Duchess Sophie's cut out bodycon dress and messy bun is a bold summer look that wowed us

Duchess Sophie's pink cut out bodycon dress and messy bun from 2012 need to make a summer comeback soon.

When it comes to royal style inspiration there are so many items we’ve seen the Duchess of Edinburgh wear that we’d love to add to our summer capsule wardrobe. From her whimsical floral dresses to her wedges, her outfits exude elegance and although she loves neutrals, she’s also not afraid to go vibrant with colour. This was certainly the case back in 2012 when Duchess Sophie’s cut out dress proved occasionwear looks can be bold and sophisticated all at once. She attended a special 'Celebration of the Arts' event at the Royal Academy of Arts that May wearing a bright raspberry pink dress with a very statement neckline.

Rising up into a halterneck, the Duchess of Edinburgh’s dress had three cut-out sections running across her décolletage. This transformed the section above into a collar-like piece that beautifully framed her neck and each of the cut-outs were slightly rounded, softening this statement pattern.

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The dress had a fitted, bodycon style and fell to just above her knee, making this the perfect cocktail dress. If the design wasn’t unique and fabulous enough then the colour of Duchess Sophie’s cut out dress took this to the next level of occasionwear greatness. With subtle purple undertones, this was the perfect raspberry-magenta pink hue and was incredibly flattering. 

Although pinks had a huge moment in 2023 and aren’t one of the biggest fashion colour trends for 2024, this is such a magnificent colour that we can’t help wanting to incorporate it into our summer wardrobe right now. Admittedly, it’s rather a bright hue so if you’re in love with Duchess Sophie’s cut out dress but aren’t quite ready to go all-out like she did, a pop of pink with your accessories or even your lipstick is a lovely touch.

When it came to her own accessories Duchess Sophie went for contrasting, darker tones that made the dress’s vibrancy shine even more. Her shoes of choice were deep purple satin heels and her black, textured clutch added a gothic edge to her ultra-feminine styling.

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The senior royal swept her golden tresses up into a messy bun for this special celebration which also highlighted the cut out neckline. Over the years she’s loved so many short bob hairstyles, but in 2012 her hair was a similar length to how it is now. Her bun had plenty of texture with a fan-like shape to it that really made the most of the ends of her hair. 

Duchess Sophie’s hair was also in her favourite side parting and award-winning Hairdresser and Co-Founder of The Hair Consult Edward James previously explained to woman&home why side-swept hair is so beautiful.

"The side-sweep is such a great universal style as it literally suits all hair lengths and is flattering on all hair textures," the expert said, before later revealing that it’s "flattering for a wide range of face shapes, also making it very wearable."

There was plenty of volume in the Duchess of Edinburgh’s messy bun and the sleekness of the sides of her side parting accentuated this. She still loves updos to this day, though sadly we haven’t seen her cut out dress make a triumphant return. But with summer on the horizon we can’t help hoping that Duchess Sophie might revisit this look - or at least this shade of pink - for one of the season’s upcoming events and occasions.