Kate Middleton's black jeans and ankle boots are the dynamic duo of autumn style - here's how to make them look extra elegant
Her fail-safe look is one you can rely on whenever you don’t know what to wear
The Princess of Wales's signature style is always polished but you can tell how much she loves spending time in nature and her outfits for outdoor engagements are what I can imagine her wearing in her daily life. They're also very easy to recreate and Kate's jeans and boots combination for a visit to the Lake District in September 2021 ticks that box.
She stepped out in plain black skinny jeans and her trusty See by Chloe lace-up boots, styled with a simple oatmeal knit and a belted jacket. This look blended practicality with style and it needed to be cosy and comfortable, as she was heading out on Lake Windermere as well as visiting the Jetty Museum.
Shop Boots Like Kate's
Made from chocolate brown suede, these lace up boots are a timeless option if you want a pair of comfy and grippy boots. They have a cleated sole as well as a rounded toe and elastication at the ankle. Style with everything from jeans to knitted dresses throughout the colder months.
Currently discounted in the Amazon Prime Big Deal Day sales, these boots are a stylish yet practical purchase for the season. They come in a few different colours and the uppers are made from waterproof leather. There's a durable rubber sole and a cosy lining too.
These suede ankle boots have a classic lace-up front and a side zip fastening so you get the aesthetics of laces without the fuss of doing them up every time. The buckled straps add a chic touch and the low block heel gives a subtle life.
Complete The Look
Affordable and classic, this jumper is the kind of piece you can re-style with so many different outfits. It comes in several other colours and has a ribbed crew-neckline and dropped shoulders. The fabric has a touch of wool for comfort and added stretch.
House of Bruar's Cheltenham jacket is made from pure new wool tweed and is equestrian inspired. The pockets are slanted and the long fit means it would look so sleek layered over streamlined jeans. You can get it in a range of herringbone and checked patterns, including this forest green herringbone.
Like so many of M&S's classic denim styles, the Sienna Straight-Leg jeans come in five different lengths. They've got a mid-rise waist and are made from super stretchy fabric which offers a lot of flexibility and comfort. Finished with a button and zip fastening, they're a streamlined alternative to skinny jeans.
The future Queen went for her go-to denim silhouette here and although I personally much prefer wide-cut jeans, skinny jeans look so sleek tucked into the top of boots. There's no bunching of the fabric and the final look is so streamlined that it's very leg-elongating.
If you're not sure about incorporating skinny jeans into autumn outfit ideas then straight-leg styles are a more relaxed alternative and they drape beautifully over ankle boots. Kate's jeans were black rather than classic blue and darker jeans are always popular in the colder months.
Black denim in particular tends to feel smarter as there's not a lot of variation in the wash, so they're so useful for those occasions where you want to be comfy yet still look polished. The block neutral tone also works well with pretty much any other colour, including some of the fashion colour trends for 2026 like berry and chocolate brown.
The Princess of Wales's boots were a dark brown and she often wears this See by Chloe style when she's outdoors because the cleated sole provides extra grip. Black boots and black jeans complement each other especially well as they seamlessly blend into one another, though her dark brown boots were a softer alternative.
The lace-up design added some detail and flat ankle boots like this are perfect for the daytime when you're doing a lot of walking. To take an outfit like Kate's from day to night, you can swap out a crew-neck jumper for a shirt or roll-neck and add a blazer over the top too.
She didn't dress quite that smartly in September 2021, but still looked put-together in her beige sweater and a Really Wild green tweed jacket that added a countryside feel.
This was an understated style choice for this engagement, where the Princess went out on Lake Windermere with Ike and Arek, two of the "Windermere Children" - a group of 300 child survivors of the Holocaust who came to the Lake District in 1945.
Kate's an expert at adjusting her outfits to ensure they're appropriate for different occasions and her jeans and ankle boot pairing wasn't too fancy or too casual. It highlighted her approachability during this poignant visit, during which she also went to the Jetty Museum and heard about the Lake District Holocaust Project's work documenting and educating the public about the experiences of the 'Windermere Children".
