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

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.”