In the US, celebrities rarely pay for their own clothes. They're often loaned or straight out gifted designer outfits so the brand receives some extra publicity when the A-lister wears the item. But the royal family doesn't accept free clothing, so Kate Middleton's wardrobe is all made up of stuff she's bought herself. That could explain why she re-wears things so often: The Duchess of Cambridge doesn't want to constantly buy new things. Or maybe it's just about sticking with what she loves.
In her time in the public eye, Kate has found herself turning back to the same designers over and over again. That's a convenient thing to do, since they probably have her measurements on file. It ensures that she gets custom-fit looks all the time. Most of Kate's go-to brands are British-based, and her wearing their looks helps boost the UK economy. But she has a few favorite American designers as well, and she's also a fan of some of the same affordable brands that we are.
Here are 20 designers Kate wears on repeat.
Alexander McQueen
Although Alexander McQueen himself had died before Kate Middleton became a duchess, she's long been a fan of his design house. In fact, she even wore a McQueen dress for her wedding. Over the years she's continued to add new McQueen staples to her wardrobe, like her bright red off-the-shoulder gown.
Reiss
Kate loves this brand so much that she's kept this blue Reiss dress in her closet for nearly a decade. She was first spotted in it in 2012 and then she wore it again in November 2020 for a video message on Instagram. The clip may have only shown from her waist up, but people instantly recognized the outfit. She's also worn a handful of other Reiss outfits over the years.
L.K. Bennett
This brand is a go-to for the duchess in more than one way. She's a huge fan of L.K. Bennett shoes and she also likes their dresses as well. This blue poppy gown that she wore in New Zealand is one of her most memorable L.K. Bennett looks, and she's also been seen in the brand's green polka dot dress and breezy pink sundress that she wore to one of William's polo matches.
Seraphine
When she's pregnant, the Duchess of Cambridge often turns to Seraphine. It's a maternity clothing company founded by French designer Cecile Reinaud. In addition to this patterned dress, of Kate's other memorable Seraphine looks was the purple dress she wore in Prince George's first official family portrait.
Jenny Packham
For formal events, like red carpet award ceremonies and galas, Kate often turns to British fashion designer Jenny Packham. She's responsible for some of the duchess's most chic, glamorous, glittery looks. But she also designs everyday outfits, like the red dress Kate wore when she left the hospital with baby Prince Louis.
Zara
Not all of Kate's fashion choices break the bank. For as many times as she reaches for a luxury brand, she also has more affordable fashion items in her closet. She's a big fan in particular of Zara, the brand behind this leopard skirt. She's also been known to wear Zara pants, blazers, and tops.
Catherine Walker
We all know how much the Duchess of Cambridge loves her coats and coatdresses, and many of her most iconic ones are designed by Catherine Walker — including several of the coats she's worn to St. Patrick's Day events and Christmas Day Mass. Catherine Walker was also a favorite designer of Princess Diana's, so Kate has that in common with her late mother-in-law.
Ralph Lauren
Kate often turns to American designer Ralph Lauren for some of her more casual pieces like this striped T-shirt or the white top she recently wore with her pink pants. She seems to prefer Ralph Lauren for some of her closet staples rather than a splashy statement piece. Every wardrobe needs both.
Temperley
For lace, there are few brands Kate trusts more than Temperley. Whenever she wants a lacy gown, she tends to turn to Temperley. In addition to this green gown, she's worn a blue lace dress, white lace blouse, and teal lace gown (for a trip to India), among many other designs from this brand. She always looks stunning in the outfits.
Hobbs
Kate loves this maroon Hobbs coat so much that she's worn it at least five times in public. But it's not her only staple piece from the brand. She's also worn one of the brand's green coats on St. Patrick's Day and a long navy coat last February. Hobbs is competing with Catherine Walker for Kate's outerwear attention.
Beulah London
British fashion brand Beulah London is one of Kate's go-tos for breezy dresses like this floral red one that she's already worn on a couple of occasions. But she's also been known to sport the brand's accessories, like a sweet heart-patterned scarf that she around Valentine's Day in 2020.
Emilia Wickstead
Kate is a huge fan of Emilia Wickstead's sharp dresses, especially the "Kate" dress. She owns it in at least three different colors — lavender (pictured here), green, and navy. But the duchess also wears the brands other dress styles, including her red tartan "Anni" dress.
Topshop
Like Zara, Topshop is another affordable brand that Kate likes to keep in her closet. In addition to this cute polka dot dress that she wore when she was pregnant with George, she's worn other looks by Topshop, including a pink floral dress while on a royal tour of India. On that trip, she wore several local designers and also mixed it up with Topshop.
Erdem
Kate likes British fashion brand Erdem so much that she wasn't going to stop wearing it, even while pregnant. In 2018, while pregnant with Prince Louis, she had one of Erdem's runway outfits altered to accommodate her growing bump. She also had extra fabric added to the bottom to make it a more modest length for her. That's dedication to a brand.
Orla Kiely
Kate owns several dresses from Irish designer Orla Kiely. In addition to this chic floral dress, she's worn Orla Kiely coatdresses and a chic, mod '60s style gown with big daisies printed on it. A lot of the designer's pieces seem to borrow inspiration from the '60s and '70s with their colors and patterns.
Mulberry
Much of the time, the duchess turns to Mulberry for handbags, of which she owns several. But she's also worn a couple of coats from the brand, including this bright pink one and a pretty pale blue one. It must be nice when she can get a full look at just one brand — coat, bag, and all.
Goat
Goat is another British fashion house that Kate loves. She's worn the brand both as maternity wear and regular wear, alternating between the brand's coatdresses and regular dresses. They're not a go-to as much as a Catherine Walker or Erdem are, but Goat is still a big part of her wardrobe.
Dolce & Gabbana
Whenever the duchess wants to shake things up from her usual British fashion brands, she can turn to the Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana. Most notably, she wore the brand's green dress to Wimbledon a couple of years ago. And she also owns a couple of coats, a skirt, and other dresses from the brand.
Tory Burch
Kate is far from the only celeb who loves Tory Burch. In fact, both the duchess and actress Drew Barrymore wore this same orange Tory Burch gown on the same day in 2016. In addition to this dress, Kate owns a Tory Burch coat that she once wore to New York and a black and white patterned dress that she wore in New Zealand.
Diane von Furstenberg
Diane von Furstenberg is best known for her classic wrap dresses, but the Duchess of Cambridge also likes some of the other items that DVF produces. This lacy black dress is one example, as well as a black DVF coat that she's worn on several occasions. Kate also owns a pretty green dress from the brand.
