Published on
May 22, 2018
The Duchess of Cambridge becomes a fashion repeats role model
There were many norms that were broken at the Royal wedding over the weekend, and all of them very positive, bringing a very traditional institution into our modern world.
And while it wasn’t the most momentous, amid all the other welcome changes, I was pleased to see Kate Middleton repeat a dress she’d worn many other times. By wearing something old, the Duchess of Cambridge was actually doing something quite new.
The importance of repeats has long been one of my fashion crusades, and I make a point of repeating all the time.
And it’s not just about convenience. No one thinks twice – or even notices – when men repeat. And that style gap – women being frowned at or even shamed for doing exactly what men constantly do -- has real implications for women. The expectation of a new outfit for every occasion is a stress-creating time-suck and a competitive advantage for men – as if there aren’t enough of those already.
E Online called Middleton a “repeat offender” in its headline. How timelessly old-fashioned! In fact, she’s a repeat role model. And not only was she repeating -- not once, not twice, not three times but four times so far -- her beautiful Alexander McQueen dress, but she showed how you can repeat and still shine with the world’s cameras on you.
And the Duchess of Cambridge has recently been joined by other role models. Like Tiffany Haddish, who proudly wore her own Alexander McQueen repeat when she hosted SNL earlier this year. “I don’t give a dang about no taboo,” Haddish said on stage. “I spent a lot of money on this dress! This dress cost way more than my mortgage. This a Alexander McQueen, okay?” Later, she added, “I should be able to wear what I want, when I want, however many times I want, as long as I’ve Febreezed it.”
In most cases this year, watching venerable institutions break long-established norms hasn’t been a very happy experience. But the royal wedding was an exception in so many ways.
So congratulations to the happy new couple and to their elegant sister-in-law as well!
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Arianna Huffington is the founder and CEO of Thrive Global, the founder of The Huffington Post, and the author of 15 books, including international bestsellers Thrive and The Sleep Revolution. In 2016, she launched Thrive Global, a behavior change technology company with the mission of improving health outcomes and productivity.
Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 17 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. At 21, she became president of the famed debating society, the Cambridge Union. She has been named to Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list.