Victoria Starmer has consistently scored highly in the style stakes since she was propelled into the public eye as the wife of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
In the run up to July’s general election, when her husband was still leader of the opposition – and before ‘Wardrobegate’ hit the headlines – Lady Starmer, 50, won the praise of the fashion pack when she wore a beautiful, beaded gown to a state banquet for the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
Just ten days later, the occupational health worker donned a red, A-line dress with a cinched waist for the announcement of Labour‘s landslide victory – only for the ME+EM number to sell out within hours of her appearance.
But while there can be no doubt that Victoria knows how to dress, more than a few of her recent ensembles look a little familiar.
Whether it’s the polka dot outfit she wore to a London Fashion Week show on Monday, September 16, or the floral midi dress she was spotted in on the campaign trail, Lady Starmer appears to have taken a few leaves out of the Princess of Wales‘s fashion playbook.
Victoria Starmer (left) wore a polka dot Edeline Lee co-ord to the designer’s London Fashion Week show this week. Her outfit was reminiscent of the polka dot dress Kate Middleton (right) wore to Royal Ascot in 2022
Here, FEMAIL reveals the sartorial choices that suggest Victoria has been looking to Kate Middleton for style inspiration…
POLKA DOTS AND PUSSYBOWS
Lady Starmer made her London Fashion Week debut on Monday at Edeline Lee’s show, opting for a striking, navy and white, polka dot co-ord reminiscent of an outfit Kate, 42, wore to Royal Ascot in 2022.
But the likeness between Victoria’s look from Canadian-British designer Lee’s spring/summer 2025 collection and Kate’s £1,970 dress by Italian-born Alessandra Rich extended beyond the polka dot pattern.
Both Victoria’s blouse and Kate’s dress featured a feminine pussybow design, and both outfits were cut from floaty fabrics.
Just as there was movement in the skirt of Kate’s dress, the wide-leg trousers that formed the bottom-half of Victoria’s co-ord created a voluminous aesthetic.
Like Kate’s flattering dress, Victoria’s co-ord cinched at the waist thanks to a barely noticeable belt, making for a womanly silhouette.
Lady Starmer completed her look with a pair of high-heeled pumps, which were a similar style to those worn by Kate in June 2022.
Lady Starmer’s red, A-line dress by British brand ME+EM (left) sold out within hours of her appearance on the morning of Friday, July 5. It appeared to have been inspired by the red, empire-line dress by LK Bennett (right) that Kate wore to Wimbledon almost a decade ago
But while the Princess of Wales opted for brown suede, the PM’s wife preferred white leather.
CRIMSON AND CINCHED
One of Victoria Starmer’s most celebrated looks to date was the red, A-line dress she wore on the morning of Friday, July 5, after Labour’s landslide victory put an end to 14 years of Conservative rule.
While it’s unsurprising that the mother-of-two chose a red dress for the occasion, the specific ME+EM style she selected suggests she had drawn inspiration from the Princess of Wales.
As well as being a long-standing fan of accessible British brand ME+EM – the Princess was pictured in a shirt dress by the label back in 2023 – Kate appears to have a penchant for crimson clothes having chosen red for numerous outings over the last few years.
But the £275 dress Victoria wore as she joined her husband outside 10 Downing Street on the morning of Labour’s victory wasn’t just any red dress.
With its thick waistband and cap sleeves, Victoria’s modern midi evoked a £250, LK Bennett, empire-line dress that Kate wore to Wimbledon almost a decade ago in July 2015.
While Lady Starmer’s dress, which sold out within hours of her appearance, had white top-stitching, it had a great deal in common with Kate’s 2015 dress, including its length and vibrancy.
Thanks to its cinched waist, the ME+EM bestseller flattered Victoria’s figure in a similar way to Kate’s empire-line number.
FITTED AND FLORAL
On the campaign trail, Victoria turned heads in a pink, floral print dress by Parisian brand The Kooples (left). It bore a striking resemblance to Kate’s Beulah London number (right) from 2020
Lady Starmer’s ‘victory’ dress wasn’t her only campaign trail look to catch the attention of fashion insiders.
Just over a month after the general election was called, Victoria joined Sir Keir at a major campaign event at the Royal Horticultural Halls in central London.
The former solicitor turned heads when she embraced her husband on stage – not least thanks to her pink, pleated midi dress by fashionable Parisian brand The Kooples.
Both elegant and on trend, Victoria’s £225 dress was not, however, entirely original.
The rose-coloured, floral print dress was reminiscent of one the Princess of Wales wore years earlier to take part in community action work during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
While Kate’s £550 Beulah London number had contrasting cuffs featuring broderie anglaise and a white collar, Victoria’s dress had short, puffed sleeves and a V-neck.
Still, despite these design differences, the two dresses with their subtle floral print and feminine feel could easily have been from the same collection.
CAPE-EFFECT AND EMBELLISHED
Lady Starmer’s Needle & Thread embellished gown (left) won the praise of the fashion pack in June. Two years earlier, Kate dazzled in an embellished Jenny Packham gown (right) at the first state banquet hosted by King Charles
Another of Victoria Starmer’s ensembles that was surely inspired by Kate Middleton was the off-white, beaded gown she wore to the state banquet for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan at the end of June.
Undoubtedly one of her most successful looks, the £725 romantic lattice embroidered gown by London-based brand Needle & Thread won Lady Starmer serious fashion points.
But while the embellished gown with its glamourous cape was a winning look for Victoria, there was a lingering sense of ‘haven’t we seen this before?’.
The Needle & Thread number bears a striking resemblance to the stunning Jenny Packham gown Kate debuted at the first state banquet hosted by King Charles.
Held in November 2022, two months after King Charles acceded to the throne, the royal event took place during the state visit to the UK of President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa.
Embellished with jewels and featuring a cape, the floor-length, white dress created by Packham – one of the Princess of Wales’s favourite designers – was nothing short of a showstopper.
June’s state banquet for the Japanese monarchy, which took place less than two weeks before Brits went to the polls, was an important opportunity for Lady Starmer.
By emulating Kate’s quintessentially regal look – which was itself reminiscent of one worn by Princess Diana during an official visit to Hong Kong in 1989 – Victoria showed it wasn’t just her husband who was ready for number ten.
