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FashionPrince & Princess of Wales

Reader poll: The Duchess of Cambridge’s top five outfits of 2020 so far

From Barbour on the farm to McQueen at the BAFTAs, we’ve seen an array of looks on the Duchess of Cambridge this year (even though some have only been from the waist up on Zoom). When it came down to choosing her top outfits from the first half of 2020, our editorial team just couldn’t decide … so we turned to our readers.

After narrowing the list down to just five outfits, we polled Royal Central’s Instagram followers and the results are in. It was a tough competition, with just a few votes separating some of the outfits, but let’s take a look at some of Kate’s best 2020 styles so far.

Needle and Thread dress

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This gorgeous red midi dress from British label Needle and Thread was the big winner of our reader poll, raking in 133 out of the 463 votes. The Duchess of Cambridge wore the brand for the first time at January’s Buckingham Palace reception during the UK-Africa Investment Summit.

Inspired by the design of a vintage lace tablecloth, the ‘Aurora’ tulle dress features sequins and frills for a festive look that I would love to wear to a formal event during the Christmas season (if we’re actually allowed to gather at formal events by then!). Her new Soru ruby earrings were the perfect accompaniment to the dress, along with red suede pumps by Gianvito Rossi and a Jenny Packham clutch.

Commonwealth Day service

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Coming in not too far behind with 121 votes was another red ensemble: the berry red Catherine Walker coat dress Kate wore to the annual Commonwealth Day service in March. It’s hard to believe this was just about a week before much of the world went into lockdown, and we’re lucky the service went off as planned.

Whilst this coat was actually a repeat that Kate wore on Christmas Day 2018, she styled it differently for the service with a jaunty new hat, different jewellery, and an intricate up-do. The floral-trimmed, saucer-style topper by Sally Ann Provan had a fun detail with flowers hidden under the hat as well as on top of it. The Duchess wore her red Gianvito Rossi pumps for this event as well, along with a gorgeous pair of ruby and diamond drop earrings.

2020 BAFTA gown

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With 74 votes, the Duchess of Cambridge’s re-wear of a shimmering white-and-gold Alexander McQueen gown at the BAFTA awards ceremony was our third-place winner. Originally worn during the 2012 tour of Malaysia, this gown fit perfectly with the BAFTA’s sustainability theme for 2020, where guests were asked to wear an older outfit or one from a sustainable brand.

Like she did on Commonwealth Day, the Duchess mixed up her outfit with different hair and accessories, and this time Kate opted for a chic updo, Van Cleef & Arpels mother-of-pearl earrings and a matching necklace, and glittery gold Jimmy Choos.

Zara leopard skirt

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Not far behind at 68 votes comes a high street outfit that Kate wore to promote her 5 Big Questions early years survey back in January. This accordion-pleated, animal-print skirt from Zara with black boots and an unknown brand black polo neck was approachable and comfortable to play with kids but still a bit dressed up.

The Duchess also debuted a new camel coat by Massimo Dutti that day, along with a sweet gold disc necklace displaying the initials of each of her children.

A casual look in Northern Ireland

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Just one vote separated this outfit from the leopard print midi, with our fifth-place outfit coming in with a solid 67 votes. This Barbour Defence jacket is one of casual Kate’s favourite looks, and she paired it with a pale blue cashmere Pure Collection jumper for a farm stop during February’s surprise visit in Northern Ireland.

The warm jumper, jacket, black jeans, and her trusty (more than 15-year-old!) Penelope Chilvers tassel boots were perfect for a day outdoors interacting with children and animals, including a snake! We also got to see a new pair of earrings that day from Catherine Zoraida, and Kate has worn these gold fern drops several times since then, including on video engagements.

Which of these outfits was your favourite? Share your thoughts with us in the comments or over on our Instagram page, and look for more reader polls soon.

About author

Kristin was Chief Reporter for Royal Central until 2022 and has been following the British royal family for more than 30 years. Kristin has appeared in UK and U.S. media outlets discussing the British royals including BBC Breakfast, BBC World News, Sky News, the Associated Press, TIME, The Washington Post, and many others.