Dress Distraction: Kate Middleton follows in Princess Diana’s footsteps and demonstrates the power of fashion

Catherine and King Charles have been identified as the royals named in the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame and are at the centre of a scandal involving alleged comments about the colour of Prince Archie’s skin. Whilst the fallout from the ‘scandal’ continues, Catherine, Princess of Wales, wowed in a Safiyaa teal dress which she accessorised with matching court shoes. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the label Safiyaa, it was founded by Daniela Karnuts in 2011. Catherine, Princess of Wales, is not the only high profile name who has worn the label. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex wore a red Safiyaa dress for the Mountbatten Music Festival in London. Penny Mordaunt also stole the show at King Charles’s coronation in a teal Roni Safiyaa dress, and the gown was then shown alongside other ceremonial outfits after the event. 

Now back to Catherine. Stepping out in a stunning dress is of course nothing new when it comes to the former Kate Middleton. However, she has clearly picked up a trick or two from her late mother-in-law Princess Diana when it comes to stepping out in a wow outfit, making headlines about her fashion rather than anything else that could be construed as negative press. 

Back in 1994 Princess Diana stepped out at the Serpentine Gallery in the most exquisite off the shoulder black dress by Christina Stambolian. According to reports she was originally planning to wear a Valentino dress but instead opted to wear a more figure-hugging outfit on the same date the then Prince Charles acknowledged in a TV documentary that he had been unfaithful. It was labelled the ‘revenge dress and it was exactly that, everybody wanted to photograph Diana and talk about her rather than Charles. 

By stepping out in a glamorous outfit, Catherine did her utmost to ensure that headlines were about her dress rather than the racism row. The American fashion designer, businesswoman and author Rachel Zoe once said: “Style is saying who you are without having to speak.” Catherine, like Diana, knows that an outfit can allow you to express yourself without need for explanation. She was showing the world that quite simply, the show must go on whilst ensuring her dress took centre stage.