There was a certainly a theme to the Duchess of Edinburgh’s looks during her three public outings this week. In each outfit – from tailoring to floral dresses – soft, youthful pinks and creams reigned supreme in her colour palette, which we’re dubbing the ‘ice cream’ dress code.
Steering away from bold tones doesn’t mean fading into the background, as Sophie demonstrates. Instead, it’s about choosing colours that give a soft, warming glow rather than feeling too harsh. As we transition into summer, these strawberry and cream hues and others closer to the centre of the colour wheel (think lilac, soft blues, a pale mint green) are the shades to look towards.
‘Pastels are always big for spring (groundbreaking, we know), but ice cream colours really were everywhere in the spring/summer collections, from gorgeous pistachios to butter yellows and cotton candy pinks,’ says shopping editor Alison Lynch. ‘Pastels are great for brightening up your skin tone and giving you a more youthful appearance – but we recommend balancing the softness with a little structure, such as Sophie’s tailored suit.’
This week, for instance, Sophie visited the Royal School for the Blind charity in a co-ordinating jacket and suit trousers. For the ensemble, she turned against classic grey, black or navy shades in favour of a soft, pale pink. This is a great example of how to wear a professional look that injects personality while still being flattering – a black suit rarely suits any complexion and can risk being draining or even ageing.
Elsewhere this week, the Duchess attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show and was photographed in a carriage wearing a pink jacket and fabulous straw hat that was encircled in pink ribbon. Sophie also attended the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (20 May), again opting for ice cream pink and cream tones.
On this occasion, Sophie’s look worked particularly well because she balanced the pastels with ‘the flecks of darker shades in her gorgeous floral dress’, says Alison. The Duchess attended the event alongside the Princess of Wales, who was similarly channelling the ice cream dress code in this season’s butter yellow.
‘If you’re looking to get her style this season, brands like Me+Em, Mint Velvet and Nobody’s Child are a good bet,’ says Alison.
