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The Duchess of Cambridge cleverly altered an old dress for a gala last night

Danielle Stacey
·Royal Correspondent
The Duchess of Cambridge reworked her Alexander McQueen from the 2017 BAFTAs at the Portrait Gala [Photos: PA]
The Duchess of Cambridge reworked her Alexander McQueen from the 2017 BAFTAs at the Portrait Gala [Photos: PA]

The Duchess of Cambridge stepped out for the 2019 Portrait Gala on Tuesday night, wearing a very familiar-looking gown.

Kate, 37, brought back her Alexander McQueen floral tiered dress from the 2017 BAFTAs for the star-studded bash at the National Portrait Gallery – but it appears that her seamstress has given it an update.

The original off-the-shoulder number has been reworked with added sleeves, while the waistband seems to have been moved and restitched further up the bodice.

READ MORE: Why Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle can’t accept free clothes

The Duchess arriving at the Portrait Gala [Photo: Getty]
The Duchess arriving at the Portrait Gala [Photo: Getty]

The duchess teamed it with her Prada clutch bag, Jimmy Choo pumps and her Kiki McDonough morganite and diamond earrings.

It’s the third time she’s attended the event, where funds raised directly support the National Portrait Gallery’s work

But it’s not the first time Kate has had one of her outfits modified.

In October, the duchess brought back her blue Jenny Packham shift dress from her royal tour of Canada 2016 for an engagement at the Imperial Museum, but on this occasion, the collar had been removed.

READ MORE: Kate reminds fans of sweet memory with George in red Catherine Walker coat

Kate’s Jenny Packham dress with a collar in Canada 2016 and without, at the Imperial War Museum in 2018 [Photos: Getty]
Kate’s Jenny Packham dress with a collar in Canada 2016 and without, at the Imperial War Museum in 2018 [Photos: Getty]
Kate owns a Preen dress in red and black [Photos: Getty]
Kate owns a Preen dress in red and black [Photos: Getty]

And that’s not her only styling trick – Kate also owns several pieces in different colours.

Most notably, her Preen ‘Finella’ gown in black and red, an Alexander McQueen coat dress in ivory and buttercup yellow and an Emilia Wickstead pleated frock in teal and pale pink.

The duchess is certainly making use of her royal wardrobe of late and has been commended for repeating outfits and switching them up with different accessories, much like us mere mortals.

For Monday’s Commonwealth Day service, we saw the return of her red Catherine Walker coat dress from her New Zealand tour in 2014 and last week in Blackpool, her green Sportmax jacket from Christmas 2015.

With so many beautiful outfits in her arsenal, it’s no wonder that Kate likes to get more wear out of them and it wouldn’t be a surprise if she deploys the same redesign for many more of her designer gowns in future.