Duchess Sophie’s striding into winter in style - her gothic floral maxi skirt, fitted blazer and suede boots are our new favourite combination

Duchess Sophie’s gothic floral maxi skirt, fitted blazer and suede boots are our new favourite combination for winter styling.

Putting together smart casual outfits from your winter capsule wardrobe might sound easy, but sometimes it can be tricky when all we want is to get cosy in our best wool jumpers and leggings. Thankfully, we’re never short of inspiration thanks to the Royal Family and Duchess Sophie’s latest look was a masterclass in elegant dressing in the colder months. The senior royal has been the Patron of Guide Dogs since 2021 and she attended the Buddy Dogs Family Event at the Guide Dogs UK centre on 31st October wearing the most beautiful maxi skirt, blazer and boot combination.

Although she regularly champions the best British clothing brands, this particular skirt was a Valentino design and it fell to her ankles in an A-line shape. The silk fabric was floaty which helped to create the skirt’s beautiful drape and the delicate pleats also gave it a lot of movement.

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The background tone of Duchess Sophie’s skirt was black with a pattern of pale pink flowers with a darker centre and olive green leaves all over it. Throughout the warmer months the Duchess of Edinburgh - like so many of her fellow royals - is a big fan of wearing florals so it’s perhaps no surprise that she wants to take her favourite print through to autumn/winter too. This dark floral pattern had a gothic feel to it and it was very sophisticated and easy to style.

This included a black blazer which covered whichever top Duchess Sophie wore underneath. Blazers are a go-to in the royals’ wardrobes and this one was single-breasted and had classic lapels and a sweeping V-neckline. The buttons down the front were covered in the same material as the blazer, creating a seamless finish.

It finished just below Duchess Sophie’s waist and even had handy pockets on either side. The gorgeous fitted shape of her blazer was wonderful and worked well with her skirt, creating a silhouette reminiscent of a dress. A black blazer is such an important piece in so many people’s collections as it is a neutral colour and can instantly give an outfit a more formal edge.

If you don’t yet have one in your wardrobe it’s well worth investing in one to achieve the most elegant smart-casual outfit, styled with everything from a knitted dress to jeans and a jumper. Although the Duchess Edinburgh could easily have worn her skirt with a cosy roll neck jumper, tights and flat boots or black trainers, the blazer - and her Aquazurra Manzoni boots - elevated her look and made it more smart-casual. The boots had pointed toes and were crafted from what appears to be black suede, with a high block heel.

They rose to above her ankles and the suede material added a lovely level of textural contrast into her outfit. With jeans or leather trousers tucked in these would also be spectacular, though they looked so chic with her skirt and blazer too.

She finished off her look with a Lulu Guinness clutch bag, which she put down throughout her visit as she met children who are working to develop their independent living skills through the companionship and support of their buddy dogs. The buddy dogs help children with a vision impairment to build confidence, improve their wellbeing and increase their physical activity and the Duchess of Edinburgh got involved alongside the children in crafting and decorating Halloween biscuits for the dogs.