Kate Middleton’s Go-To Couture Designer Hosts a Rare Public Fashion Show — with a Floral Twist!

Flowers on parade! Kate Middleton’s go-to designer hosted an outdoor catwalk show on Wednesday — and spectacular blooms took center stage.

Walking down the famous King’s Road in London’s Chelsea on Wednesday were five models dressed in floral designs by the royal couture house Catherine Walker & Co. “It’s nice to see everyone united by beautiful clothes, wonderful flowers and lovely music – it’s certainly put a smile on everyone’s faces,” says Said Cyrus, creative director of the house.

The models wore floral-themed designs from Cyrus’s current collection along with elaborate floral headpieces made by florist Amanda Austin (whose clients include Victoria Beckham). In keeping with Chelsea in Bloom’s “Under the Sea” theme, one hat even featured live plants such as ferns and lichens. Handing out flowers to onlookers, opera singer Phoebe Haines performed live at various stops along the route.

Hosting their fourth “Flower Walk” to tie in with the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which Kate attended on Monday to launch her “Back to Nature” garden, Cyrus — whose boutique and atelier have been based in Chelsea for 42 years — says the summer event is something he always looks forward to. “This is our neighborhood and we don’t usually host fashion shows [here], so this is just something fun,” he says.

Courtesy of Catherine Walker & Co.
Courtesy of Catherine Walker & Co.

The floral outfits were similar to a Catherine Walker & Co. dress that Kate wore to Wimbledon in 2016. The designer, often worn by Kate on official engagements, was the couturier of choice for both Kate’s mom, Carole Middleton, and Lady Sophie Windsor (otherwise known as Sophie Winkleman) at the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor on Saturday.

Founded in 1977 by French-born Catherine Walker and her husband Cyrus, the married design partners became the go-to label for Princess Diana, who wore hundreds of their iconic looks during her lifetime. Kate wore the British label to attend the Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving last month, choosing a bespoke teal coatdress with the house’s signature military-style shoulder and feminine kick skirt.