The Middleton "Must-Haves"

This is a list of the "Middleton Must-Haves". These staple items will help you achieve the Middleton sister's look.

SHOES

Flats: The Middleton sisters (and their mother) love French Sole (or London Sole) flats. Especially the "Henrietta" flat. Check out places like Ebay to find deals on this particular brand (like the ones below), or find another option elsewhere. Finding more neutral flats will help you match them up with more outfits, they will be more versatile.

Nude Patent Leather Pumps: Kate's version of this shoe, as we all know, is from LK Bennett. However, if you can't afford that shoe you can find another trendy option elsewhere for sure. Try Nine West, either their "Caress" shoe (pictured below) or their pair that has a slightly smaller heel but is virtually the same shoe "Applaud".

Wedges: You don't have to buy brands like LK Bennett's "Greta" wedge to copy the Middleton sister's look. Just go elsewhere, like Old Navy, and find another kind - like the ones below. You don't need to have the exact shoe as the Middleton's, just something like them. Again, make sure the option is as neutral as possible so that you have a very versatile option

Boots: For the chillier times of the year, make sure you have a pair of boots. Basic black is always a good option, unless you have money to spend on multiple pairs. The Middleton's don't seem to favour leather when it comes to their boots, they seem to prefer suede. However, if you can't find a good simple suede boot (simple boots seem hard to find at times), opt for a more matte black leather. Roots makes a really great streamlined boot, see the picture below.

 


BAGS



Just a quick word on bags. The Middleton sisters don't really seem to have a specific bag "look". Also, to add to some of the vagueness, the Middleton sisters sometimes match their bags and their shoes based on colour, or they match their bags to their belts and not to their shoes, OR, they don't match anything. So it depends on how pulled together you want to look I guess and how you might be dressed for a certain occassion. However, keep in mind that the Middleton sisters do typically look fairly polished. So my suggestion would be to have a bag that matches at least one pair of shoes. For example, you should have at least one pair of black shoes and at least one black bag. You could then move into the realm of having a lighter coloured bag and pair of shoes for the summer months. It might also be a good idea, if you wear belts, to have a brown and black belt, in case you need or want to match those to your shoes and bags as well.

Notice how (above) Pippa matched her shoes and her bag, both are red in colour. However, this could get a wee bit expensive, the more you get into different coloured shoes and bags. So again, try to at least have a black bag and pair of shoes as a basic staple in your wardrobe.

In this picture (above) you'll see how Pippa has matched her brown bag to her belt, but her shoes are white in colour. So you can match different things, and not all things (bag, belt and shoes), but it still looks pulled together and chic and classic. Kate, on the other hand, seems to have a lighter pair of shoes on and a lighter bag - but I don't think the colours are perfectly matched. But, that's okay, they still look nice together and blend well.

Now lets move on to the bags that you should have, as a part of the "Middleton Must-Haves".

Clutches: We see Kate carrying clutches more so than Pippa these days, as she has little to take with her while out on her royal duties. Pippa on the other hand really only carries these nice little bags when attending weddings. Again, try to make sure you have at least one staple colour to match with shoes - like black or brown. Having multiple clutches could get expensive, especially as they don't get used as much as bigger bags probably do. Also, patterned, or different fabrics or textures might be more easily paired with other things. For instance, Kate wears her nude pumps with a straw LK Bennett clutch. In another scenario this clutch could probably be worn with wedges of a different colour or pumps or flats of another colour.

Tote Bags: These bags are a sure staple. You need to have a larger bag for everyday use; to carry all of your various things. Again, make sure you have at least one bag that matches a pair of shoes or boots, this will help to round out and polish-off an outfit.

JEWELLRY

 

A quick word on Jewellry. The Middleton sisters always have jewellry on. This definitely includes earrings, but they also seem to like necklaces, bracelets and rings. Jewellry seems to be a part of their "Sloaney Style". A word of warning thought, don't ever over-do it. Kate and Pippa wear simple pieces and they never load on too much. Be aware of what you're wearing clothing wise, and adorn yourself carefully. For instance, don't wear a heavy necklace and dangly earrings. The Middleton's are simple, so keep it simple yourself. Studs and a necklace is always a good look. Or just earrings and multiple rings on your hands - which are also simple. When it comes to rings the sisters seem to like mixing metals, so gold with silver is doable.

Necklaces: The Middleton sisters will wear necklaces from time to time, but they are usually understated and simple. Look at Kate's two chains below (although it's rare to see her do this look).

 

Earrings: Kate loves to match her earrings to her outfits, which is always a good thing to do. She also seems to prefer drop earrings. But studs, like basic pearls or a gold stud, are never a bad way to go either, especially for the "normal" everyday person.

 

Rings: Like I mentioned before, Pippa (more so now than Kate) wears multiple rings on her fingers and hands. Kate, I suppose, is keeping it simple, now that she has her saphire ring.

 

Bracelets: Kate has her famous "C" bracelet, that Camilla is rumoured to have given her, but she and Pippa have other pieces that they have to wear. Again, they are usually delicate pieces.

And there you have it, those are the "Middleton Must-Haves", or the pieces that I've noticed to be staples with the Middleton sisters.

There are other items, like clothing that the girls are known to wear and favour as well, and seem to be staples for them. I may post about those things, but the pieces that I mention above, to me, seem to be items that help to build around the clothing, or add a certain something to an outfit in a very "Middleton-esque" way.