Geri Halliwell-Horner’s white peplum dress and trendy bag was a sensational Commonwealth Day outfit that took style notes from the Princess of Wales.
Dressing for special occasions isn’t always easy but if you’re ever in doubt, look no further than the Princess of Wales. Kate always looks understatedly elegant with her choice of colours, timeless silhouettes and is known for wearing plenty of the best British clothing brands, from Alexander McQueen to Beulah London. Another of her favourite designers is Jenny Packham and former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell-Horner went for a gorgeous outfit by this brand for the 2025 Commonwealth Day service.
Geri is almost always seen wearing all-white outfits nowadays and once you’ve found what colour suits you, it’s easy to stick with it. However, this Jenny Packham Honeybee dress had contrasting black trims and a beautiful crystal embellishment on the front too.
Shop Geri's Commonwealth Day Dress
Geri Halliwell-Horner's dress is incredibly luxurious and is virtually sold out, with only a few sizes left if you're eager to invest in this sophisticated style. It has a peplum, midi length skirt and three-quarter length sleeves. The crystal embellishment at the front and stripe detailing make this even more striking.
If you love the contrast of the black and white on Geri's dress, then this shirt dress from Karen Millen is a gorgeous and slightly more affordable alternative. It has a classic design with a neat collar, long sleeves and a tie-waist belt. We'd wear this with our best white trainers to dress it down or with black boots.
Affordable and elegant, this loose-fit collared shirt dress is easy to dress up with heels and a blazer as well as to style more casually. It has a double-layered yoke at the back, patch chest pockets with a flap and button and gently dropped shoulders. The D-ring waist belt is wide and detachable.
Shop Smaller Bags
Woven bags have had a resurgence in popularity just like micro bags in recent years and this grab bag has a magnetic closure and an additional zip pouch to help keep your essentials organised. The detachable strap means you can transform this into a crossbody bag when you want to be handsfree.
Featuring a concealed magnetic fastener, a top handle and an adjustable shoulder strap with a metal buckle, this deep burgundy crossbody bag is a fun addition to any outfit. It has a curved semi-circular shape that makes it stand out and we'd wear this for evenings out as well as with jeans and jumpers during the day.
Not everyone will be a fan of burgundy outside of autumn/winter and this black mini saddle bag is a great option that will work all year round. It has gold-toned hardware, a magnetic closure and comes with two interchangeable straps so you can switch up it's look.
It’s almost sold out now and despite its rather luxurious price tag we're not surprised it’s proved so popular with its shirt dress design and peplum. The neat collar, puffed sleeves and midi length pencil skirt of Geri’s dress make it feel very modest and understated which suited the significance and formality of the Commonwealth Day service perfectly.
Everything about this dress is carefully considered and the structure of the silhouette makes it so striking, especially with the black and white colour contrast. Geri Halliwell-Horner’s outfit also comes in pink but the white version is more classic and reminds us of the Jenny Packham dress worn by the Princess of Wales to Trooping the Colour 2024.
It was her first public appearance of last year and had a similar skirt shape and stripes at the waist, but with a crew neckline and decorative bow instead of a collar. Whether or not Geri was directly inspired by this outfit, it’s lovely that she opted to step out in a dress by one of Kate’s favourite designers for the service which the royal also attended.
It’s a tribute to how fabulous Jenny Packham dresses are for occasions with smart dress codes and Geri made her outfit a little more fun with the addition of a burgundy micro bag. When it comes to the most timeless designer handbags, a micro or mini bag might not be everyone’s first choice but they’ve certainly been very popular in recent years.
Big enough for your essentials and admittedly not much else, a micro bag makes a fashion statement and is great for evening outfits or events when you don’t need to carry much with you but want to make your style trendier.
Geri Halliwell-Horner’s bag was a burgundy Gucci Bamboo 1947 bag and she carried it by the top handle with both hands as she arrived at Westminster Abbey. The daintiness of this bag worked so well with her other accessories. Geri wore a black headband with a netted veil and a few delicate pieces of jewellery, including white pearl earrings. White dresses look particularly wonderful worn with timeless, minimal accessories and a colourful but classic bag design like Geri Halliwell-Horner’s can take them to another level.
Her outfit was perfect for the service which - in line with the 2025 theme "Together We Thrive" - celebrated the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth and the importance of building strong and connected communities.
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