Why Kate Middleton Repeats Outfits When She Can Afford Not To

Kate Middleton prefers to recycle her outfits for a reason.

The Duchess of Cambridge is popular for rewearing her clothes and accessories, earning herself the title “thrifty Kate.” Middleton can afford to buy new clothes every time she steps out, but she doesn’t do this.

In a forum, some netizens shared their thoughts on why Prince William’s wife opts to wear her dresses and coats again and again even if it was considered a status symbol to never be seen in the same outfit twice.

One person wrote that it may have something to do with the image Middleton is trying to project. “Well, I think the biggest reason is because despite the wealth of the royals, they are conscious of not appearing to be spendthrifts,” Carlet Langford wrote.

Langford added that the British media keeps track of the royal family’s spending habits. This act also makes royals more relatable and likable because they are toning down unnecessary expenses. In addition, Middleton was not born a royal and was instead raised in a normal household, so repeating outfits more than once is not a foreign concept to her.

Another user agreed that Middleton’s choice of recycling her clothes has something to do with being relatable to the majority. “Perhaps financially Catherine can afford to wear new items each day and never give them another thought, however, she would quickly lose a lot of what makes her beloved and relatable to her peers,” Christine Infanger wrote.

However, another netizen believes that Middleton does this mostly because she likes those outfits. The duchess knows that those dresses are flattering on her, so she keeps reusing them.

Abigail Macdonald, who worked at National Health Service, believes that this is down to Middleton’s personal preference because “she is not a wasteful person and she is conscious of the environment.”

In related news, Middleton’s sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, reportedly spent $500,000 on her wardrobe in 2018, six times more than the Duchess of Cambridge’s clothing expenses for the same year. Despite the overspending accusations, Markle continued to wear expensive clothes.

Prince Harry’s wife rocked a $1,900 custom Calvin Klein dress when she visited the Natural History Museum in February. The expensive outfit cost 60 times more than her H&M maternity dress, but the two are very similar in length, shape and color.

Markle’s baby shower outfits in New York were also very costly. One netizen described Markle’s overspending as “disgusting.” Another Twitter user advised the duchess to only wear expensive clothing for state banquets.