While the Princess of Wales is naturally the focus of praise when it comes to her sartorial choices, there’s another member of the Royal family who regularly proves to be a style icon: Princess Anne.
This week was an example of that; She looked practical, appropriate and, needless to say, stylish in her own unique way as she stepped out for engagement after engagement in Sri Lanka.
It all started when he stepped off his commercial flight (tick!) carrying his beloved Longchamp Le Pliage travel bag (an indispensable bag that he is often photographed on these tours).
He looked both business-ready and casual in a cream-coloured pinstripe suit, a tailored blazer and loose-fitting trousers. resistance part from its appearance? Her trendy big-collared dark blue blouse is a surprising shade that reminds us of Prada’s retro suit.
“The important thing to remember is that this is incredibly intentional,” explains the book’s author, Rosie Harte. Royal WardrobeIt was published last summer.
“When you look at other royal tours in recent years, that getting off the plane thing is a huge moment to establish what the Royal family wants to get out of that trip and what they want to get out of people coming to see them, especially when they’re at home. So it’s not inside the airport, “They go down outside so there are as many people and cameras as possible.”
So what does Anne’s appearance mean? Of course he’s here for business. As always, no nonsense.
The 73-year-old wore the same look for his first engagement of the day; she added a brooch and pulled out her beloved Adidas sunglasses. “On other royal tours you might see other members of the family changing their appearance to fit the occasion, but Anne doesn’t do that,” Harte continues. “This is actually to highlight the amount of work he gets done in a day.”
In fact, the Princess Royal’s USP is that she is the hardest worker and receives more decorations every year than any other family member, so it’s no surprise that she doesn’t have time to change.
The evening engagement (a reception with Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe) required more formal attire. For the occasion, Anne wore a signature long-sleeved, colorfully printed dress and paired it with pearl jewelry (including a three-strand necklace believed to have belonged to Queen Elizabeth II) and a white scarf. and gloves.
The second item – opera gloves – may seem like an odd choice to many, but it’s still an example of Anne’s accidental trending. While the Crown Princess probably wears them for etiquette reasons — her late mother was rarely seen without gloves — they’re actually incredibly cool among Gen Z, who style them for nights out. Indeed, the hashtag “operagloves” currently has 5.2 million views on TikTok, and they were a fixture on the Valentino A/W ’23 catwalk.
As Harte explains: “First of all, I think Anne’s gloves are a reminder that her ‘old money’ style isn’t a trend like it is for a lot of people on social media; this is his unique lifestyle. Anne is from the older generation who lives and breathes these classic etiquette rules, which is why she still wears her gloves on formal occasions. “This is his way of respecting the importance of the function.”
Of course, Anne’s habit of re-wearing things she’s owned forever means that some things, like the current fashion for “quiet luxury”, will coincidentally be trendy when they come back into style.
“Photos of Anne in her 20s got a lot of attention on social media and went viral,” says Harte. “Off-duty, with his riding gear and even his manners, he looks like he stepped out of a Ralph Lauren commercial.”
Her day two look embodied this “old money” style with an all-white ensemble complemented by classic accessories with a tan belt and a tan bag (the same bag she wore throughout). The fact of putting on clothes again also made him my godBecause we are all after a more environmentally friendly approach to fashion. It also emphasizes the stability of him and the monarchy, something he is keen to promote.
On the last day of their engagement in Sri Lanka, the mother chose a loose, paisley midi skirt and shirt; this once again looked like vintage Gucci but was actually a rare new purchase for her from Cheltenham-based store Cotswold Collections. near his home in Gatcombe Park.
Once again, she accessorized with wrap-around sunglasses, an offbeat sporty choice she’s become synonymous with (so much so that The Crown’s costume designers went to great lengths to feature them in a scene from the show’s final season).
Although Anne isn’t one to particularly “like” fashion – she sees it as a problem to be solved – there’s no denying that her equestrian flair and constant love for her own vintage wardrobe means she’s mostly on trend.