Have you ever wondered if we'll stop caring about what Kate Middleton wears? Me neither. She's a beautiful Princess Duchess! We'll always be interested in how she styles herself. That said, let's take a look at what she wore last night to a benefit concert at Royal Albert Hall. With Prince William and her in-laws by her side, Duchess Catherine wore a Zara dress, a black Ralph Lauren blazer, sheer black tights, and black suede heels. Naturally, she looked gorg.
But beyond just looking great, Kate's outfit is a successful interpretation of the old fashion adage that encourages us to pair inexpensive and trendy items with classic investment pieces.
Kate's look is a great example of how to successfully pull this off. Her Zara dress, with its lace overlay on a nude palette, is very now; very 2011. We've seen that look a ton this season -- shop any department store floor and you'll see black lace over nude fabric everywhere. While it's a pretty style that might have some legs beyond this year, it's most certainly a trend. And when you buy trends, you don't want to spend too much. Kate's Zara dress wasn't pricey at all (the skirt version was $60). Perfect.
Her Ralph Lauren blazer, though, was likely a lot more. As it should be; it's a quality design that's effortlessly timeless. Kate can wear this for the rest of her life. Using it to dress up her trendy dress was a great way to mix and match designers and price points.
Here are some examples of classic investment jackets with contemporary dresses:
Or:
With:
Kate looks great when she mixes the elegant with the fun, and we can, too. Channel your inner Princess Duchess and start playing around in your closet and see what you can't come up with.
How do you mix your classic pieces with your trendy ones?
Photo via Getty