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She has not always been known as a fashion icon, but in recent years the Duchess of York seems to have found inspiration for her wardrobe in the Princess of Wales.
On several occasions, Sarah Ferguson’s outfits have been strikingly similar to those worn by Kate.
A good example was the elegant black dress with a chic white cape over the shoulders that she wore to a charity gala in Cannes earlier this year.
It bore a striking resemblance to the dress Kate wore to the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.
Most recently, Sarah opted for a cape dress by Safiyaa that was similar to a dress by the same designer that Kate wore last year.
By emulating Kate’s fashion formula, Fergie aligns herself with the timeless elegance that has become synonymous with the young royal.
But the copying works both ways. More than once, Kate seems to have drawn inspiration from Sarah’s old outfits.
Double design
The Duchess of York has had a few fashion faux pas in the past, but all that was forgiven when she dazzled in a Safiyaa gown at a glitzy charity event in Sweden earlier this month. A vision in emerald green, her form-fitting cape dress was strikingly similar to the elegant Safiyaa gown Kate wore to the Royal Variety Performance last year.
The Duchess of York has had a few fashion fails in the past, but all that was forgiven when she dazzled in a Safiyaa gown at a glitzy charity event in Sweden earlier this month.
A vision in emerald green, her fitted caped dress was strikingly similar to the elegant Safiyaa gown Kate wore to the Royal Variety Performance last year.
Both outfits featured the same cape silhouette and, like Kate, Sarah carried a chic clutch.
Monochromatic mirror
Sarah Ferguson opted to dress in black and white as she joined A-list guests for a charity gala in Cannes earlier this year.
The sleek black dress with a chic white cape detail over the shoulders, also by Safiyaa, was strikingly similar to the Roland Mouret dress Kate wore to the Top Gun premiere in 2022.
However, the Princess of Wales’s dress featured an off-the-shoulder neckline.
Sarah Ferguson opted for a black and white dress when she joined A-list guests for a charity gala in Cannes earlier this year. The sleek black dress with a white cape detail over the shoulders, also by Safiyaa, was strikingly similar to the Roland Mouret dress Kate wore to the Top Gun premiere in 2022.
Green from head to toe
For last year’s Christmas Day service at Sandringham, Sarah looked elegant in an emerald green coat by Kate’s favourite designer, Holland & Cooper.
She added a peacock headband and matching boots to keep with the colour-blocking theme, a tactic often advocated by the Princess of Wales.
The ensemble was reminiscent of Kate’s all-green look when she landed in Ireland in 2020.
She layered a Catherine Walker coat over an Alessandra Rich dress and added a Jane Taylor headband.
Last year, for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, Sarah looked elegant in an emerald green coat by Kate’s favourite designer, Holland & Cooper. The ensemble was reminiscent of the all-green look Kate sported when she landed in Ireland in 2020.
Purple Reign
For a royal visit to the Henry Fawcett Children’s Centre in 2019, Kate set the purple trend in Gucci, wearing a silk crepe bow-neck blouse from back to front.
Last November, Sarah followed suit in a sheer purple dress with sheer sleeves, ruffled cuffs and the same high neck.
Sarah, who appeared regally at a Red Cross charity event in Rome, added a bow to the neck of her Me & Em dress.
On a royal visit to the Henry Fawcett Children’s Centre in 2019, Kate set the purple trend in a Gucci dress, sporting a silk crepe blouse with a back-to-the-neck bow. In November last year, Sarah followed suit in a floaty purple dress with sheer sleeves, ruffled cuffs and the same high collar.
Yellow puffed sleeve
The Duchess of York’s 1980s wardrobe included lots of big shoulder pads, big hats and bright colours.
One of her most memorable outfits was a canary yellow polka dot skirt suit, which she wore with a matching wide-brimmed hat to Royal Ascot in 1987.
Kate stunned everyone with her puffed-sleeved Alessandra Rich dress, but it was the Duchess of York who wore the look first.
During her tour of the Bahamas with Prince William in 2022, Kate paid homage to the ’80s silhouette by wearing a printed button-front dress by Alessandra Rich.
The look featured puffed sleeves and a peplum waist.
Like Sarah, Kate also paired the look with white leather accessories. Hers were by Gianvito Rossi and Ferragamo.
Ladies in Red
Kate copied Sarah Ferguson’s look from 1999 to the Motor Neurone Disease Association Christmas party when Commonwealth Day was celebrated in 2019.
Her Catherine Walker double-breasted coat featured gold buttons.
The only noticeable differences between the couple were Kate’s hat and the fact that she wore different shoes and stockings than Sarah.
The red double-breasted coats with gold buttons are almost identical.
Polka dot princesses
Kate Middleton appeared at Wimbledon in 2021 looking more elegant than ever, wearing a polka dot pleated midi skirt by Alessandra Rich.
She paired it with a white blouse, a navy blazer by Smythe and white heels by Gianvito Rossi.
Kate may have imitated Sarah’s style. For Princess Beatrice’s first day at prep school in 1991, she wore a very similar outfit.
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Both women adopt an almost identical look more than thirty years apart, even with the blazers with gold buttons.
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Green hats
For her daughter Princess Eugenie’s wedding in 2019, Sarah chose a wide-brimmed green hat with stiff gold ribbon trim by Jess Collett that matched her Emma Louise Design dress.
In 2023, the Princess of Wales ditched her usual colour tones in favour of something a little bolder, a custom look by Andrew GN paired with a Philip Treacy hat.
Just as striking as Sarah, both ladies chose hats with large structured bows at the back.
This was a bolder look for Kate at Trooping the Colour in 2023, but Sarah wore a similar colour for Eugenie’s wedding in 2019.