Whilst the rest of us are melting and wondering what on earth to wear in this heat Duchess Sophie looked as elegant as ever at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. Attending the event solo, the royal reached for one of her best summer dresses of 2025 - her ME+EM Wild Bloom frock.
You won’t be surprised to learn that this has sold out rapidly, but the brand has several other gorgeous blue floral dresses and Sophie’s accessories would complement any you have at home already too. The Duchess’s go-to brand for bags is Sophie Habsburg and she carried one I’ve not seen her wear before at the festival.
This was the Capri design and blends two of the biggest seasonal designs for bags: raffia and crochet. You can choose which colour you want the woven material and the crocheted floral detailing to be and Sophie went for beige and bright blue.
Shop Raffia And Crochet Bags
Featuring two top handles and pastel yellow tulip embroidery around the base, this beautiful bag is fully lined and secures with an inner tie detail to keep your essentials secure. It's made from 100% paper and would work so well with neutral dresses.
This affordable bucket bag has a similar raffia effect to Duchess Sophie's designer accessory, with a more understated, neutral design. It comes with a detachable longer strap as well as the top handle one.
With more than enough room for all your essentials, this bag would make a great daily accessory. It's lightweight and made with a cotton lining and a practical interior pocket. The shoulder handles are plaited and the daisies and tulips on the front draw the eye.
Recreate Sophie's Outfit
The Duchess of Edinburgh's Wild Bloom Dress has sold out, but this one also has a pastel blue base colour and is covered with a pretty orange tulip print. It's crafted from a printed jacquard crepe fabric and has ruching on the sides and front to create a softly sculpted waist.
Finished with a delicate tie detail at the ankle, these ivory espadrille wedges are perfect for evenings out or adding a touch of glamour to casual looks. The heel isn't massively high and the woven sole is very classic.
A satin dress always feels rather special, thanks to the sheen of the fabric, and this one has a midaxi length and a ruffled hem. The soft blue colour and delicate flowers are stunning and I'd wear this with white wedges or heels.
The cotton lining on the bag is striped and the circular handle is made from champagne-toned metal that would complement both gold and silver jewellery. The combination of the neutral and vibrant colours and different textures made the Duchess’s bag really stand out and exude a sense of fun.
She’s known for her love of flamboyant accessories, particularly hats, and this bag would make a gorgeous holiday piece when the royals pause official duties for their annual summer break. Raffia and crochet styles have a relaxed, off-duty feel to them that screams holiday and Duchess Sophie proved this can work with more smart-casual outfits too.
Her ME+EM dress is sophisticated with its fitted bodice, flowing skirt and cap sleeves. Running all over the powder blue background is a pattern of orange and pink flowers and because blue and orange are opposites on the colour wheel, the contrast was especially striking.
We might have expected the Duchess of Edinburgh to go for all white accessories as she often does, so her choice of the raffia bag really stood out. The blue crochet flowers weren’t at all the same shade as her dress, but because they were in the same colour family it worked.
She also wore her signature white Veronica Chilvers Mary Jane wedges with the ankle strap. Like the Princess of Wales’s wedges, these espadrilles are a comfy alternative to stiletto heels that still give you some extra height, with more stability.
Duchess Sophie has worn these ones a lot already this year and they finished off her outfit in style. She’s given us all a useful reminder that accessories can totally transform the look and feel of an outfit to suit different occasions.
A crochet or raffia bag and wedges can be paired with elegant dresses and smart tailoring to make them more relaxed. The King’s sister-in-law certainly looked at ease as she strolled around the festival, enjoying a cone of ice cream.
During her time there she watched a fashion show put on by Kingston University graduate students, viewed The Community Brain 'Willow Woman' Fashion Garden and met with the Community Brain and Creative Youth team.
