There's often an unspoken bond between sisters, and Kate Middleton and Pippa Middleton definitely have that bond. Not only are they super close and great friends — even as adults — but they have a lot of common interests, especially when it comes to their taste in fashion. There's a reason why Kate and Pippa have ended up in matching outfits so much over the years. After all, they both have a similar sense of style.
While many of us would think of the Duchess of Cambridge as the trendsetter, there's been more than one occasion where Pippa was the first to wear a certain item and seemed to have inspired her sister to later try it out as well.
Though they often share tastes in color palette, silhouette, and fashion designers, there are some big differences when it comes to each sister's sense of style. After all, they're not clones of each other — although they do look similar. Pippa Middleton has the luxury of being royal-adjacent but not actually royal, so she gets all the perks of being famous while also not being penned in by traditional dress code protocols.
That gives Pippa the freedom to take more fashion risks than Kate can. Pippa can wear low-cut dresses, short skirts, and casual outfits in ways that the duchess just can't. But for all the ways that their fashion sets them apart, there are plenty of ways it also brings them together.
We rounded up 11 times that Kate and Pippa were style twins in everything from their hats to their shoes.
The Famous Engagement Gown
When Prince William and Kate Middleton went public with their engagement, Kate wore a stunning silky blue wrap dress that perfectly complemented her sapphire engagement ring. It's one of her most iconic looks — since it's the one that introduced her to the world at large — and she may have gotten the dress idea from Pippa.
Royal Red
Years earlier, Pippa wore this red silky wrap dress to an event. The gown looks similar to Kate's, it's just a different color. We wouldn't be surprised if these sisters shopped the same brand for the outfit. And if they are the exact same, then we have Pippa to thank for inspiring her sister's iconic engagement dress.
Salmon Pants
In early 2012, the Duchess of Cambridge sported these colorful pants from an undetermined brand. It was definitely a different time, because we're pretty sure that 2020 Kate wouldn't be caught dead in bright salmon-colored jeans. (They do look good on her, though!) She can make almost anything work.
Twinsies
A couple of months before Kate gave the look a try, Pippa was seen wearing similarly bright coral pants. (Kate sure takes a lot of fashion cues from her younger sister, huh?) We love how Pippa styled the look here, with her chic boots, blazer, and sunglasses. She's effortlessly cool, and the rest of her black outfit really makes the pants stand out.
Totally Turquoise
When Kate Middleton visited New Zealand in 2014, she wore this pretty turquoise dress and matching hat. The frock is from local New Zealand designer Emilia Wickstead. The Duchess of Cambridge will often wear local designers on her global tours to help highlight and promote some of the country's best fashions.
Pippa Did It First
A year before Kate wore turquoise to New Zealand, Pippa wore a similar outfit and hat to a wedding. We're noticing a pattern here of Pippa being the trendsetter. Should we retire the Kate Effect and call it the Pippa Effect? (We kid.) It makes sense that the sisters have such a similar style since they grew up together, and they also share a lot in common with mom Carole Middleton's fashion sense.
The Fluffiest Hat
One thing the whole Middleton family shares is a love for giant fluffy hats. Kate has one, Pippa has one, mama Carole has one, and they love to wear them when it's chilly out. Kate sported the look on a trip to Oslo, Norway, a few years ago. She matched the hat with fur gloves to keep the whole outfit super warm and cozy.
Double Trouble
Here's Pippa in either the same or an extremely close version of Kate's furry hat. Pippa wore it to the horse races several years ago, and it kept her warm and fashionable. Carole Middleton has also been seen in the head accessory, wearing it out to church in January 2020. It will certainly keep those frigid winter temperatures at bay.
Blood Orange at Wimbledon
This is another look that may have been inspired by her sister: an orangey-red dress (basically the closest Kate will ever get to wearing actual orange). This one is by designer LK Bennett. Kate's a big fan of the brand, and this vibrant dress made it so easy for fans to spot her in the stands of Wimbledon alongside Prince William.
Orange-Red Looks Great on Pippa, Too
For Wimbledon in 2011, Pippa wore a similar dress to her sister. It does have a shorter sleeve and a different neckline, but they're nearly identical in color. It's so funny, too, that they both wore these dresses to the same tennis event, just years apart. Did the duchess think no one would notice that she was essentially repeating her sister's outfit, four years later?
(We noticed.)
Tartan Coatdress
Aha! Finally! Here's an outfit that Kate Middleton wore before her sister. The Duchess of Cambridge wore this on a 2013 spring trip to Scotland, where the wool tartan pattern was very on theme and warm for the brisk day. At the time, the Moloh coatdress cost about $650, but it's since sold out, as do many of the things Kate wears.
Tartan for Christmas
In 2016, Pippa wore a similar tartan coat to a Christmas church service. Hers has brass buttons instead of silver, and it's a more muted blue than Kate's, but the inspiration seems to have been there. (See? We knew it wasn't only Kate stealing Pippa's style.) They trade back and forth on copying each other's trends.
Twinning in Cream
Here's an example of a time where the two sisters wore basically the same thing at the same time to the same event. It's almost like there was a memo on what to wear — or Pippa and Kate are just super on the same wavelength. The event was Princess Charlotte's christening in 2015, and both of the sisters wore off-white coatdresses with off-white fascinators.
Got the Memo
Kate always wears cream to her kids' christenings, but this was the first time Pippa also did. When she attended George's christening in 2013, Pippa wore more of a yellowy color, and when she attended Prince Louis' several years later, she wore a baby blue gown. We love that for Princess Charlotte's christening Kate and Pippa went all out and just mirrored each other.
Green Goddess
In 2018, both Kate Middleton and her sister, Pippa, were pregnant — although not really at the same time. But they did share one maternity look that year: a green, long-sleeved dress. In January, the duchess wore this Catherine Walker outfit in Sweden. She was pregnant with Prince Louis at the time. Several months later, Pippa Middleton wore a similar dress.
Seeing Double
For Princess Eugenie's wedding in October 2018, Pippa came dressed to the nines — and heavily pregnant — in this Emilia Wickstead number. Kate is also a big fan of the New Zealand designer, so the sisters share that as well. Shortly after she appeared in this outfit (and we mean, like, days), Pippa gave birth to her son, Arthur.
Pretty Polka Dots
This is one of the sisters' matchiest looks to date, they both wore this maroon polka-dot Whistles dress within a week of each other. This time, Kate was first, wearing the dress for a royal engagement. A few days later, Pippa was spotted wearing the same thing while on a walk with her newborn.
We love how much these sisters love to match!
Pretty in Pink
The duchess was also the trendsetter of the sisters here, wearing a gorgeous gauzy pink floral dress to World Mental Health Day in 2016. It was a Kate Spade piece, and the Duchess of Cambridge's first time wearing the designer. She knocked it out of the park on this one as it's one of our all-time favorite Kate Middleton dresses.
Pippa Matches
A few years later, Pippa had her own take on the pink floral dress with this breezy gown from the Norwegian label byTiMo. She wore this outfit for the final day of Wimbledon during a week where she wore a different floral dress every day. This one is our favorite, and we can totally see the similarities to Kate's own pink flowery dress from a few years ago.
Eye-Catching Eyelet
This is a dress by Australian designer Zimmermann that Kate wore while on a tour of the country in 2014. The white frock had a flowery eyelet pattern, and it popped perfectly against Kate's dark hair, and the blue ocean water for their seaside visit. A few years later, Pippa donned a while eyelet dress of her own that had nods to this one.
White for Wimbledon
In 2018, Pippa hit the annual tennis event in this gorgeous Anna Mason London eyelet dress. They can't be seen in this picture, but she paired the dress with blue wedge sandals and a straw hat with a blue ribbon. When Kate wore the eyelet dress in 2014, she also wore wedge sandals with it. Just the perfect summertime outfit.
