It is a truth universally acknowledged that any outfit worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales or Duchess Meghan is enviable enough to make us attempt to recreate it in a heartbeat… if we ever won the lottery, that is.
Yep, while the royals definitely know how to put together a killer outfit, there’s no denying the feat comes with a little financial helping hand, which is understandably not difficult for them to do given they’re real-life royals and all.
And for the most part, we’re totally okay with that, because while their slew of chic designer threads might come at a cost, there’s always an affordable dupe we’ll happily indulge in if we’re really keen to recreate their look.
But there is one thing we shouldn’t forget – not everything worn by the royals is off the table when it comes to our budget. In fact, some of it is a downright bargain, and there might be an intriguing reason as to why.
You might have noticed that Catherine and Meghan seem to be wearing affordable earrings left, right and centre.
Over the years we’ve seen Catherine step out on numerous occasions wearing dresses that are a tad pricey (albeit still stunning), but pairing said dress with earrings below $30.
Her most recent appearance at the 2023 BAFTA Awards was case in point.
Wearing a ‘upcycled’ one-shoulder gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the princess looked a million bucks, but her earrings were far from being designer.
Catherine paired the dress and black gloves with some beautiful dangly rose gold earrings… which were from global fashion brand, Zara, and would set any buyer back an affordable AUD $32.
Princess Catherine’s BAFTA earrings were only $32.
(Image: Getty)But this wasn’t the first time the princess has opted for cheaper ear bling, as in 2019, Catherine stepped out in a heavenly teal dress by ARossGirl for an event at London’s Aga Khan Centre.
While her $850 dress was, as expected, utterly incredible, it was her sweet matching drop earrings that surprised us, because they cost a casual $11 from a Pakistani-based retailer, Zeen.
These emerald-looking earrings only cost $11!
(Image: Getty)Meghan has also been seen to be a fan of the bargain bling in the past. During her tour of South Africa in 2019, the Duchess wore a heavenly Hannah Lavery white shirt dress, which cost a slightly more affordable $135.
But it was Meghan’s earrings that really stole the show – bringing a pop of colour, her orange tassel bling by Madewell cost $44.
Duchess Meghan’s donned orange earrings that were surprisingly affordable.
(Image: Getty)And that leads us to beg the question: Is there a reason why these two fashionable royals choose to wear cheap earrings?
Well, according to a fashion expert who spoke to Insider, there’s a convincing theory that might explain it.
“The choice of mixing luxury pieces with items from affordable mainstream retailers is a strategic one,” the expert, Cécile Duclos told the publication, stating that said strategy was to appeal to a “wide socio-economical range of people”.
Indeed by continuing to wear high end designers, Duclos said the royals show their knowledge and support of the fashion industry – in turn, gaining popularity among those in the industry, as well as using this as an asset for political endeavours.
But when they wear more affordable items, they are appealing to a different audience – the general public.
By wearing mainstream and affordable brands, the royals are showing that they are still down-to-earth by shopping in places many others do, the expert explained.
“This mix of influences is therefore carefully crafted in order to appeal to a wide socio-economical range of people and influence opinion, which is, in the royal world just like in everyday life, one of the essential aims of fashion.”
And whether it’s a carefully planned move or not, you can’t deny we’re happy to see the feat occur… as we rush to the nearest shopping hub to nab ourselves the exact piece just worn by the stylish royals.
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