Kate Middleton has obviously been watching just as much TV as the rest of us. How, pray tell, do we know? Because she’s been channeling a current silver screen icon on her whistle-stop railway tour of the country over the past three days: The Undoing’s Nicole Kidman.
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The resemblance is quite uncanny. Not only has she been wearing her hair in cheerfully bouncy waves à la Grace Fraser – who somehow has an impressively groomed mane of corkscrew curls even in the most alarming of circumstances – she’s also taken a leaf out of her book when it comes to cold-weather dressing. What this basically involves is brilliant coats - make that a boatload of them - and contrasting scarves.
Fraser’s green hooded number in particular has caused much consternation among the fashion press - raising questions, such as is it hideous or glorious, that no one quite seems to know the answer to - but she also has two wrap coats (one in navy, one in ruby red velvet) that are undeniably delicious.
Middleton’s coat wardrobe has a similarly autumnal colour palette - she’s so far worn forest green, peacock blue, navy and scarlet - and, paired with her hair and her own impressive scarf collection, is looking more and more like a not-so-subtle homage to Fraser.
For day one, Middleton wore a deep green military-style coat from Alexander McQueen, and accessorised with a tartan scarf from York Scarves. For day two, she wore a sweeping navy great coat from Hobbs, which she paired with wide-leg trousers and a knitted jumper from Brora, then changed into a brighter blue coat from Catherine Walker & Co. Today, it’s a scarlet coat from Alexander McQueen, and yet another tartan scarf.
With temperatures plummeting, it makes total sense to put all energy into your coat and scarf game. The only question that remains? Will Middleton be brave enough to tackle the hooded green coat? We’ll have to wait and see.
SEE: The Most Memorable TV Coats Of All Time
1 of 101. Carrie Bradshaw, Sex And The City
Carrie might have been shoe-obsessed - Miranda once calculated that she had spent $45,000 dollars on her footwear, eeek! - but she also had game in the outerwear department. Her furry collared coat - the one she wore when, heartbroken over Mr Big, she went to watch baseball, and also the one she wore in the final episode back in her beloved Manhattan - became as iconic as her name necklace. (Note: make sure your homage is faux, Shrimps's collection is superlative.)
2 of 102. Olivia Pope, Scandal
Olivia Pope's wardrobe makes a career in crisis management look marginally more appealing, particularly this sumptuous cape coat in cream. I don't know about you, but I'd take some drama (even the kind that emanates from the West Wing) to get to throw this on everyday.
3 of 103. Eve Polastri, Killing Eve
Villanelle has been called the most fashionable fictional character of all time, but what about Eve? For the times we're living in, her reliable (if not slightly sexless and weatherbeaten) parka seems like a much more appealing proposition than a tulle dress.
4 of 104. Midge Maisel, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel
Coat or no coat, Midge Maisel is possibly the best dressed woman on TV. Think Ratched levels of polish, but with much more perk. This clotted cream number means she easily cinches the number four spot in our hearts.
5 of 105. Cookie Lyon, Empire
Having said we want parkas as opposed to puffy ball gowns, we wouldn't say no to some reemergence dressing à la Cookie Lyon. Her faux-fur wardrobe is simply unparalleled. Who wants to take this marine blue style for a spin around the park?
6 of 106. Faith Howells, Keeping Faith
Faith Howells's yellow raincoat became so famous that someone decided it deserved its very own account on Twitter. Faith's Yellow Rain Coat is the unofficial information service for updates about Keeping Faith, and helpfully flags up raincoats it deems worthy of note. The actual coat is still available from Joules, BTW. After last weekend's wash out weather, we're tempted.
7 of 107. Sylvie Grateau, Emily In Paris
She might make a frosty first impression, but Sylvie Grateau is the real fashion star ofEmily In Paris. We love this sweeping black-and-white coat, plus it's a cliché-busting outfit if there ever was one: French women do wear colour.
8 of 108. Bianca Jackson, EastEnders
EastEnders fans will be very familiar with this shiny silver puffer jacket. It was to Bianca Jackson - who wore it with a very lockdown-friendly pair of velour jogging bottoms - what leopard print was to Pat Butcher.
9 of 109. Phoebe Buffay, Friends
This tangerine-bright coat appeared in the episode where everyone finds out about Monica and Chandler - 'My eyes! My eyes!' - and pretty much sums up its wearer's maverick personality. If Phoebe was a coat, it would be this one.
10 of 1010. Grace Fraser, The Undoing
And finally, the one that kicked this all off. Nicole Kidman's coat in The Undoing, which has prompted a real outpouring of emotion online. What it boils down to is this: do you love it or do you hate it? Kidman herself has commented on the 'slight nightmare fairytale aspect' of the show, although that sums up the coat fairly nicely in our opinion, and explained its importance to Entertainment Weekly: ' In a way, it is the through-line of the whole series. It protects me but it's also my identity. It's got so many layers to it. It's my barrier and my shield from the world, but it also envelops me.'