By Wonderwall.com Editors
10:17am PST, Jan 7, 2020
Join Wonderwall.com as we celebrate Duchess Kate's 38th birthday on Jan. 9, 2020, with a look back at the royal's most stunning fashion through the years… starting with the piece that sold out around the world. After Kate Middleton wore this dark blue Issa wrap dress during the official announcement of her engagement to Prince William on Nov. 16, 2010, it flew off stores' racks within a day despite its $600 price tag. Now keep reading for more of the Duchess of Cambridge's best and most glamorous looks of all time…
RELATED: Every outfit Duchess Kate wore in public in 2019
The most memorable garment that Duchess Kate has ever worn is, of course, the Alexander McQueen ivory satin and lace dress she donned on her wedding day, April 29, 2011. Sarah Burton designed the classic gown, which featured a plunging neckline with an eight-foot train and lace appliqués that were hand embroidered by workers at the Royal School of Needlework. Keep reading for a closer look at Kate's bodice, veil and tiara…
RELATED: The greatest royal wedding dresses
Duchess Kate's second wedding dress was just as classic as her first. After the ceremony, she changed into another design by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen — a white satin strapless gown with an embellished waist — and topped it with a fuzzy white shrug before leaving Clarence House with new stepmother-in-law Duchess Camilla to head to her evening wedding reception at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011.
Newlywed Duchess Kate picked a bold purple jersey dress by Issa, the same label that made her engagement announcement dress — and accessorized it with Queen Elizabeth II's diamond maple leaf brooch — to attend Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa on July 1, 2011, with Prince William.
Duchess Kate turned to Alexander McQueen again to design a look for her to wear during an official royal visit to Los Angeles a few months into her marriage. She wore a belted lilac gown from the brand when she attended the BAFTA Brits to Watch event at L.A.'s Belasco Theatre on July 9, 2011.
A luxe black velvet strapless dress by Alexander McQueen looked incredible on Duchess Kate when she attended the Sun Military Awards at London's Imperial War Museum on Dec. 19, 2011, with Prince William and Prince Harry. Keep reading for a closer look at the ruby and diamond necklace that took things up a notch…
Duchess Kate glamorously accessorized the black velvet Alexander McQueen gown that she wore to the Sun Military Awards on Dec. 19, 2011, with a floral-themed Mouawad necklace crafted from rubies and diamonds set in white gold.
Duchess Kate chose a gray Matthew Williamson dress featuring bold embellishments at the neckline and sleeves and a peplum detail at the waist for the U.K. premiere of Disneynature's "African Cats" in aid of Tusk at the BFI Southbank theater in London on April 25, 2012. Keep reading for a closer look at the beading…
Here's a closer look at the turquoise, yellow and metallic beading on the Matthew Williamson dress that Duchess Kate wore to the U.K. premiere of Disneynature's "African Cats" in aid of Tusk on April 25, 2012.
It's been a long time since we've seen a look like this on Duchess Kate! The royal arrived for a dinner hosted by The Thirty Club at Claridge's in London on May 8, 2012, wearing a beautiful ivory gown by Roland Mouret accessorized with sky-high sparkling silver Jimmy Choo sandals and — a rarity on Kate — dark nail polish on her toes. Keep reading for a closer look…
Duchess Kate's cream Roland Mouret dress featured a thigh-high slit that showed off her athletic legs and deep burgundy pedicure in those gorgeous Jimmy Choos on May 8, 2012.
On May 11, 2012, Duchess Kate arrives for the Our Greatest Team Rises BOA Olympic Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London wearing an ethereal teal lace-embellished dress by Jenny Packham. Keep reading for the back view…
Simply stunning! Duchess Kate's teal Jenny Packham dress featured a lace overlay on the back of the bodice, seen here as she arrived at the Royal Albert Hall in London on May 11, 2012.
Duchess Kate wore a white and gold gown by Alexander McQueen to attend a dinner hosted by Malaysia's head of state, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah of Kedah, at the Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sept. 13, 2012 — day three of her Diamond Jubilee Tour of South East Asia with Prince William.
A navy-and-green tartan coat by Alexander McQueen paired with black suede heeled boots looked lovely on Duchess Kate as she took part in a day of activities and festivities to mark the occasion of St. Andrew's Day at St. Andrew's School — which she once attended — in Pangbourne, Berkshire, England, on Nov. 30, 2012.
Seven weeks after giving birth to her first child, Prince George, Duchess Kate stepped out in a glittering silver sleeveless gown by Jenny Packham for the inaugural Tusk Conservation Awards, which celebrate outstanding achievement in the field of African conservation, at The Royal Society in London on Sept. 12, 2013.
Duchess Kate donned a beautiful bespoke look by Alexander McQueen featuring a ruffled placket and a matching fascinator by milliner Jane Taylor that all perfectly complemented Prince George's christening gown during her son's baptism at the Chapel Royal in St. James's Palace in London on Oct. 23, 2013.
Duchess Kate chose an elegant black Jenny Packham dress with a silver-embroidered fern — the national symbol of New Zealand — for a state reception at Government House in Wellington, New Zealand, with Prince William on April 10, 2014.
Duchess Kate wore a navy-and-cream military uniform-inspired Alexander McQueen look while visiting Bletchley Park in Bletchley, England, where her grandmother was a codebreaker, on June 18, 2014.
A month after announcing her second pregnancy, Duchess Kate attended the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards Ceremony at London's Natural History Museum on Oct. 21, 2014, wearing this playful high-low ice blue Jenny Packham dress with nude L.K. Bennett ankle-strap peep-toe heels.
Chinese President Xi Jinping raised a glass to toast with Duchess Kate during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on Oct. 20, 2015, where she wore a custom red cap-sleeved gown by Jenny Packham with the queen's sparkling Lotus Flower Tiara.
Duchess Kate dazzled in a pale blue Jenny packham gown with an embellished waist as she, Prince William and Prince Harry attended the Royal Film Performance premiere of the James Bond movie "Spectre" at London's Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 26, 2015. Keep reading for the back view, which is even better…
Duchess Kate revealed the delicate sheer overlay on the back of her Jenny Packham gown as she and director Sam Mendes walked into the Royal Film Performance premiere of "Spectre" at London's Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 26, 2015.
On April 7, 2016, Duchess Kate wore a navy blue dot-embroidered gown by Indian designer Saloni to a reception at Kensington Palace in London ahead of a tour of India and Bhutan with Prince William.
Duchess Kate looked incredible in a crisp white and blue dress by Naeem Khan when she visited the Taj Mahal in India on April 16, 2016.
Duchess Kate looked elegant and chic in a rose gold sequin and Swarovski crystal-embellished gown by designer Jenny Packham on her way to a gala dinner in support of East Anglia's Children's Hospices' nook appeal at Houghton Hall in King's Lynn, England, on June 22, 2016.
Duchess Kate showed a little shoulder in this sexy cream Barbara Casasola dress that she wore to the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2016 prize dinner hosted at the Natural History Museum in London on July 6, 2016.
On Sept. 27, 2016, Duchess Kate made a bold sartorial statement in a modern yet classic red dress by Preen featuring an asymmetrical neckline that she accentuated with the queen's diamond maple leaf brooch for a reception at Government House in Victoria, Canada, on day three of her royal tour of Canada with Prince William.
For the U.K. premiere of "A Street Cat Named Bob" in aid of Action On Addiction at The Curzon Mayfair in London on Nov. 3, 2016, Duchess Kate wore a white dress by Self-Portrait with a textured geometric bodice and a thigh-high in its skirt.
A black Alexander McQueen gown with an off-the-shoulder neckline and floral embroidery looked great on Duchess Kate at the BAFTA Awards at Royal Albert Hall in London on Feb. 12, 2017. Keep reading for a closer look at her va-va-voom hair and enormous jeweled earrings…
Duchess Kate always delivers great fashion on St. Patrick's Day, which is when she presents the 1st Battalion Irish Guardsmen with shamrocks during the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade at the Household Cavalry Barracks in London. For the March 17, 2017, event, she wore a sharp forest green Catherine Walker coat trimmed in black velvet with a matching deep green Lock & Co. hat.
Duchess Kate always looks great in green! She wore a lace dress by Temperley in a dark shade of the color when she attended the Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery in London on March 28, 2017.
Pretty in pink! Duchess Kate was hard to miss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in this Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress in a bold bubblegum pink shade during Trooping the Colour — the queen's annual official birthday celebration — on June 17, 2017. She topped things off with a matching fascinator by milliner Jane Taylor.
Few can make maternity fashion look this good. Duchess Kate arrived at the BAFTA Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Feb. 18, 2018, wearing a dark green Jenny Packham gown with a black ribbon waist — and some seriously stunning jewels (see her necklace next) — two months before giving birth to her third child, Prince Louis.
Expectant Duchess Kate accessorized her deep green gown at the 2018 BAFTA Awards with emerald and diamond earrings and a matching necklace that she reportedly received as a wedding gift.
Prince William and a pregnant Duchess Kate, who dressed her baby bump in a caped blush pink Alexander McQueen gown with silver embellishments, posed for photographs on Feb. 1, 2018, before an official dinner at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway.
It doesn't get more regal than this! Duchess Kate stunned in a pale blue mermaid-style gown by Alexander McQueen and her favorite tiara — the Lover's Knot — at a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London on Oct. 23, 2018, honoring King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands.
An ethereal icy blue Jenny Packham dress with delicate beading topped with the Lover's Knot tiara left Duchess Kate looking like a modern-day princess as she greeted guests at an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace in London on Dec. 4, 2018.
The cornflower blue caped Mulberry coat that Duchess Kate wore to visit the charity Cinemagic in Ballymena during an official royal visit to Northern Ireland on Feb. 28, 2019, drew comparisons to the chic uniforms worn by the female magic students from Beauxbatons in the Harry Potter film franchise.
Duchess Kate really upped her style game in 2019. Fashion critics purred when she paid a visit to the Henry Fawcett Children's Centre in London on March 12, 2019, wearing a purple silk pussybow blouse by Gucci paired with black trousers from Jigsaw.
Our other favorite St. Patrick's Day look on Duchess Kate? The deep green Alexander McQueen coat dress she wore with a matching hat during a visit to the Cavalry Barracks in London's Hounslow area on March 17, 2019, when she presented shamrocks to officers and guardsmen of 1st Battalion, the Irish Guards.
Duchess Kate wore a soft blue Elie Saab dress with sheer sleeves and a matching floral-embellished Philip Treacy hat to the first day of the Royal Ascot at England's Ascot Racetrack on June 18, 2019. Keep reading for a closer look at her hat and textured frock…
Here's a better look at the floral-embellished hat by milliner Philip Treacy that Duchess Kate wore to day one of the Royal Ascot horse races on June 18, 2019.
A glamorous green sequined gown by Jenny Packham looked incredible on Duchess Kate as she stepped out of a colorful tuk tuk to attend a reception at the Pakistan National Monument in Islamabad during her royal tour of Pakistan on Oct. 15, 2019.
Maheen Khan designed the beautiful teal blue shalwar kameez — a traditional outfit featuring a long tunic and trousers — embellished with gold phulkari that Duchess Kate wore for a visit with Prince William to Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, during their royal tour of the country on Oct. 17, 2019.
For an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps held at London's Buckingham Palace on Dec. 11, 2019, Britain's future queen consort Duchess Kate stunned in a midnight blue velvet gown by Alexander McQueen that she accessorized with some incredible royal jewels: her favorite Lover's Knot tiara, the queen's Nizam of Hyderabad diamond necklace and her own Royal Family Order pin on a yellow ribbon plus the blue sash and badge that mark her as a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
