Duchess Sophie brings royal style to New York with chocolate brown blazer and pink satin shirt

The Duchess of Edinburgh brought her signature style to the Big Apple and her brown blazer and pink satin shirt was a gorgeous combination.

As much as we love seeing the royals step out in elegant midi dresses from the best British clothing brands, the Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess of Wales’s workwear wardrobe is dominated by tailoring. More than ever in recent years we’ve seen them opting for smart blazers and trousers when they’re undertaking engagements but that doesn’t mean they can’t have fun with their style. Duchess Sophie mixed chocolate brown and pink together during her trip to New York on 11th March and whilst it was an unexpected combination, it worked so well.

The King’s sister-in-law traveled to the US last week as Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Champion of the UN’s Women, Peace and Security agenda and a supporter of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. During her visit, she delivered a speech at a UN Friends of Vision meeting.

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Duchess Sophie discussed the importance of eye health and focused especially on improving opportunities for women and girls. This was such a significant meeting and the senior royal went smart with her outfit which perfectly reflected this. Her brown blazer was a Gabriela Hearst design we’ve seen her wear several times before and it had all the classic tailored details.

It was double-breasted, though the Duchess of Edinburgh wore it open in photos shared by the Royal Family, and was made from very fine wool. This made it perfect for a chilly March day and as we move away from needing coats, blazers become a key staple in our spring capsule wardrobe too. The deep chocolate brown shade of this one is very on-trend for 2025 and brown is a softer alternative to black but still equally versatile.

You could wear a brown blazer like hers with blue jeans, a light knit and trainers for an everyday, smart-casual style or dress it up with trousers and a shirt. The Duchess took the latter approach in New York and wore her jacket with a hot pink satin shirt from Vince and Victoria Beckham Alina trousers in tobacco brown.

The contrast of the muted brown tones and the fun pink hue was lovely and the shirt brightened the colour palette of her outfit and made it feel more spring-like. We wouldn’t have considered wearing chocolate brown and pink together before, but the warm undertones complemented each other and there was only one pop of colour.

This is a great tip if you want to wear a brighter shade - pick just a key item or two and keep the rest of your ensemble neutral. The satin sheen of Duchess Sophie’s shirt gave this outfit an understated luxurious edge and she kept her gold jewellery minimal. Her outfit was very balanced and didn’t detract from the importance of the UN’s 69th Commission on the Status of Women and the UN Friends of Vision meeting.

"When we get it right with eye health, it has incredible, life-changing, far-reaching positive impacts beyond the act of saving or restoring sight, which is why I am passionate about it and why it is so deserving of our action and attention," she declared in her keynote address.