Kate Middleton was way ahead of the quilted jacket trend - and her boot cut jeans sealed the deal for me

The Princess of Wales’s signature style is the epitome of classic but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t ever get tempted to jump on board with certain trends. The clever tactic she uses is to go for low-key trends that are likely to come back into fashion a lot.

Kate has an eye for these things and whilst many of us are rushing to add quilted or barn jackets to our autumn capsule wardrobe for 2025, her quilted jacket is waiting to have another moment to shine. Back in 2023 the Princess of Wales visited Scotland with Prince William and she wore a Burberry checked jacket with black boot cut jeans.

Burberry is known for making some of the best trench coats, but Kate’s quilted jacket still sticks out in my memory because of how it instantly made a simple outfit look a little trendier in the best way. This year the luxury brand has brought out another green Quilted Barn Jacket minus the checked print.

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The Princess’s outerwear had a neat collar, buttons running down the front and slanted pockets on either side. The quilting was in an ageless diamond pattern and was rather subtle, which worked well given that the pattern was already striking.

The design blended khaki green, beige and black together and I’d always advise going for neutral colours when you’re investing in outerwear. It just makes things easier when you’re putting together different outfits as these sorts of tones work with a lot of others.

A lot of quilted jackets that we’re seeing on sale now tend to be green or brown and the Princess of Wales’s outfit for her visit to the award-winning charity, Outfit Moray, proved how chic these can be.

Until winter hits, we don’t need a heavy coat and a quilted jacket makes a cosy alternative that’s not too thick. She went to Scotland in early November and spent a lot of her and William’s visit out in the elements, as Outfit Moray delivers life-changing outdoor learning and activity programmes for young people.

Kate isn’t one to dress impractically, and she paired her jacket with a chunky navy blue roll neck jumper and black Mother Denim jeans.

Unusually for her, they weren’t streamlined skinny jeans but boot cut ones. It’s not just jeans and a blazer outfits that work well for autumn: jeans and a quilted jacket look equally great. Kate’s were slightly cropped and had the signature boot cut flare.

The black denim tied in with the black in her jacket’s checked pattern and I love the look of the slightly cropped jeans finishing over the top of her ba&sh Coda boots. This was a very wearable daily outfit that had trendy elements yet still felt very timeless.

Lo and behold, two years later quilted jackets and boot cut jeans are back in fashion and I’ll be interested to see if the Princess of Wales re-wears either of these pieces, either separately or together, publicly this season. Even if not, it’s something that we can easily recreate and would be a brilliant option for everything from a country walk to a coffee with friends.