet which cost £650.
BUY NOW Erdem Iman off-the-shoulder embellished bouclé-tweed midi dress, £1,395
BUY NOW Erdem Floral Hoop Drop Earring, £290
BUY NOW Romy 60 Bordeaux Velvet Pointy Toe Pumps, £650
Erdem has long been a favourite British designer for the royals, with Middleton choosing to wear the brand on several overseas tours last year, as well as Princess Eugenie, who wore a a floral dress with a pleated skirt by the fashion house in her engagement photos.
Tweed Dresses For Winter
However, it appears Kate's latest Erdem look took inspiration specifically from the Queen.
PEOPLE reports that the SS18 collection that Kate’s dress came from was inspired by the Monarch's 1958 meeting with American jazz pianist Duke Ellington.
'Her father [King George VI] had been a huge fan of his music, and when they met, he was so enamoured with her that he wrote a piece of music called "The Queen’s Suite",' designer Erdem Moralioglu said following a London fashion week show last year, according to The Telegraph.
'Thinking about The Cotton Club, and Harlem, and Dorothy Dandridge, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday,' he added. 'What if she went to New York, and what if Dorothy Dandridge ended up in Buckingham Palace?'
Erdem reportedly found inspiration for his designs by researching the Queen's clothes at Windsor Caste, under the guidance of Caroline de Guitaut, the senior curator of decorative arts of the Royal Collection.
A quick look at the Erdem collection and you'll see an array of reimagined floral dresses, brocade coats, ribbons, and ruffles.
During the evening, Middleton enjoyed a tour of the V&A's inaugural exhibition, 'Collecting Photography: From Daguerreotype To Digital' which is an exploration of photography from the 19th century to the present day, drawing from the centre's collection of over 800,000 photographs.
Kate met with several curators who worked on the project, and later unveiled a plaque to mark the centre's official opening. The new centre will have more than double the space in the museum dedicated to photography.
In the morning, Kate was joined by her husband Prince William at the first Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit - which is an initiative to help improve mental health around the world.
The mother-of-three wore a stunning lilac dress any Emilie Wickstead for the event, which she recycled from her royal tour of Berlin and Hamburg in 2017.
Kate Middleton's Style File - Every One Of Her Most Stylish Looks
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
