At a time when we’re more conscious than ever about not wasting money on purchases we regret, Duchess Sophie’s tried and tested approach makes a lot of sense. Anyone who’s followed the Duchess of Edinburgh’s style for a while would probably have recognised the scarlet dress she wore earlier in January for the simple reason that she’s worn this design before.
The red colourway is a new addition to her wardrobe for 2026, yet this is actually the fifth Beulah London Yahvi Dress that Sophie owns. Fiery reds are a big spring/summer fashion colour trend and she got ahead of the curve when she wore this frock to the UNA-UK conference to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN’s founding.
(Image credit: Photo by Toby Shepheard / AFP via Getty Images // Photo by Justin Goff Photos/Getty Images)
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Although Boden lists the colour of this midi dress as ‘jam red’, there’s a coral undertone to this colour that reminds me of Duchess Sophie’s hot pink Yahvi dress. Available in three different lengths, this piece is made from 100% cotton.
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As the weather gradually gets warmer short-sleeved knits like this are going to replace long-sleeved knitwear as our most-worn items. The fun red shade of this is striking and it would work so well tucked into high-waisted jeans.
The brand still makes the Yahvi design in three of the other colours we’ve seen Duchess Sophie in before – lemon, cream and blue. She also has it in pink and all this goes to show that the old advice about not buying one piece in several colours isn’t necessarily worth following.
Of course, buying one T-shirt in eighteen colours, for example, is a bit much. However, the King’s sister-in-law has been more selective with each of her dresses and has shown us several key pointers to follow when you’re weighing up whether to invest in multiples.
For a start, pretty much all of the shades Sophie’s bought are genuinely some of her most-worn. The cream, blue and pink are particularly *her* colours and we’ve seen the Duchess of Edinburgh wear the yellow Yahvi to Trooping the Colour before.
(Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images // Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images // Photo by Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
Red is a rarer choice for her, though she’s been really loving burgundy recently so perhaps it’s a colour that she’s looking to wear more of. Whether you love pastels, neutrals or dark hues, it’s important to stick to colours you already wear loads when you’re buying multiples. This way, you can be confident you have a lot of options to pair with them and will get use out of your new purchases.
The Duchess’s dress is also timeless and in-keeping with both her signature style and her lifestyle. The Yahvi design features a rounded neckline, long fluted sleeves ending in frilled cuffs and delicate covered buttons running down the side of the skirt.
They’re made from wool which is practical and for someone like Sophie who wears either smart-casual outfits or formalwear, this sophisticated, polished design is perfect. Her five frocks work for everything from garden parties to engagements.
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)
If shirt, jeans and blazer outfits are more your thing then multiple tops or jackets would be more up your street, or the same pair of gorgeous-fitting trousers if you love tailoring. As long as the designs are classic and they work for your everyday life, you’ve ticked some more boxes.
The Duchess of Edinburgh tends to wear each of her Yahvi dresses with court shoes and minimal jewellery, keeping the focus on them. When she’s attending a big royal occasion like Trooping the Colour she’ll wear a matching hat and the shoes and bag will either be a muted beige tone or coordinate with the frock.
Last May, Sophie stepped out in head-to-toe pastel blue for a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey, on the 80th Anniversary of VE Day. On the other hand, her heels and Isabel Marant bag on 17th January were tan and this complemented and contrasted against her cherry-red dress.
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