Pippa Middleton’s knitted dress, leopard print scarf and red bag is a striking combination that’s got us dreaming of autumn

Pippa Middleton’s knitted dress, leopard print scarf and red bag is a striking combination from 2011 that’s got us dreaming of autumn.

Summer isn’t quite over yet and whilst we’re still loving our floral dresses and flat sandals in hotter weather, every grey sky day has got us starting to think about our autumn capsule wardrobe. This transitional time is when layering starts to come into its own again and if we weren’t already feeling inspired by the thought of a change in season, we definitely are now after rediscovering Pippa Middleton’s chic work look from 2011. The Princess of Wales’s sister stepped out on a mild October day in a gorgeous black knitted dress that she accessorised with not only some of our favourite animal print - good old leopard print - but with a pop of red too.

Pippa isn’t afraid to wear prints and bold colours and she showcased a brilliant way to make this prospect a little less daunting with this outfit. The base of her look was a simple, neutral black knitted dress from Tania, which she wore without tights on this autumn day.

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The dress had long blouson sleeves that finished in long cuffs which had tiny gold button details running up from them. Black and gold is a classic combination that accentuated the timelessness of this knitted dress. It finished above the knee and although we rarely see Pippa venturing out in a dress of this length nowadays, the short hem was balanced out by the long sleeves and created a very elegant silhouette.

Not every jumper dress has to be a heavy knit and this was a lovely staple for autumn when the weather wasn’t too cold. Having such a versatile dress as the main part of her outfit also meant that Pippa could more easily add in a sense of fun and vibrancy with her accessories.

The leopard print trend has been going strong this year and back in 2011 Pippa was also a huge fan of incorporating it into her looks with her Temperly scarf. It was bold but kept to a very neutral black and grey colour palette which complemented Pippa’s knitted dress perfectly.

As she arrived at work in London on that October day the Princess of Wales’s sister had her scarf loosely wrapped around her neck, with each end draping down gorgeously over her dress. Although it added warmth too, this was a stylish addition that added a playful edge into her otherwise very pared-back outfit.

Meanwhile, Pippa’s choice of a bright red bag added a pop of colour that contrasted so strikingly with her dress and scarf. It looks to be the same Prada bag she’d been spotted wearing that summer and had a satchel design and a strap long enough for it to be worn crossbody too, though Pippa favoured using it as a shoulder bag. Red and leopard print together go surprisingly well and also work fabulously with neutral tones, making Pippa’s autumnal outfit combination a winning one.

She finished off her work look with a pair of black suede ankle boots, though if she had wanted to make this a little more casual she could have opted for her best white trainers. On colder days Pippa could also have chosen black tights, higher boots and a long black coat to keep her toasty warm. Whilst we are in no way wishing summer away, we’re excited to recreate similar looks when autumn begins to arrive as Pippa’s impeccable outfit is one that will never go out of style.