Kate Middleton Just Broke With Tradition and Wore the Chicest Mismatched Shoe-and-Bag Combination

By Swedan MargenNovember 27, 2025

After many years spent monitoring and reporting on Catherine, Princess of Wales’s wardrobe, I’ve become rather familiar with her tried-and-true styling formulas. Chief among them? Her signature accessory move: matching her bag to her shoes. It’s a subtle trick that adds instant cohesion, and it's a template she returns to time and again.

So when a new set of images of the Princess landed on my desk today, I was surprised to realise that Kate had broken with her own long-standing tradition, stepping out in the chicest mismatched shoe-and-bag combination for an engagement in London today.

Wearing a custom Emilia Wickstead houndstooth dress in soft powder blue, Kate kept the look streamlined with a pair of slate-grey mock-croc heels. Then, instead of echoing the tone in her handbag as she usually would, she introduced contrast with DeMellier’s chocolate-brown Hudson bag (£415).

Kate Middleton steps outside in London wearing a houndstooth dress with a brown suede DeMellier bag and grey croc-print heels.

Crafted from sumptuous suede and finished with refined belt detailing, the Hudson bag’s rich espresso shade brought warmth and dimension to the cool-toned ensemble without straying from her signature sophistication.

Aligning with winter’s chocolate brown colour trend, Kate's pairing added texture and depth, giving her grey shoes outfit a wintery lift. And as if the timing couldn’t be better, DeMellier has launched a Black Friday sale with 20% off site-wide, meaning Kate’s designer-coded favourite is now available for less.

Keep scrolling to shop Kate’s bag and discover the chicest grey shoes and brown bags on the market right now.