Every year a lot of the best summer dresses have floral prints and Duchess Sophie has plenty of them in her collection. A botanical midi dress, wedges and a Sophie Habsburg clutch is her seasonal uniform. It’s always a comfortable and elegant combination but that doesn’t mean that some dresses don’t catch my eye more than others - like her Zimmerman Everley dress.
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore this for the first time publicly when she visited the Central School of Ballet in London on 24th June. The adjustable wrap design is a little different for Sophie and it’s made from cotton-voile with voluminous blouson sleeves.
I think flower patterns tend to fit into two main categories: delicate, subtle and stylised florals and bold, vibrant florals with crisp outlines and more of a realistic quality to them. Duchess Sophie’s dress is somewhere in between.
The print on the Zimmerman Everley dress looks like a watercolour painting and blends back into the base colour at different points. It’s beautifully feminine, though it’s the sea-green tone behind the flowers which really makes this stand out to me.
What colours suit you most depends on your undertones and “season”, and the senior royal looks sensational in this tone. Although the brand describes it as green, there is a definite blue tinge to the colour as in the lights of the ballet studio it looked turquoise.
Even in the natural light of the sunshine outside as she arrived for her engagement, it looked blue-green. The hue brought out the blue of Duchess Sophie’s eyes and was a soft contrast against her golden blonde hair.
Shop Sea-Green Dresses
This affordable summer dress might not have a floral pattern like Duchess Sophie's, but the sea-green colour instantly reminded me of hers. This design has kimono-style sleeves, ties at the side and the skirt is long and flowy.
Effortlessly elegant and timeless, this dress is price-matched on John Lewis and is an online exclusive. The delicate pink and white floral motifs are scattered all over the rich teal-green base colour. Wear with white sandals and a chic sunhat.
You can currently get 15% off this style with the code EXTRA15 at Debenhams and the ombre pattern and mix of blue-greens make this piece scream summer holidays to me. It has three-quarter length billowy sleeves and the self-tie fastens at the side.
Shop Accessories Like Sophie's
Castañer is known for their espadrilles and the Princess of Wales has a pair in her collection too. These tie-up ones are reduced in the sale and have the classic jute sole and a creamy-white upper that will go with so many outfits.
Woven and raffia accessories are always hugely popular for summer and this one doesn't break the bank and still looks pretty and seasonal. The design comes in a range of other colours too and has a magnetic clasp.
These wedges also come in black and are gorgeously simple and easy to wear this season. They're finished with a tie detail at the ankle and are pared-back enough to work for more casual daytime looks as well as for special occasions.
Something like this would be the perfect dress to wear to Wimbledon, to a wedding or just for a special date night this summer. Sea-green is vibrant without being neon and is more understated than a vivid pink or lime green would be.
You can enjoy wearing a fun colour without worrying you’re drawing everyone’s attention to your outfit all the time. This is something you might be particularly conscious of if you’re at a wedding or a christening.
The colour of the Duchess’s dress can be paired with accessories in similar green-blue hues if you love a tonal look and a sense of cohesion. If not, then go for white or cream accessories like Sophie did at the Central School of Ballet.
She stepped out in her Penelope Chilvers High Catalina wedges. These are made with a classic espadrille jute sole, white canvas uppers and have a peep-toe design.
Surprisingly, Penelope Chilvers' espadrilles aren’t amongst the wedges the Princess of Wales wears, but they’re a firm favourite in Sophie’s wardrobe. The brand has made them in neon orange this year, though the white ones are more versatile.
Her Sophie Habsburg clutch was linen and she wore a delicate gold necklace and twisted knot gold earrings. Silver would also have been fabulous to echo the oceanic feel of the sea-green colour.
Her Royal Highness became Patron of the Central School of Ballet in 2003 and she toured The Countess of Wessex Studios which were named after her. This was done in recognition of her patronage and support for the school and during her visit she got to watch rehearsals for a summer performance and met staff and students.
