As Miranda Priestly once said in The Devil Wears Prada, "Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking." She was being sarcastic, because everyone knows that flower prints in the spring are a tried-and-true fashion staple. But just because they're expected doesn't make them any less fun. What better way to ring in the change of seasons than to literally show it off? That's what Kate Middleton always does with her spring fashion choices.
The Princess of Wales can be spotted wearing florals year-round, but she ups the ante in the spring. That's when she starts attending a lot of outdoor events, like the Chelsea Flower Show and Wimbledon. And she tends to reach for the florals for these occasions.
Sure, it's a little obvious to wear florals to a flower show or to an event in a garden, but Kate also changes things up from time to time. Instead of just going with a fabric that has flowers printed on it, she's also worn embroidered floral dresses and eyelet petal gowns and even floral blouses and skirt sets. She knows how to mix things up while also still showing her love of nature on her clothing. And since it's actually far more common to see Kate in a solid colored coatdress than in a breezy poppy-covered gown, the florals are a fun change from her fall and winter attire.
Most of these dresses sold out almost instantly after Kate wore them, but at least one item is still for sale — if expensive eyelet floral blouses strike your fancy. But even without a replica item, since it's springtime now, we can all channel our inner Kate by wearing whatever flowered outfit we happen to have on hand.
And maybe these 23 floral looks she's worn can inspire us this season.
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Chelsea Flower Show
What better place is there to wear a floral dress than to the Chelsea Flower Show? In 2019, Kate wore an Erdem maxi dress to the event. The British fashion brand was a smart choice, since most of its patterns are of the floral variety. This gown looks abstract from far away, but upon closer inspection, it's dotted with blue and yellow flowers.
Flower Cutouts
During a trip to the zoo in Australia, Kate donned this pretty yellow frock. We love that instead of just having a flower pattern printed on the fabric, the petals are made up of eyelet cutouts in the fabric. It's a fun twist on the floral design. The princess recycled this look, having worn it a couple of years earlier on a tour of the Solomon Islands. We hope it makes a comeback again soon.
Welcoming Charlotte to the World
For her big post-birth debut with Princess Charlotte, the princess went with another one of her favorite designers, Jenny Packham. The maternity dress was created specifically for Kate, and she wore it so well. We love the gradient effect of the gown. At the top, the yellow flowers are thickly concentrated, but they are more spaced out toward the bottom, letting the white background show through.
Singapore Botanical Gardens
Kate's stylist is very into being literal, because the royal mom almost always wears florals when going to flower-themed events. For a visit to the Singapore Botanical Gardens in 2012, Kate wore a cream-colored Jenny Packham dress with a hand-painted orchid print. It must have taken hours to create, but it was totally worth it in the end.
Poppy Season
Another day, another garden, another floral print dress. Kate wore this silk Prada crepe dress with bright orange poppies in 2017 while visiting Kensington Palace's White Garden. The look was pretty high-end, with the gown ringing in at $2,340. But since Kate was honoring the anniversary of Princess Diana's death, it makes sense that Kate went with something so beautiful — no matter the cost.
Matching Set
Kate shook things up for a trip to Poland in 2017. Instead of a coatdress (one of her standbys) or a regular dress, she wore a floral skirt set. At first look, one might think it's all one piece, but it's actually a matching top and skirt designed by Erdem. The princess is a big fan of the brand — and with good reason! It produces some stunning pieces.
Chiffon Roses
Kate was pretty in pink at a 2016 event for mental health. She wore a chiffon Kate Spade dress with a lovely rose pattern. The gown is sold out now, but it once cost about $500. That's actually on the lower end of Kate's usual outfit prices. She's been known to wear headbands that are more than $1,000 and dresses that cost more than $10,000.
'70s Chic
Something about this black flowy dress with the super bright flowers on it just screams 1970s. Kate wore this vintage-inspired look to the National Portrait Gallery in February 2018. She was just a few months away from giving birth to Prince Louis, proving that floral patterns totally work for maternity wear as well. The gown was created by Irish designer Orla Kiely.
Florals for Tennis
Wimbledon is played on a grass court, so it makes sense that Kate wanted to wear a nature-inspired look to the event in 2017. Since the dress only had flowers on the skirt, they weren't visible until she stood up to clap for the players — making for a fun fashion surprise. The outfit was designed by Catherine Walker. The brand is a favorite of Kate's, but usually more for the coatdresses than the spring florals.
Matching Yellow
Not only did Kate wear a floral dress on a trip to Heidelberg, Germany, in 2017, but she carried a yellow sunflower to match. She must have been given the pretty bud by a fan (they're always gifting the princess flowers), and it just happened to perfectly coordinate with her yellow embroidered Jenny Packham dress. What a cute coincidence!
More from CafeMom: 19 Times Royal Fans Showered Kate Middleton With Flowers
All About That Lace
Another fun twist on the classic floral is this Temperley London dress that Kate wore to a tea party in 2012. The flowers themselves are made out of a lace overlay, and the blue slip underneath helps them stand out. The fashion blog Kate's Closet said that it's a version of the Temperley brand's Aster Flower gown. Absolutely perfect for a tea party.
Pretty for Polo
Kate and Prince William don't make it over to the US much, but they did get out to Santa Barbara, California, for a special polo match in 2011. For the occasion, Kate wore a Jenny Packham dress with a pretty white flower pattern against a darker silk background. She sure showed all those Cali celebs how it's done on the style front.
Green With White Flowers
The print on this silk frock is a little different from most of Kate's floral dresses. Instead of a recognizable flower print of something like roses, daisies, or poppies, this one is more of a long-petaled flower, like a chrysanthemum. Such a fun pattern. The dress was designed by Rochas and cost upwards of $1,000.
Poppy Blue
The princess is a huge fan of LK Bennett, but usually for the brand's shoes. But during a trip to Australia in 2014, she took a chance on an LK Bennett dress, and it totally paid off. The white shift dress was decorated with blue poppies that concentrated around her waist, sort of giving the outfit the illusion of a belt. Surprisingly, she paired the look with Alexander McQueen shoes instead of LK Bennett.
Mixing It Up
Kate rarely wears blouses. She usually opts for a coatdress or a regular dress, but for a Chelsea Flower Show event in 2019, she wore wide-legged pants and a Mih Jeans eyelet blouse with a cute petal pattern. There she goes again wearing florals to a flower show.
Formal Floral
The term floral dress usually conjures the image of a casual sundress, but Kate's also made flowers work for formalwear. It doesn't get much fancier than Alexander McQueen, which was the label behind this black gown. The princess previously wore the dress to the 2017 BAFTAs before recycling it for a 2019 National Portrait Gallery gala appearance.
'60s Mod
This peach dress has a '60s modern vibe to it, especially thanks to the appliqué daisy pattern. It was designed by Orla Kiely, which also created Kate's '70s-style black dress with the neon flower print. The brand clearly has a vintage point-of-view. Kate had recently announced her third pregnancy when she went to this event, and her maternity fashion was already on point.
Back to Nature
For the 2019 "Back to Nature" festival, Kate went, well, back to nature with her outfit choice. She donned a light blue Emilia Wickstead gown dotted with pink roses. It was a fitting choice for the event, and not at all a surprise considering that wearing florals to floral-themed occasions is kind of the princess' fashion MO.
Navy Vibes
This navy minidress is another Erdem design that retailed for about $1,290 at the time Kate wore it in 2017. Since it was January when Kate rocked this look, the long sleeves were a smart choice to combat the cold, but the short skirt length allows this dress to transition into spring as well. Plus, we love the chaotic but pretty floral pattern.
Busy Print
From far away, this outfit just looks like a dress with a geometric pattern, but up close, we can see that the pattern is made up of little pink, red, and blue daisies. The gown matches George and Charlotte's school colors, which made the outfit a great choice for the kids' first day of classes drop-off. The Michael Kors frock cost under $200, so it sold out almost immediately, of course.
Summery Florals
In June 2020, Kate headed out for a day of royal engagements in Norfolk, England, in this brightly colored floral dress, which couldn't have been a more perfect pick for summer. The dress from Faithfull the Brand was under $200 while it was still in stock, and she even accessorized with earrings that cost $7.
Tropical Vibes
William and Kate's 2022 Caribbean tour was a big opportunity for Kate to pull all kinds of fun fashions out of her closet, and she didn't disappoint. This Tory Burch dress that she wore during their stop in Belize was a hit, and it's still available to rent on Rent the Runway.
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Commonwealth Day Flowers
At the Commonwealth Day services held at Westminster Abbey in March 2023, Kate wore another floral set by Erdem. This was much different (and much more queen-like, in our opinion) than the ones she's worn in the past — and we're fans!
