The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are undertaking a four-day official visit to Japan. On September 22, 2025, the Duke and Duchess visited the Japan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. The Duchess of Edinburgh met with Princess Hisako of Japan and also attended a panel discussion on gender equality during her visit to the Women's Pavilion. During the visit, the Duchess of Edinburgh wore a bright blue polka-dot dress by Beulah London.
Beulah London Ahana bright blue polka dress
Why does the Duchess of Edinburgh always wear such long dresses. Some of them maybe really flattering, although others leave much to be desired.
ReplyDeleteThat is her style or rather no style at all.
DeleteAva
I think firstly because she enjoys them; and no one would tell us not to wear what we enjoy, right? And secondly it may be her stature/proportions that when she buys clothes off the shelf they naturally fall longer.
DeleteI agree, long dresses are not always flattering. I think the designers give the dresses to the Duchess, it is good publicity for them and she wears the garment without alterations, from the rack.!
Deletemjt
Always dresses with flowers and always too long. Such a pity for this pretty lady. She could do so much better
Deletei agree. They are just too long and I've said it before and no doubt will get in trouble for saying it again with the fashion police, the long length makes her look frumpy and older than she really is.
DeleteSo unprofessional, its like a vacation for her. A suit would have done well
DeleteWhen is she going to retire those shoes, they look more like she is on vacation!
DeleteSophie looks good the dress is a nice style.I presume the lady she has her arm around is Princess Hisako they seem to hit it off quite well.(Tara)
ReplyDeleteThe hug photos are delightful! I love this blue shade on Sophie - perfect for her eyes. Would have been interesting to hear the content on gender equality - because for sure the Japanese opinions will not be precisely as eg my culture , and it’s always great to hear these things from different angles.
ReplyDeleteBest dress so far!
ReplyDeleteThe colour is really good for Sophie.
Well said, dress is not really good, at least not with this length, but definitely best dress so far. Good is also the updo, her hair just hanging down does not impress me (for naturally hanging down without a blowout they are simply not thick enough, updo and ponytail are nice on her). And those espadrilles ... OK I stop at this point.
Delete12:17 I personally love that Sophie adopts a more natural style and am glad she lets her natural hair frame her face without much more. She comes across as very authentic.
DeleteDeux styles différents mais flatteurs surtout pour la princesse Takamado qui a toujours beaucoup de goût pour se vêtir ; j'aimerais la voir plus souvent !
ReplyDeleteJ'ai aussi remarqué immédiatement le bel ensemble d'un pantalon et d'un top rose portés avec un gilet blanc ouvert. Les chaussures de la princesse sont très belles.
DeleteOh my, she is wearing beach shoes (really?) and a frilly bag. Japan is a very formal country. Look how elegant all the other ladies look. Although the dress itself is fine, Sophie is seriously under dressed for this setting and - again - missed the mark. Luckily she did pay more attention to her hair this time.
ReplyDeleteLisa
Lisa - I think we can trust that Sophie is very well advised on etiquette and dress, and that her choices display respect and awareness. She looks right in keeping with the others in these photos, which show an international group at the Expo - hardly ball-gown territory!
DeleteLook how Princess Hisako is hugging her with joy. She is dressed low key too. No problem here!
DeleteI think her outfit is spot on for walking in an expo and then discussing gender inequality. I wonder if she used the example of how much more women are criticised for their clothes than men, who are criticised for doing a good job or not.
DeleteAnon 12:52 Espadrilles are not beach shoes, which I believe you already know. They are, and have been, very popular shoes for decades. There is nothing wrong with them, though I know there are people here who don't like them. They are not a bad choice here.
Delete@Anonymous 15:38 and 21:39
DeleteI agree with you both.
Moreover, pics clearly show how much Duchess Sophie is respected and Princess Hisako hugging her proves that even more.
I think that this trip to Japan was a success for the Edinburgh Couple
👍👏👏
100% agreed with you, Lisa. What happened to “diplomatic dressing”? In particular it’s surprising for a British royal, typically their dress codes are stiffer than most royal houses.
DeleteCH
The only thing I like about this dress is the color. And why Duchess Sophie must always wear these espadrilles ? Almost all the other ladies are wearing normal leather shoes. The handbag looks childish or something people make in a hobby club. She definitely needs a better bra (very visible on pics. 1 & 7).
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you regarding photo1&7. This style dress needs better support
DeleteRe her shoes perhaps they breath better than leather and she does not wear stockings, hence the long dress.
DeleteI think Sophie is trolling us at this stage!
ReplyDeleteIt such a shame to see such pretty dresses sit so unflattering on someone. I can’t believe that she couldn’t find a seamstress to alter the dresses to suit her figure and height.
I wish there was a ban on royals wearing espadrille shoes when on duty. What they wear in their downtime is upto them. But on duty something a little more graceful BBC should be worn.
Lowri.
I love the dress and don’t see the need for alterations. Sophie isn’t trolling us but wearing what she enjoys, in keeping with international visit needs, and getting on with her work.
DeleteAgree 100%
DeleteCompletely agree. These country floral dresses may work in England, but they are not common outside of Europe/UK and not nearly formal enough for a royal visit in Japan. Her clothes need more structure, whether they are floral dresses or professional attire. It’s the same for all of us women as we accumulate years!
DeleteWith one exception, Lowri, and that is Spains Letizia. When Letizia wears these shoes she makes them look elegant.
DeleteEine leichte Kleiderwelle für Japan : ) Ein Kleidchen schöner als das andere, ich verstehe die Kritiken hier nicht wirklich, ist doch bislang prima gelaufen. Die Herzogin kann aus diesen Bildern selber entscheiden ob sie zukünftig kürzer in den Kleidern sein mag oder vielleicht "trickst" sie damit um von etwas abzulenken? Die Schuhe finde ich jetzt auch nicht so tragisch, die verspielte Handtasche gibt dem ganzen eine gewisse Frische. - Dorothe -
ReplyDeleteTotally agree Dorothe. I do not understand the criticism of kind respectful Sophie. People can not like her style - that’s cool - but to say she got it wrong for herself when she is briefed prior to international visits and also has her own preferences is weird criticism.
DeleteSophie needs some new underwear garments on her top half.
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteWhy so much criticism for a warm human who’s out doing her job, always caught smiling and showing warmth?
ReplyDeleteCriticism? Because this is a fashion blog. There are so many good suggestions/tips listed above for better styling and flattering Sophie's figure. I only wish she read them, because I'm betting she does NOT have a stylist. Even I have an excellent tailor for almost everything and I am now retired and out of the public eye. I'm 5'0" and I'm smart enough to alter and wear clothes that flatter my short figure - not make me look frumpy. At my age I, I take every fashion and style tip I can get!
DeleteBecause on a fashion blog we can comment on fashion. On any post about Meghan ( including the recent one) people free to criticise the person. But when Sophie is criticised it is not ok? I have a very similar shape and am a similar age to Sophie… and I know the basis of all my best outfits is a really good bra. And then shorter but not knee or above length dresses … the really long ones just don’t work. Sophie needs a stylist and a good seamstress. ..LRB
DeleteBecause it is a fashion blog, so expressing preferences or seeing what could be better is acceptable.
Delete18:20 good question! Commenters here seem to feel they can cut down other women, rather than expressing opinions and preferences kindly. Why they think they have the right I do not know but I doubt they’d ever say these things to the wearers face, so they are hiding behind their screens. Not very nice.
Delete@ Anonymous18:20
DeleteBecause it is easier to spot unreal faults in other women rather than
acknowledge one's own misteps.
Being a keyboard warrior has to be so much more desirable than honestly looking at oneself in a mirror.
A screen hides keyboard warriors, a mirror ruthlessly shows the warriors how poorly made or dressed they truly are.
When they are in front of real mirrors there is nowhere to hide.
Nobody can fool a mirror.
New undergarments please. Why isn’t this a priority? This woman have all kinds of money to spend on dresses and yet they don’t consider the impact of properly fitting support garments.
ReplyDeleteYes, why wear a Valentino $$$ and forget proper undergarments to enhance.
DeleteIt is a common theme… for Sophie and Camilla. LRB
DeleteSince I myself wear dresses and skirts very often, I really don't understand the criticism on this very pretty dress. But I do agree that the bag and shoes are really inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteIf the dress were shortened and she wore elegant pumps, it would be much better. However, she has beautiful skin and good makeup - even much younger women could envy her.
ReplyDeleteStephanie
Unterwäsche usw. Wie wird das wohl beim zusammenstellen der Kleidung sein? Bei der Oberbekleidung wird das meiste ja sicher schon Monate vorher geplant und geordert. Aber, manchmal braucht es klassische Unterwäsche und wer wird diese packen in diesem Falle die Herzogin selbst oder eine Bedienstete? Wenn nun auch feinere Spitzenwäsche also Dessous etc. mitreisen dürfen ; ) weiß dann die Bedienstete auch gleich, welche reizvolleren Designs dabei sind oder wird sich das in diesen Kreisen die Dame dann eher selbst verpacken? ; ). Wollen wir davon ausgehen, das die Bedienstete die falschen BH s packte. Ein spannendes Thema, wie werden sie sich schützen, damit so feine Dessous etc. nicht im öffentlichen Müll landen. - Dorothe -
ReplyDeleteThe Royal ladies certainly have hit it off well and its marvelous to see. The blue dress is a pretty color, Sophie looks lovely, very pretty and feminine.
ReplyDeleteEntirely agreed, @ Ava 👍
DeleteOh goodness, I really dislike this dress. It looks so juvenile.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, I really dislike this dress. It looks so juvenile.
ReplyDeleteWow. Tough criticism. Glad you can’t see what I’m wearing.
DeleteAnon 00:30 : if your judgement re Sophie's dress is "juvenile", then I think I wouldn't want to see what *you* wear ;-)
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