Style reigns supreme: Catherine, Princess of Wales, proves she's still got it
The fashion crowd in London is generally known for keeping cool.
But recently, the editors and designers at a ceremony for one of the industry's most prestigious local awards became palpably excited when Catherine, Princess of Wales, emerged to present this year's Queen Elizabeth II Award for Design to Patrick McDowell, 29, a Liverpool-born designer.
Dressed in an olive Victoria Beckham suit and a white silk pussy-bow blouse, Catherine walked with McDowell among mannequins and models wearing the designer's looks inside 180 the Strand, the central London building where the event took place.
It was the second time the princess had presented the award, which was created by the British Fashion Council and the British royal family in 2018 to recognise the role London's fashion industry 'plays in society and diplomacy'.
Read more: Suits and signet rings: King Charles' fashion through the ages
Catherine Middleton, Princess of Wales, opts for an olive Victoria Beckham suit and a white silk pussy-bow blouse. Photo: AFP The princess did not give public comments at the ceremony, but McDowell said that their private conversation touched on topics including a shared appreciation for craftsmanship and the designer's efforts to make collections in Britain and offer customers the option to repair or rework old garments.
McDowell added that, as Catherine toured the clothes on display, she took interest in a tailored sleeveless jacket called 'the Wales jacket'.
'She said, 'Why would you call it that?' with a big smile,' McDowell said. 'What a moment, to be sharing jokes with our future queen.'
Catherine's appearance at the event came as she has been stepping up the pace and profile of her public engagements after her cancer diagnosis and treatment last year.
In January, she said her cancer was in remission; about a month later, the Sunday Times of London published an article that suggested that Kensington Palace would no longer be disclosing any details of her outfits to the news media.
During the awards ceremony, the princess also met with other young designers who were on hand to showcase their wares, including Conner Ives, an American working in London whose 'Protect the Dolls' T-shirt have spread widely on social media in recent weeks.
Ives was announced as the 2025 winner of the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund award, which came with a grant and an industry mentorship.
In past years, the Queen Elizabeth II Award for Design went to designers including Richard Quinn, SS Daley and Priya Ahluwalia. It has been presented in the past by other senior royals, including Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III and Princess Anne.
McDowell, whose namesake brand was introduced in 2018, is known for offering made-to-order evening and occasion wear designed in London using recycled textiles and new sustainable materials like sequins made of cellulose.
Read more: Jewellery of English aristocracy and Hollywood royalty set for London exhibition
Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker and Keira Knightley are among the label's notable fans.
McDowell said that winning the Queen Elizabeth II Award was 'a wonderful pat on the back that provides a game-changing stamp of approval', as well as an 'acknowledgment that working in a circular way is a way forward'.
'I'd love to make a piece for her,' McDowell added, referring to Catherine. 'It would be a dream come true.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malaysian Reserve
3 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Viewing China from Afar: Quick & Easy Chinese Meals for Every Home
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ –Combining a touch of Chinese innovation with a spark of creativity, Chef Martin Yan challenges the idea of successful meals. That's the winning formula Chef Martin Yan uses to guide us through preparing a Chinese-style home-cooked seafood feast—for twenty people in just half an hour. The documentary 'Viewing China from Afar: Quick & Easy Chinese Meals for Every Home' was produced by People's Daily Online West USA. In this episode, viewers will follow the Chinese-American chef and TV host, Martin Yan, to visit a mainstream American supermarket—Safeway—, a prominent Chinese-American grocery chain—99 Ranch Market—and a major Chinese frozen food supplier—Prime Food Processing, producing high-quality dishes like dumplings, dim sum, and ready-to-cook seafood. Chef Yan demonstrates how easily these ingredients can be turned into a quick, authentic Chinese home-style dinner. With clever shortcuts and bold creativity, hosting a 20-person gathering becomes effortless—just as Chef Yan says, 'If Yan can cook, so can you!'
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
The bride wore a minidress: Shorter lengths make a statement in bridal fashion
Kateryna Zemliakova donned a floor-length gown with voluminous removable sleeves by Rara Avis for her wedding ceremony at a 14th-century castle in the Czech Republic in May. But her real statement look was the minidress with flutter sleeves, made by Sova Nataliia, that she wore for the reception. 'I picked the minidress about eight months before finding my ceremony dress,' said Zemliakova, 30, who works in pharmaceuticals and is based in Prague. 'The moment I saw it on Instagram, I knew that it was the dress. I wanted a look that felt elegant but still playful, something that would reflect my true personality and add a touch of fun to the celebration.' No longer reserved for intimate nuptials or micro-weddings, minidresses have recently taken centre stage in many wedding wardrobes. British singer Charli XCX wed George Daniel, drummer for the rock band the 1975, in July wearing a corseted minidress by Vivienne Westwood. She was the latest of a growing number of celebrity brides to embrace the look. Read more: She designs with love, for love: Nurita Harith speaks on her bridalwear journey 'Brides are moving away from formulaic bridal wear,' said Brigitte Stepputtis, the design director of bridal at Vivienne Westwood. 'Mini silhouettes resonate because they are playful but timeless.' Designer Idan Cohen, who created the custom after-party dress that Demi Lovato wore for her May nuptials to singer Jordan Lutes, agreed: 'Many brides don't want to be seen as a princess for the entire evening, and minidresses can give them that moment of showstopper attention without the large gown,' he said. Minidresses first gained popularity in bridal fashion in the 1960s, a period of social change. Celebrity brides like Sharon Tate, Yoko Ono and Jane Fonda wore them for their courthouse weddings. Over the years, minidresses became a favoured look for city hall ceremonies and intimate weddings. As bridal wear evolved, brides began wearing minidresses for the reception or after-party, as well as for pre-wedding events like bridal showers and rehearsal dinners. Recently, choosing a minidress has become as important as choosing a traditional gown. 'We're definitely seeing more brides choosing a mini for their formal ceremony, often paired with a detachable overskirt for added drama, which they can remove for the reception or after-party for a true minidress moment,' said Giselle Dubois, the CEO of Spina Bride, a bridal boutique in New York City. 'It's a modern, budget-friendly alternative to a full ball gown and lets them carry the look into the rest of the night.' Many brides, she said, look for minidresses with the same construction and elevated details as traditional wedding dresses. In some cases, they are looking for the mini to outshine the gown. 'A large number of our brides come to us specifically for minidresses for their reception or after-party,' Dubois said. 'Most have already found their ceremony gown and are looking for something as special as their ceremony dress. They often want something bold and unexpected, such as a mini with fringe or feathers, a bubble skirt or architectural silhouette.' Christy Baird, the founder and owner of Loho Bride, a boutique in Los Angeles, has also seen a rise in demand for minis. 'As brides are leaning into more modern, personalised weddings, they're favouring minidresses to allow them to express a different side of their style,' she said, adding that she had seen the trend on runways at bridal fashion weeks and on social media. 'As weddings become less traditional,' she added, 'The minidress is becoming more of a bridal staple, not just a quirky outlier.' Minidresses have long been a favourite silhouette with almost every designer, from couture to ready-to-wear. Designers often take inspiration from traditional wedding gowns, adding details like long trains that drape on one side, detachable, oversize bows and long sheer or lace underskirts. This summer, they have been busy creating even more options for brides. In June, Andrea Osei Bride debuted a capsule collection of blue minidresses. Halfpenny London introduced a capsule collection in collaboration with Net-a-Porter. For her June wedding, Cassie Thorpe, a 32-year-old from New York, wore a structured minidress by Berta, accessorised with a puff-sleeve cape, cathedral-length veil and crystal-embellished legging boots. She said she chose to wear the minidress for her black-tie celebration because she wanted a statement piece. 'When I first tried on the dress, I didn't want to take it off,' Thorpe said. 'The silhouette was simple and felt classic and timeless, just shorter. I knew I didn't need a long, traditional gown or a second dress because this was the one.' Thorpe recalled the reaction from her wedding guests: 'The full look offered all of the drama that I wanted when the double doors of the church opened. Everyone stood up and turned around to look at me as I walked down the aisle.' Read more: From vintage vibes to exaggerated hips, a look at the latest bridalwear trends She liked that she was able to adjust the look throughout the day and that she didn't have to worry about having a long train or a lot of material around her groom all night, she said. 'The dress felt very effortless to wear, and I had easy layers that I could remove for the reception and after-party,' she said. Lesley Brickman, a Los Angeles-based bridal stylist and the founder of The One Gown, said the mini look 'instills a sense of carefree fun and spirit. It can really inject new energy into the festivities when the bride steps out on the dance floor in a fabulous short dress'. For her second look at her May destination wedding in Provence, France, Helen Owen Kalter, 32, changed out of her floor-length gown by Galia Lahav and into a French-lace minidress by Maëlle. 'Beyond wanting a minidress so that I could dance freely all night, I felt that a more playful dress would bring fresh, fun energy into the second half of the evening,' said Owen Kalter, the founder of the Phlow camera app and a lifestyle and travel content creator based in Los Angeles. – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The Star
15 hours ago
- The Star
Jennifer Lopez turned away at Chanel store in Istanbul
No Chanel, no problem. Photo: JLo/Instagram Jennifer Lopez was reportedly turned away from shopping at Chanel in Istanbul last week, a day before rocking the Turkish capital as part of her summer tour. The singer, 56, was shopping at high-end mall Istinye Park on Monday when a guard at Chanel told her the store was at full capacity, according to Turkiye Today. 'OK, no problem,' the Bronx-born A-lister answered, cool as a very wealthy, very famous cucumber. Employees later invited her to shop at Chanel, but Lopez declined, per local business outlet Patronlar Dunyasi. She reportedly went on to spend tens of thousands of dollars at other designer stores like Celine. A representative for Lopez did not respond to the Daily News' request for comment. A day after the reported incident, Lopez performed at the Istanbul Festival at Yenikapi Festival Park as part of her Up All Night Tour. She also played the Turkish city of Antalya late last month. The current tour comes a year after Lopez's infamously cancelled This Is Me… Live Tour to promote her This Is Me… Now album, largely centred on her reconciliation with Ben Affleck. Colloquially known as Bennifer, the couple was engaged in the early aughts and got back together in spring 2021. They tied the knot in two ceremonies in summer 2022, with Lopez filing for divorce on the second anniversary of the latter wedding. The split was legally finalised earlier this year. Lopez joked at her Bilbao, Spain, show in mid-July that she's 'done' with marriage following four divorces — from Affleck, Marc Anthony, Cris Judd and Ojani Noa — and additional engagements. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
