When Kate exited Westminster Abbey on her wedding day, she walked straight into her new life as a key member of the royal family, leaving behind many of her single-girl style staples. The flirty and floaty dresses, low-cut evening gowns, tousled locks, and thigh-skimming minis became a thing of the past, as she forged her way ahead with a more demure, duchess-worthy wardrobe [1]. However, since her first year as a royal, the Duchess of Cambridge has been finessing her look to become something that is suitable for a future queen, sure, but also stays true to who she is. We take a look at how Kate's fashion choices have evolved from her first tentative year as the duchess of Cambridge to a more self-assured mum of two.
Hair: Then
This is the look we first became acquainted with when Kate announced her engagement — and it stayed throughout her first year of marriage. Dark, glossy brunette locks, all one length, super long and often worn in twirly-wirly barrel curls. For her first year of royal life, Kate relied on the talented touch of James Pryce, who she'd known since her days as a girl about town in London. He had operated from the Richard Ward salon but parted ways with his former boss and hasn't styled Kate's hair since.
Hair: Now
The overall look is still the same, but there have been a few subtle changes. The colour of Kate's hair is more accented and a lot lighter, while she's also wearing it shorter and more shaped, which has taken away some of the bulk but none of the volume. It's still tonged but in a different way, often with bigger, more '70s-style glamour waves. For the past five years, Kate has relied on the services of Amanda Cook Tucker, who has been cutting William's and Harry's hair most of their lives.
Eyebrows: Then
Kate used to always go for a thick, ultradark tick of eyebrow.
Eyebrows: Now
She now favors a more shaped brow, slender and more arched than they were in the past and not quite as dark.
Eye Makeup: Then
It seems that Kate's mantra used to be if in doubt, add more eyeliner. The duchess was fond of drawing thick black pencil inside her lash line, ringing her entire eye with with it for both day and night.
Eye Makeup: Now
Kate now often leaves her inner lash line bare for daytime engagements and uses her pencil in a more subtle and flattering way. Now she favours foxy flicks of liquid liner and has mastered the art of the shimmery smoky eye.
Skin Tone: Then
Kate's latte tan was one of the hangovers from her single-girl life, and in the first year of marriage it looked as though she was having regular visits from a spray tanner.
Skin Tone: Now
It has been reported that Kate still has semiregular spray tans, but they are a lot lighter than they used to be. She instead uses plenty of blush on the apples of her cheeks.
Hemlines: Then
The thigh-skimming minis of her Middleton days made way for sensible below-the-knee options as soon as she became a member of the royal family. The Erdem dress she wore on the first day of her Canadian tour in 2011 was typical of her new sleek, professional look.
Hemlines: Now
Kate has in the last year found a new favourite hemline in the midi length, often worn '70s style with blouse sleeves. Even though she now favours a longer hemline, it looks fresher and less formal than the knee-length numbers, as seen with this splash of royal blue Saloni last year.
Necklines: Then
As a single girl, Kate favoured plunging necklines for wow gowns at charity events, but in her early years as a royal, she almost entirely favoured ultrahigh necklines, including boat necks, Peter Pan collars, and modest Vs. At black-tie events, the McQueen gown she wore in LA was typical of her new style.
Necklines: Now
While these high-neckline looks are still a part of Kate's wardrobe, she has become more confident and experimental in her choices. It's unlikely we'll see the likes of those slinky plunging Issas she wore when she was a miss, but the duchess has mixed things up recently with deeper Vs, as well as illusion panels and bare shoulders. She likes this skin-baring Preen gown so much that she has it in red and black.
Hats: Then
Frills, ruffles, bows, and fussy feathers featured on Kate's fascinators or dinner-plate-size hats perched on the side of her head. This Philip Treacy that she wore on Garter Day in 2011 was a typical Kate look for the time.
Hats: Now
Kate now favours more sleek and slinky cocktail hats with quirkier touches, such as this Gina Foster number. She has also been trying out new shapes with crowns and big brims that sit squarely on the head, employing the services of Princess Diana's favourite milliner, John Boyd.
Jewelry: Then
Kate used to stick mostly with the sloaney staples of pearl earrings and her diamond pave button pendant, plus lots of semiprecious Kiki McDonough designs.
Jewelry: Now
The go-to pearls, daytime diamonds, and Kiki McDonoughs are still sprinkled through Kate's looks, but the duchess has become more experimental with her jewellery, mixing in asymmetric shapes and bigger, bolder designs, like these gold-plated disc earrings by Brora.
Red Carpet: Then
Kate's first full-length gown as a royal was careful in its capped sleeves and high neckline, but the Jenny Packham design was still glamorous and pretty with its sparkle and blush colour.
Red Carpet: Now
Kate has flirted with thigh-splits and a mini/floor-length combo in the past few years and most recently chose an off-the-shoulder black flower-decked McQueen gown for the BAFTAs.