The Mail has someone relatively new covering the Princess of Wales’ style. The woman is Laura Craik, and her background seems to be in fashion, not royalty. Which is probably why Craik recently authored that hilarious piece about how Kate’s bespoke brocade coat looked like something more suitable for a septuagenarian. Well, Craik has a new piece where she suggests that Kate absolutely has a new stylist after Natasha Archer suddenly left Kate’s employ last year. Craik doesn’t know the identity of the new stylist, but points out that the new person seems obsessed with Princess Diana.
When the Princess of Wales parted ways with long-time aide Natasha Archer, royal watchers were primed for a change of style. Not just in the management of her diary – but her wardrobe. Archer, 38, was Kate’s senior private executive assistant between 2010 and last year. She became a trusted confidante and, while her role as Kate’s ‘stylist’ was never confirmed, unofficially she very much had a hand in shaping her clothing choices.
Fashion commentators often described the two women as going on a ‘style journey’ together, with Archer’s own fondness for neat shift dresses, Breton shirts and pussy bow blouses frequently finding echoes in the Princess’s wardrobe. Since Archer left, however, a new and more distant echo has emerged.
Fashion observers have noticed that Kate has been taking style cues from the former Princess of Wales, whose untimely death nearly 29 years ago has done little to dilute her seismic influence. Diana transformed royal fashion, blending elegance with accessibility, even if she didn’t reach for high street labels as frequently as Kate. She popularised power dressing, sleek tailoring and bold eveningwear, influencing designers and fans across the globe.
The latest fan of Diana’s style appears to be Kate’s new ‘secret stylist’. But given that Natasha Archer’s role was never confirmed, it’s unlikely her replacement will ever be named either.
After Kensington Palace let it be known in January that the Princess was keen for her clothes not to overshadow her humanitarian work, it would be particularly off-message for Kate to confess to using the services of a stylist even if she does – but which she surely must.
However confident they are in their fashion choices, no woman in the public eye can manage the minutiae of their wardrobe without some sort of help. Dressing for public office is a full-time job, particularly as a senior royal, when every outfit must be checked for provenance as well as practicality. But so frequently has Kate paid tribute to Diana’s style in recent months that it’s unlikely to be coincidence. And while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, Kate still manages to make every look her own.
The Mail did a long series of side-by-side comparisons so everyone could see which of Diana’s looks were being copykeened. While it’s true that Kate has been doing a lot – some would say “too much” – with the Diana copycatting, I also find it interesting that even fashion journalists can’t say the other thing. You know the one. The Meghan moodboards, the style-stalking of everything Meghan wears, and Kate’s recent fascination with California-based brands like Rodarte and Jenni Kayne. It must be part of the job for anyone working as Kate’s stylist – keeping updated Meghan lookbooks, keeping track of every item and brand Meghan wears.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
