Sophie Our Style Queen The Countess of Wessex is looking great
The Countess of Wessex is growing in confidence when it comes to her wardrobe, with bold and flattering fashion choices…
There was some stiff style competition a few weeks ago at Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding – did you see Amal Clooney in her glorious mustard Stella McCartney ensemble? – but there’s no doubt that the Countess of Wessex turned more than a few heads when she arrived for the wedding of the year.
Wearing a stunning duchess satin skirt with matching embellished top by designer Suzannah, Sophie completed her look with a beautiful ostrich trimmed hat from her favourite milliner, Jane Taylor.
Glowing, trim and perfectly turned out for every occasion, Sophie has a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most stylish members of the royal family – but it wasn’t always like that. Looking back at pictures from the mid to late 90s, before she married Prince Edward, Sophie’s look was a far cry from the stylish figure she cuts today. Boxy suits teamed with sensible shoes were the order of the day but in the past 20 years, Sophie has undergone an incredible transformation from frumpy to fabulous.
At 53, Sophie has never looked better – glamorous and youthful, she’s ditched her uninspiring corporate look from her PR days and now looks suitably sleek at every occasion.
A patron of the London College of Fashion since 2013, Sophie’s look has evolved over the years as she embraces a clever mix of high end high street favourites like LK Bennett with designer brands such as Erdem (a favourite of Michelle Obama), Roland Mouret and Prada. She’s not afraid of picking up tips from other stylish royals, too – the Duchess of Cambridge, Sophie and even the Queen share a love of many of the same designers.
Her fabulous figure is down to her fitness regime – she regularly swims, does pilates, runs and, of course, cycles. In fact, she shed more than a stone in 2016 as she prepared for her Diamond Challenge to mark the 60th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which involved her cycling 450 miles from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace.
Sophie’s stylish ensembles are now a regular sight at royal events – so what’s her secret? Many celebrities rely on the talents of a clever stylist but, in fact, Sophie doesn’t have one.
In ann interview with a national l newspaper, the Countess said she tried to do “what she could with what she had”, saying, “I know what I like and what I don’t like, but I have never had a stylist.
“I have a couple of favourite places for clothes and I’ve being going to (hatmaker) Jane (Taylor) for years.”
She does however have a dresser, David “Quicky” Quick who is said to be largely responsible for overhauling Sophie’s wardrobe. Nowadays, it is David who takes on the day-to-day responsibility of taking care of Sophie’s wardrobe, meticulously cataloguing every item, colour-coding, labelling and photographing everything so new outfits can be created at the drop of a hat.
Far from fading into the background, Sophie has
grown ever r more
confident in her fashion choices as she entered her 50s and isn’t afraid to have fun and d be bold with her look when the e opportunity presents itself.
A couple of years ago, Sophie admitted in an interview that she accepts fashion is part of the job when it comes to carrying out royal engagements.
“I sort of wrestled with that one for a little while and slightly caved in at the end of the day.”
Sophie did more than “cave e in” – she positively embraced it! Whether she’s exuding pretty elegance in pastel pink at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, or ramping up the glamour in Burberry and metallic heels at the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, she always gets it right. All hail, Sophie, Queen of Style!