As co-host of the Royally Obsessed podcast, I’ve made an effort to recreate my fair share of royal styles. There was the time I dressed like Meghan Markle for a week. Or my experience test driving Princess Diana’s signature electric blue eyeliner choice. I even modeled Kate Middleton & Meghan’s go-to coat brand last winter. But recently, when the royals flocked to Wimbledon, it was a different member of the family who’s sartorial choice caught my eye: Sophie, Countess of Wessex (aka Prince Edward’s wife).
Is Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the Most Under-the-Radar Royal Style Icon? I Test Drove Her Wimbledon Look
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Published Aug 12, 2021
Karwai Tang/Getty Images
There she was—a vision in a polka dot print Me+Em maxi dress—seated in the royal box beside Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at the annual tennis event. While I’d seen a parade of looks from the other royals throughout the week (Kate in soft pink and Bea in oversized polka dots, for example), Sophie’s chic and summery style was the single look that jumped out...and the one I was desperate to add to my closet. Lo and behold, it was not only affordable(ish), it was still in stock.
Courtesy of Rachel Bowie
As I tried it on, I thought to myself: If only I had somewhere as fancy as the royal box at Wimbledon on my calendar to wear this to. But that’s just it: Much like Kate and Meghan have made royal style feel ever so attainable over the years, Sophie’s choice of outfit—with its flowy silhouette and minimalist polka dots—felt in the same vein, like something I could wear to the office or to a casual dinner with friends, royal title or not.
Karwai Tang/Max Mumby/Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Now I was kicking myself: How I had not paid better attention to Sophie’s cool and sophisticated sense of fashion before? Like her appearance in white and navy at Commonwealth Day (above left) just ahead of the pandemic last year—or when she wore a bright blue, full length coat to Sandhurst in 2019 (above center). I’m even captivated by the look she chose for the Chelsea Flower Show in 2018 (above right). Polished and chic, yet understated. Based on recent style observations, that seems to be her royal fashion M.O.
Back to the Me+Em dress I got to test drive in a quest to replicate Sophie. Maybe it’s the detachable slip? The tailored fit? The pleats? It’s honestly the most regal I’ve ever felt.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still keeping tabs on and mimicking the shopping habits of both Kate and Meghan to the best of my ability. But let’s just say Sophie, Countess of Wessex, has become a style front-runner—and I can’t wait to see what she wears next.
