Where are all of those pattern-recognition royalists when you need them? Are they still obsessing over Prince William and the Duchess of Sussex both mentioning scones within a 24-hour period? That was big news last week. Weirdly, those royalists don’t think it’s particularly newsworthy or any kind of pattern when the Princess of Wales wore two California-based labels during her handful of events in the past month. When Kate was in Italy, she made a point of wearing Jenni Kayne, an LA-based label worn often by the Duchess of Sussex. Then this week, Kate wore a (terrible) dress by Rodarte, another California-based label. Huh, what gives?? Well, People Magazine thinks Kate is sending a signal. Not a signal that she wants to wear Meghan’s face as her own, but a signal that Kate is planning a trip to America.
Kate Middleton just had a set of style firsts, leading to speculation that she’s hinting at some upcoming travel plans.
On Tuesday, June 2, the Princess of Wales, 44, attended a reception commemorating the 125th anniversary of the charity Cancer Research U.K. alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla and other members of the royal family.
Not only was the royal reception notable as King Charles and Princess Kate’s first time stepping out together for a cancer-related event since sharing their own diagnoses in 2024, but it also marked a fashion first for the Princess of Wales. Kate wore a red silk twill midi dress with heart-shaped polka dots by Rodarte. It was the first time that the royal wore the American brand, founded in 2001 by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy.
Princess Kate rarely wears American brands, often opting to spotlight her favorite U.K. brands or, when traveling abroad, highlighting the work of local designers.
However, the Rodarte dress was actually the second time in recent weeks that Kate wore an American designer.
During the second day of her stay in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia in May, the princess wore a skirt by another L.A.-based designer, Jenni Kayne, marking another first.
Meghan Markle is also a fan of Jenni Kayne, and the Duchess of Sussex, 44, has even worn the same pleated skirt as her sister-in-law. During her 2025 appearance on “The Circuit” with Emily Chang, Meghan wore a yellow version of the piece, pairing it with a sweater in the same shade.
I’m glad People Magazine mentioned that Meghan wore Jenni Kayne first. Meghan also wore two-tone flats first, only Meghan’s flats are Chanel and Kate wore some knock-off version (which looked a lot like Meghan’s). Now, I’ll be fair – Meghan has never worn Rodarte, nor would Meghan ever wear a puffy-shouldered Minnie Mouse dress with a parched wig. But it’s definitely weird as hell that Kate is now wearing so many California labels. Even with Natasha Archer out of Kate’s employ, it looks like Kate is maintaining all of her Meghan moodboards. Incidentally, I don’t think Kate is coming to the US this summer. Prince William isn’t even committed to coming… unless England makes it to the World Cup quarterfinals.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
