How Jackie Kennedy became the Duchess of Cambridge's style muse

In the second series of popular Netflix drama, The Crown, the Queen visits Norman Hartnell’s atelier in preparation for a state visit by the American president. She is looking for something modern, and fresh; a look which will compete with the US First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. The unflappable British monarch is intimidated by Kennedy’s globally-famed style. Though the scene may be grounded in imagination, Jackie Kennedy’s international status as the first lady of fashion is undisputed.

And now, her style seems to be inspiring the Duchess of Cambridge. For today’s visit, to Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, she followed Kennedy’s style to the letter (see lead image). First, her double-breasted Catherine Walker swing coat. echoes a recurring style in Kennedy's wardrobe, and one she wore throughout her pregnancies during the 1950s. Kate accessorised the coat with black gloves, a compact Chanel handbag, pearl earrings by Swedish label In2 design and Tod’s loafer-style court shoes. Underneath, she wore a bespoke cream bouclé dres by Alexander MCQueen. Each piece is straight out of the Jackie catalogue.

This is the latest in a long-line of examples of Kate emulating the former first lady. There was a red Carolina Herrera dress coat; accessorised with a perfect chignon and pearl drop earrings, the look was vintage Jackie. Then came the tailored suits, nipped at the waist - lilac Catherine Walker, checked Eponine London. Gradually ‘The Jackie Look’ is filtering into the Duchess’ wardrobe.

Jackie Kennedy is one of a handful of women - including Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly - who have achieved bona fide fashion icon status. The American first lady wrote the modern rule book on appropriate dressing for official events, leaving a flawless fashion record with each carefully selected look in her global diary. She was the first woman to recognise the power of her wardrobe to support her husband’s international relations. The pioneer of diplomatic dressing (now employed by a legion of modern royals), she selected couture Givenchy for balls in Paris, wore mantillas in Spain and donned a vestment-inspired silhouette for a trip to the Vatican.  

Kennedy’s global recognition was so wide and her style choices so impactful that her husband once referred to himself as, ‘the man who accompanied Jackie Kennedy to Paris’. Like Kennedy, the Duchess of Cambridge’s sartorial choices are monitored minutely, and, like Kennedy, copied by legions of fans across the globe. 

With her stylist and personal designer, Oleg Cassini, Kennedy developed a signature look that is simultaneously recognisable, timeless and agenda-setting. She identified the silhouettes, details and styles (dress coats, tailored suits, pill box hats, gloves) which worked for her, and returned to them time after time, whilst artfully weaving in new styles and more adventurous options (leopard print, vivid pink). Kennedy achieved that elusive quality with her wardrobe - effortlessness. Her perfectly considered, perfectly put together ensembles hold just enough detail to be interesting, without ever looking laboured or overdone.

There is no doubt that the Duchess of Cambridge works closely with her modern equivalent of Cassini - her personal secretary, Natasha Archer, to create looks which are intended to strike the same balance of timeless style and modernity. There has been an evolution in the Duchess’ style, some of the fussy - fascinators - and frumpy - nude L.K Bennett wedges - have been phased out, in favour of cleaner lines and understated details which could have come straight from a Jackie Kennedy moodboard.

Keeping up with fashion today is a minefield - navigating multiple collections, trends which come and go faster than you can blink and a never-ending stream of influencers. The answer, when your every style move is documented, lies in finding a formula which cuts through the noise. Rules which create a style baseline, and will help govern which pieces feel simultaneously ‘now’ and will translate for years to come- that tweed Gucci dress and today's Alexander McQueen shift are a cases in point. And looking to the tried, tested and universally approved wardrobe of one of the most stylish women of the last century - it makes perfect sense.