What a Job Listing Reveals About Royal Fashion

“Wardrobe management experience” was the first qualification listed in a recent job posting from the royal family — and you know that caught my eye! The position, described as a personal assistant to Will and Kate, was advertised as “maternity cover.” I’m reading between the lines here but my guess is that the opening could be a temporary replacement for the duchess’s beloved personal assistant and longtime stylist Natasha Archer, who is pregnant.

The duties of the job and the skills required of applicants were fascinating to read. The responsibilities, as outlined in the post, include “proactively drive and deliver the forward planning and delivery of all wardrobe requirements,” (confirmation that their outfits are planned months in advance) “manage, and be responsible for, appropriate budgets and invoicing,” (yes, they pay for their clothes) and “ensure sufficient and proactive contingency planning.” (Remember when Kate got stuck overnight on tour in Pakistan and stepped out the next morning in a new outfit? That’s “contingency planning” right there.) The post said that, in addition to "wardrobe management," all applicants should have experience managing projects, budgets and suppliers, along with “discretion.”

I get asked all the time why I care so much about royal fashion and my response is always that I care because they care. The royal family invests time and resources in getting dressed for public appearances because it draws attention to their work. It also generates excitement, and in many cases affection, for the individuals as well as the institution. Here is proof — they’ve made it a job. And a big one!

Which brings me back to Kate. Let's think through her recent looks. After a longer-than-usual summer break, leaving us a bit starved for royal fashion, Kate stepped out in back-to-back khaki blazers. These pieces suited her and were extremely appropriate for the seriousness of the engagements. But I’ll confess I was a bit underwhelmed. Is this the beginning of a new, subdued style? I wondered.

And then last Friday the duchess wore a tennis skirt (!) to celebrate U.S. Open Champion Emma Raducanu. Ok, I thought. We're here to play! Now we know it was foreshadowing the showstopper that was to come: the plunging gold sequin cape dress by Jenny Packham for the James Bond premiere Tuesday. The look was the most glamorous of her royal tenure and, to me, an undeniable nod to Princess Diana. Absolutely incredible. The following day, Kate popped up in Northern Ireland in a bright purple Emilia Wickstead suit. I couldn’t love it more! So many looks to get excited about. (ICYMI: You can catch up on my Kate SMTs here.)

One of my favorite things to do with royal fashion is examine how the outfits play off one another. Meghan does this beautifully; seen most recently with her slideshow dressing in New York (ICYMI you will find my Meghan SMTs here). Kate’s recent quintet of looks highlights something else: sequencing and cadence, or how ensembles can build. Her two neutral blazers set the bar fairly low, then came the unexpected tennis skirt, followed by — BAM — the gold sequin gown, glammed to the nines. If that was the shot, the purple power suit was the chaser.

Did the more subdued earlier looks helped up the "WOW" factor for the final two? I think so. What's more, it showed Kate has serious range, which is demanded of royals today. They must be both accessible and aspirational, an exceedingly fine line to walk.

Now, consider the planning that all of this requires on both a macro and micro level. There’s the narrative arc building to that red carpet, but then also the logistics for each outfit. The looks need to be selected — ideally with some thoughtful detail — then ordered, tailored, pressed and prepped for the duchess. It’s a lot of work. And I respect the hell out of it!

But mostly: Best wishes to Natasha with the arrival of baby #2!

Fun fact: She is married to Getty royal photographer Chris Jackson (who took the amazing shot above of Kate). He has a book coming out on the Queen later this month; you can pre-order it here.

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SMT Royal News Roundup

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My weekend plans include watching Diana, The Musical (obviously!) and going on a hike, which feels very LA. 😅 Wish me luck, friends, and I’ll see you back in your inboxes on Tuesday and on Instagram always.

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