Kate Middleton's Dress Has a Surprising Inspiration

While one particular dress is stealing all the headlines lately, let's not forget that there's another princess — ahem, duchess — to admire. During a solo outing, Kate Middleton wore an off-the-shoulder dress by designer Erdem (which inspired comparisons to Meghan Markle's neckline of choice) that had an inspiration that hit close to home. Grazia reports that the dress was inspired by a chance meeting between the Queen and American jazz legend Duke Ellington.

The two actually did meet in 1958, and Erdem Moralioglu designed his entire Spring 2018 collection around the occasion, imagining exactly what would transpire if the Queen surrounded herself with the culture of the New York jazz scene. He adds that King George was actually a jazz aficionado, so the collection held plenty of meaning.

"[Her father King George VI] had been a huge fan of [Duke Ellington]’s music, and when they (the Queen and Ellington) met, he was so enamored with her that he wrote a piece of music called 'The Queen’s Suite,'" Erdem Moralioglu told The Telegraph.

Kate's dress featured brown tweed and an intricate brooch as well as embellished buttons. It wasn't exactly the bateau neckline that Markle favors, but was close. Middleton paired the look with soft makeup, bold statement earrings that echoed the jeweled accents of the dress, and her signature soft waves.

Moralioglu adds that he mashed up some British culture along with his jazzy inspiration.

"Thinking about The Cotton Club, and Harlem, and Dorothy Dandridge, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday," he added. "'What if she went to New York, and what if Dorothy Dandridge ended up in Buckingham Palace?'"