Zara Tindall was the epitome of understated glamour in Australia with embroidered black dress and sparkling Strathberry clutch

Zara Tindall went for understated glamour for an event in Australia when she styled an embroidered black midi dress with a sparkling Strathberry clutch.

The festive party season might be over but that doesn’t mean that we can’t dress up and enjoy the special pieces in our winter capsule wardrobe again this January for any winter weddings, more formal parties or family gatherings. However, knowing what to wear to these kinds of occasions can be tricky when all we seem to be reaching for is our best cashmere jumpers and jeans right now. As ever, Zara Tindall has given us all the inspiration we need as she’s been stepping out in some fabulous outfits during her trip to Australia for Magic Millions 2025.

Zara is a Patron of Magic Millions Racing Women and on 4th January she and her husband Mike Tindall attended the Magic Millions Gold Twilight Race. The retired rugby star also co-hosted the inaugural Magic Millions Karaoke and for this special event, Zara wore a sophisticated black cocktail dress by Rebecca Vallance.

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Although there’s nothing the King’s niece loves more than championing some of the best British clothing brands like Aspinal and Fairfax & Favor, she’s also a big Rebecca Vallance fan and when in Australia, why not wear an Australian design? This Rebecca Vallance dress was an elegant midi length and had a round neckline and statement puffed sleeves.

The structure of these sleeves gave Zara’s dress the perfect amount of edginess and worked well with the more streamlined, A-line shape of the skirt. Running up either side of the bodice was floral detailing that accentuated Zara’s silhouette and also brought a touch of colour into her look. The leaves were glimmering gold and the roses a deep scarlet and the embroidery picked up beautifully in the light at the Magic Millions event.

This dress was very similar in style to the Rebecca Vallance dress the royal wore in June 2024 to the premiere of Federer: Twelve Days which also had gold floral adornments. A black midi dress is one of her occasionwear go-tos and whilst many people will have one in their collection already, something with a little bit of detailing like embroidery, a subtle pattern or embellishments make this classic style more unique but still very neutral and easy to wear.

Midi dresses are also great for weddings or parties where you want to dress up, but not look overly formal and they work seamlessly with winter knee high and ankle boots as well as heels and flat shoes. We couldn’t imagine a better combination for a special winter occasion than Zara’s embroidered dress and metallic accessories as gold and silver are so versatile and instantly make an outfit seem that bit more glamorous.

The equestrian royal wore plenty of gold jewellery and her chic Malone Soulier mules were black satin with gold hardware, though it was her two-tone Strathberry clutch bag that really caught our eye. The luxurious £395 Frame Clutch had the iconic Strathberry music bar formed into a top handle strap and the material went from gold sequins through to silver in an ombre effect. Whilst this might not have been intentional, her bag was by a Scottish brand and the roses on her dress are a symbol of England which nods back to the UK.

This was a sensational but understated look from Zara during her and Mike’s time Down Under. The couple regularly attend the Magic Millions events in January and Zara is on the judging panel for Magic Millions Racing Women supported by TAB Achievement Awards.