Duchess Sophie just proved that buying one dress in multiple colours really works - provided you follow her easy check-list

At a time when we’re more conscious than ever about not wasting money on purchases we regret, Duchess Sophie’s tried and tested approach makes a lot of sense. Anyone who’s followed the Duchess of Edinburgh’s style for a while would probably have recognised the scarlet dress she wore earlier in January for the simple reason that she’s worn this design before.

The red colourway is a new addition to her wardrobe for 2026, yet this is actually the fifth Beulah London Yahvi Dress that Sophie owns. Fiery reds are a big spring/summer fashion colour trend and she got ahead of the curve when she wore this frock to the UNA-UK conference to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN’s founding.

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The brand still makes the Yahvi design in three of the other colours we’ve seen Duchess Sophie in before - lemon, cream and blue. She also has it in pink and all this goes to show that the old advice about not buying one piece in several colours isn’t necessarily worth following.

Of course, buying one T-shirt in eighteen colours, for example, is a bit much. However, the King’s sister-in-law has been more selective with each of her dresses and has shown us several key pointers to follow when you’re weighing up whether to invest in multiples.

For a start, pretty much all of the shades Sophie’s bought are genuinely some of her most-worn. The cream, blue and pink are particularly *her* colours and we’ve seen the Duchess of Edinburgh wear the yellow Yahvi to Trooping the Colour before.

Red is a rarer choice for her, though she’s been really loving burgundy recently so perhaps it’s a colour that she’s looking to wear more of. Whether you love pastels, neutrals or dark hues, it’s important to stick to colours you already wear loads when you’re buying multiples. This way, you can be confident you have a lot of options to pair with them and will get use out of your new purchases.

The Duchess’s dress is also timeless and in-keeping with both her signature style and her lifestyle. The Yahvi design features a rounded neckline, long fluted sleeves ending in frilled cuffs and delicate covered buttons running down the side of the skirt.

They’re made from wool which is practical and for someone like Sophie who wears either smart-casual outfits or formalwear, this sophisticated, polished design is perfect. Her five frocks work for everything from garden parties to engagements.

If shirt, jeans and blazer outfits are more your thing then multiple tops or jackets would be more up your street, or the same pair of gorgeous-fitting trousers if you love tailoring. As long as the designs are classic and they work for your everyday life, you’ve ticked some more boxes.

The Duchess of Edinburgh tends to wear each of her Yahvi dresses with court shoes and minimal jewellery, keeping the focus on them. When she’s attending a big royal occasion like Trooping the Colour she’ll wear a matching hat and the shoes and bag will either be a muted beige tone or coordinate with the frock.

Last May, Sophie stepped out in head-to-toe pastel blue for a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, on the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. On the other hand, her heels and Isabel Marant bag on 17th January were tan and this complemented and contrasted against her cherry-red dress.