Carole Middleton's white tie-front jacket was the most elegant evening piece long before they became a trend

Carole Middleton wore an elegant white tie front jacket for a special evening out back in 2011 long before they became a trend.

When your signature style is as classic as Carole Middleton's, it's no surprise that when trends come and go she’s very often been ahead of the curve and worn it already at some point. This is true of collarless jackets which the Princess of Wales’ mum has loved for years as well as her tie front jacket from back in 2011. Tie front pieces surged in popularity last year and although they can be daunting with their skin-bearing design, this doesn’t have to be the case, especially if you go for a jacket, cardigan or waistcoat that you can layer a top under.

Carole wore her white tie front jacket over a simple black knee length dress to create a stunning date night outfit for an evening at the Palladium Theatre. She and Michael Middleton attended the Venezuela Viva gala performance together and her jacket was longline, with a neat collar.

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The three quarter length sleeves were subtly puffed at the top to give more structure and the jacket had three ribbon details running across the front. These were the only fastenings for the jacket and even if they had some discreet press studs for security as well, they certainly created the chic look of a tie front style.

The minimalist design and classic white tone of Carole’s blazer made it very versatile as an evening jacket and it worked so well with her black dress underneath. She allowed the stark colour contrast to make an impact all on its own and accentuated this with a pair of timeless black court heels and a bag that appeared to have the strap tucked inside to make it a clutch.

Complete Carole's Outfit

Aside from the gold-toned hardware on her bag, the Princess of Wales’s mum went for a fully monochrome look and this is rather unusual to see from her nowadays. As a special evening look it had a Chanel-esque feel, particularly with the quilting on her clutch. This outfit was such a sophisticated way to wear a tie front piece and it’s become a great source of inspiration for us now that these styles are everywhere.

Tie front jackets and tops naturally feel quite feminine and formal thanks to the ribbons at the front and so they work quite well with more sleek and tailored dresses for an evening look. However, you can also easily dress them down and layering is one of our favourite tie front top styling hacks as simply by adding a white T-shirt underneath they look more casual.

A jumper would also work well under a tie front jacket and adding a pair of blue jeans makes this into an everyday ensemble that feels put together but relaxed. With a more statement design like tie fronts we prefer going simple like Carole did when it comes to the rest of what we’re wearing.

It was an elegant evening out 14 years ago and would be such an on-trend ensemble if Carole Middleton were to re-wear this jacket with something similar in 2025. Unfortunately we haven’t seen her bring out this jacket publicly since then but it’s possible that she still has it in her collection and shares the Princess of Wales’s love of keeping her old favourite items.