The Earl and Countess of Wessex today joined The King and Queen of the Netherlands on some visits, including to view British and Dutch marines, on the second day of their State Visit. They were joined by The Duke of Kent. Sophie chose a navy skirt suit and smart pill box for the occasion.
Sophie wore a navy satin jacket and matching dress by Bruce Oldfield. We also saw this skirt suit at the thanksgiving service of 2012 for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and to celebrate The Duke of Edinburgh Award’s 60th birthday last year. The jacket features three-quarter sleeves, three large cubic buttons to the centre which creates a v-neck, panelling at the hips, which has ruching detail to the bottom, a large collar into pointed lapels.
The dress is in a matching fabric, featuring laser cut detail that is lace-like, also mimicked in the jacket’s sleeves. Beneath this panel is a nude lining and on the jacket it appears to be mesh. We think this is probably a shift style piece, without sleeves.
Back in 2012:
Bruce Oldfield is a label that Diana Princess of Wales was fond of, and is often worn by The Duchess of Cornwall nowadays too. Sophie tends to go to him for evening gowns now, however, as opposed to daywear.
The Countess wore a navy coat over her outfit for a short time. The double-breasted piece features pewter buttons, a wide lapel, structured shoulders, slit pockets to the hips and full-length skirt. This was worn last year to a charity carol concert, but we don’t have any more info on it; it is it versatile piece, a staple for a woman’s wardrobe.
Hat might have been a Jane Taylor piece, Sophie’s go-to milliner. She has worn pillboxes by her in the past, so it wouldn’t be a stretch, but we can’t see any similar pieces on the brand’s site, though we did find a similar fabric for one hat. The hat is the typical pillbox shape, without any adornment, allowing the boucle fabric to speak instead. We love this vintage look on the Countess!
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
The shape of the shoes point us to Sophie wearing Manolo Blahnik heels, a pair we have seen her in before. These are the ‘BB 115 pumps’, featuring a pointed toe, 11cm heel with the distinct wider part at the top, and a low vamp. We like that she matched the shoe fabric to the outfit, as suede might have looked a little out of place. These heels cost £495 and are available here.
Sophie carried a Beauchamps ‘Codrington’ clutch in navy python, which retailed for £250. This is the medium version, though a larger one was available. The bag is a simple pouch with a flap and turn lock opening, with the flap featuring cut off angular corners. Down the sides we see studs details and a Beauchamps plaque on the back. We show the bag below in charcoal.
Sophie chose her Lucia Odescalchi earrings. These are a slightly altered version of the ‘gold drusy squared earrings’, which we last saw at the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange earlier in the year. They appear to have sold out.
You can get Sophie’s look here:
Photos from @RoyalFamily
