Sequins are the look of Christmas 2023 – and if you follow Princess Kate’s simple rules, you can shine too!
The dress the Princess of Wales wore at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday was literally dazzling.
From her collarbone to her wrists and the tips of her pointed, sparkling pumps, she was covered in rose gold, hand-stitched sequins adorned with crystals at the neck and waist.
Nothing says princess, or a party at the palace, or luxury (sequins come from the Arabic word for coin) more than a form-fitting, figure-hugging dress covered in sequins.
Jenny Packham’s Georgia dress is just the latest in a long line of sequin dresses Kate has worn over the years. (She has an almost identical style in emerald green.)
There was the delicate pale pink tulle dress, decorated with distressed silver sequins, that she wore to a gala dinner in 2011, and the one everyone remembers, the gold cape dress she wore for the British premiere of Bond film No Time To That one (immediately nicknamed the Goldfinger).
The dress that the Princess of Wales wore at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday (photo) was literally dazzling
The Princess of Wales wears a Needle & Thread dress during a Britain-Africa summit at Buckingham Palace on January 20, 2020
The Princess of Wales dazzles in a showstopper dress designed by Jenny Packham at the 2017 Royal Variety Performance (left), while she opts for a sleeveless dress at the 2013 Tusk Conservation Awards (right)
The Princess of Wales glows in a green dress during the 2021 Royal Variety Performance
If you had to pick the Princess of Wales’s best dresses of all time, these two would be in the top five.
But sequins can be heavy and they cover the body like molasses, making them unforgiving.
Kate has the advantage of having a slim figure and being able to pay for Jenny Packham’s skillful draping and precise hand sewing. (All the dresses above are from the British couturier, with the exception of the £410 red Aurora dress, from London label Needle & Thread.)
Cheap machine-stitched sequins don’t lie smooth like a polished second skin like Packham’s, and all these dresses fit the body like a glove and are long enough to lie very lightly on the floor, which gives them a softness and lightness.
The exquisite results make it worth paying for the hours and hours of labor it takes to create each of her dresses.
The rest of the magic is down to Kate and her stylists.
Sequins can look tacky and cheap if not treated with respect. This means wearing them with the simplest of accessories – plain or just as sparkly – and statement jewelry that won’t get lost or compete.
Kate attends the 10th annual ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) Gala Dinner at Kensington Palace on June 9, 2011
Everyone remembers the gold cape dress that Kate wore (photo) for the British premiere of Bond film No Time To Die (nicknamed Goldfinger)
Kate’s custom-made dress at a Diplomatic Corps reception in 2016. She is pictured next to Prince William at Buckingham Palace
On Tuesday, Kate wore Gianvito Rossi pumps and an old favorite pink satin Prada clutch.
The jewelry, of course, was stunning royal bling: Cartier diamond chandelier earrings and the Queen Mary Lover’s Knot diamond and pearl tiara.
The addition of the blue sash, Maltese cross and star badge, signifying that Kate is a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, was the icing on the cake.
This is how you wear sequins.