The tabloids are frothing with excitement this morning because Princess Anne has re-worn a 35-year-old outfit to Ascot. Obviously, her thrift should be applauded, although the most important thing about this frock coat, in fashion terms, is that it could be from Loewe this season.
As all French Vogue editors know, mustard is the chicest colour and outerwear is everything. As for the high-necked blouse and skinny belt? Styling genius – and totally new-era Gucci, under Alessandro Michele.
Princess Anne has previous form with recycling high-profile outfits. Not only has she worn this same coat several times over the past 35 years, in 2008, at Lady Rose Windsor’s wedding, she was resplendent in the frilly florals from Charles and Diana’s marriage in 1981. In 2000, she re-wore a jewel-encrusted gown debuted at the 1986 premiere of Absolute Beginners. The Queen, too, is a re-wearer (her canary-yellow dress for William and Catherine’s wedding accompanied her on a diplomatic trip to Australia), as is the Duchess of Cambridge. Prince George is already been dressed thriftily, making his balcony debut in an outfit worn by Prince William in 1984.
Last week, a Barnardo’s study claimed that women wear clothes just seven times, on average, before they throw them away. This sorry state of affairs is simply not chic. The truly stylish do not like to be seen to be shopping constantly; they are too busy doing fabulous things, too secure in their “story” and too ethically aware to countenance creating landfill. Similarly, posh people love to be seen as earthy and thrifty – let the arrivistes spend their days obsessively trawling the shops in Bond Street while they re-wear clothes with history.
Today’s furore also cements an important truth about the royal family: though the media dwells, predictably, on the Duchess of Cambridge’s perfectly nice breton tops, the older generation are the true style icons. Anne was doing white polo necks yonks before Nicolas Ghesquière put them on the Louis Vuitton catwalk. She did modesty dressing eons before Phoebe Philo joined Céline (that high-necked, bell-sleeved 1970s wedding dress) and mastered brooches with teal skirt suits before Prada. And that Barbour jacket accessorised with silk scarf thing that Alexa Chung and her gang have been doing all decade? Pure Princess Royal.
Whether you like the royals or not, Anne certainly has a brilliant wardrobe – and the biggest style lesson here is perfectly clear. It is always a good look to re-wear a piece from 20 or 30 years ago (see also: Angela Merkel’s 18-year-old tunic), leaving the fact that you still fit into it hanging in the air, like a fabulous silk scarf.
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