Kate Middleton and Duchess Sophie prove that buying items you love in multiple colours can really pay off

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh have both proved over the years that buying your favourite items in multiple colours can be a great move.

Sometimes you just have to glimpse an item when you’re out shopping or browsing online to know that it will become one of the most-worn pieces in your wardrobe. On these occasions you might be tempted to invest in more than one colour. Of course, it’s easier to wonder whether you’ll love the other shades just as much, but this approach can really pay off. The Princess of Wales and Duchess of Edinburgh have proved this beyond a doubt over the years.

Both senior royals mix and match luxurious items from the best British clothing brands with high street pieces and we can think of two key outfit staples for each of them that they own in several different colours. Kate has stepped out on plenty of occasions wearing her trusty Zara double-breasted textured blazers and she has this design in ecru and red.

Shop Blazers in Multiple Colours

Sadly, her exact jackets don’t seem to have been brought back by Zara this year like they have in the past, but the retailer does still make blazers with a very similar silhouette. When you want to put together smart-casual outfits - and the Princess of Wales regularly does - a blazer can be a failsafe. The structured shape, cuffs and lapel collar instantly give an outfit a formal edge.

Kate chose to accentuate this in Denmark in 2022 and during visits to Kent and to the rugby in 2023, when she wore her blazers with tailored trousers. For a more low-key occasion she could easily swap these for jeans and this is the way she often wears her other blazers too. Having the neutral and bright colour in her collection gives her versatility and given how much she wears blazers generally it was clearly worth it to pick up both.

Shop Dresses In Multiple Colours

Whilst she wears her blazers for daytime engagements, Duchess Sophie’s Beulah London Yahvi dress which she owns in three colours is something she tends to bring out for smarter events. It’s the perfect choice for special events and is feminine and elegant, but also shows some flair and playfulness with details like the covered buttons running up the side and flared sleeves.

The Duchess of Edinburgh has the coral and cream versions, as well as the lemon-drop yellow dress which she recently wore with snake print wedges. She’s also worn the yellow and cream Yahvi dresses to Trooping the Colour and the coral one was brought out for the coronation concert at Windsor Castle and a reception at Abbey Road Studios last year.

Although these dresses and Kate’s blazers couldn’t be more different, they are both classic and work seamlessly with their signature styles. This likely makes it easier for both royals to put together outfits and woman&home Digital Fashion Ecomm Editor Caroline Parr thinks this is key.

"I'm a big believer in buying an item in different colours when you know you love it. If you find a cut and style that suits you, run with it. Especially in a time when we're all turning to online shopping, you know you're going to love it, and having multiple colourways removes so much of the stress of deciding how to put together an outfit in the morning," she explains.

When you find something you love it’s well worth buying different shades, as Kate and Sophie did. Just remember to choose colours that you’re sure will really work for you and focus on silhouettes that you already wear a lot with different items.