June/July 2025 SMTs

A look at the eight outfits Kate wore in June and July — with three new takes.

Jul 19, 2025

∙ Paid

Hello! Back in your inboxes today with a return to SMTs on Substack. I began experimenting with this when I joined the platform, bringing my made-for-Insta-Stories royal fashion commentary here. I pulled back last year, amid Catherine’s cancer diagnosis and treatment. But six months into 2025, the Princess of Wales has returned to regular royal duties — and I have thoughts!

Below, a recap of the eight looks Kate wore in June and July, including *three* new SMTs — short for “So Many Thoughts,” the name for my text-bubble takes that started this all. Scroll down for new thoughts on her two Wimbledon appearances, as well as a visit to a hospital earlier this month. (I’ve marked them as NEW so you can skip right to them if you like.) These are exclusive to paid subscribers. THANK YOU for your support. Your $5 a month makes all of this work possible.

Another plus of this format: It allows us all to step back and consider a string of outfits in sequence. I find it helpful to see how looks build on one another. Themes start to emerge. The princess is in an interesting fashion phase, opting out at the start of the year to downplay her wardrobe. Now, she appears to be returning to an embrace of style. Still, Kate is walking a fine line, infusing more visual interest while maintaining her uniform approach.

And make sure you check out the full SMT Archive here. You can read my earlier thoughts on both Kate and Meghan; I’ll be adding posts from this spring, too. My sincere hope is it frees you up from time spent on social media, too. These are aggregated here for you to peruse at your leisure!

One more thing: I sent a newsletter earlier this week about the influence — and departure — of Natasha Archer, Kate’s longtime top aide. Although Archer is widely known to manage the princess’s wardrobe, the title of “stylist” has never been bestowed upon her. I hope you will read it if you haven’t already; writing it has been a reminder of her remarkable ascent.

Kate’s Top Aide (and Unofficial Stylist) Steps Down

Elizabeth Holmes

Jul 16

Read full story

A comment on that post from Meredith has given me a lot to think about:

“Is there some reason why the royals can't hire and pay an actual stylist? It seems like Ms. Archer should have had that title and been compensated for it. Was she paid well for this level of expertise? A woman who has literally changed fashion but has a title of executive assistant just- reminds me of so many women I know who are actual geniuses who are underpaid.”

SMT, indeed. Would love to discuss more with you in the comments, as well as the eight looks below.

A gentle reminder that newsletters are the new blogs with comment sections! The SMT community here on Substack is my favorite corner of the internet, filled with thoughtful, nuanced takes.

A note about SMT archive formatting: As I seek to make these Instagram slides work in a newsletter format, I appreciate all of your feedback! Here are three ways to read:

In email — Pinch and zoom on the images in your email to read them.
On the web — Head to the SMT Archive, where the posts will be published with the “gallery” tool. Tap on each image to expand it to full screen, then scroll through. (This is the clearest format I’ve found, but does not translate into email unfortunately.)
The Substack app — In the iPhone version, the gallery will unfurl, with each slide taking up the full mobile screen. This is the easiest way to read!

Questions or comments on formatting? Send me an email at Hello@SoManyThoughts.com. Thanks!

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