Kate Middleton’s New Favorite Designer Always Includes Something “Naughty” in Her Creations

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published 19 August 2022

When Kate Middleton finds a designer she likes, she grabs hold and wears their looks often: think Alexander McQueen, Emilia Wickstead, and Jenny Packham, for example. But in 2022, Kate’s newest obsession has been Alessandra Rich, wearing her creations everywhere from her Caribbean tour in March to Royal Ascot in June to Wimbledon last month (just to name a few).

According to The Sun, “the dresses that Kate tends to opt for often have longer sleeves and a calf-length skirt, but Alessandra also makes racier designs.” In fact, Rich told The Telegraph, she likes to put what she calls a “naughty” detail in all of her dresses, one that Kate sometimes keeps in, and sometimes modifies: a thigh split or a low cut somewhere.

“All my pieces are like this—they cover the arms or the legs, but there’s always a split somewhere, or a body chain underneath,” Rich told The Telegraph. “It is good to be a bit naughty.”

As The Sun recollects, “it wouldn’t be the first time Kate’s opted for something a little cheeky to wear, as she famously rocked a see-through dress at a university fashion show.” (That number, apparently, caught William’s attention so much that it was the beginning of the shift from their platonic relationship to…more than friends.) Though these days she’s far more conservative with her fashion choices, Kate has been coming into more and more of her own as of late, even landing on Tatler’s best dressed list—in the No. 1 spot.

Many of Kate’s hit looks of 2022 have been designed by Rich, who, when asked if she was pleased that the Duchess of Cambridge has so often turned to her creations for wow factor moments, replied “I am super grateful.”

“The Duchess of Cambridge is such a style icon,” Rich says. “I can’t ever say I’m not thrilled she likes my clothes.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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