Pippa Middleton’s lace mini dress and slouchy chestnut boots were a masterclass in sophisticated street style with a fun twist

Pippa Middleton’s lace mini dress and slouchy chestnut boots from 2011 were a masterclass on how to achieve sophisticated street style with a fun twist.

Pippa Middleton is every bit as known for her sensational style as her sister the Princess of Wales, though her signature look has slightly shifted over the years. We’re now more accustomed to seeing her step out in flowing midi dresses, but in the past she also loved a mini dress and this time of year we often saw her pairing them with knee high or ankle boots. This was how Pippa’s lace mini dress was styled in October 2011 and this look proves exactly why we should all have some statement and fun pieces in our winter capsule wardrobe.

The Princess of Wales’s sister was pictured out in London on this chilly day wearing a mini dress from H&M crafted from black lace over a nude-beige fabric. The high contrast between these tones was so striking and the delicate floral lace pattern stood out beautifully against the background colour.

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Whilst many of us might not currently have ‘lace mini dress’ on our list of the best Christmas party outfit ideas, Pippa Middleton has shown us how to style a playful piece like this in such a sophisticated way. Selecting a lace dress with a simple silhouette helps enormously with this and Pippa’s lace mini dress had a high crew neckline.

This helped to balance the shortness of the length and ensure that the dress wasn’t massively revealing for wearing day-to-day, as well as for evenings out. Her choice of colour palette with this dress was also masterful as the black and beige combination meant that the pattern was clear, but the dress remained neutral.

This made it far easier to pair with different layers and accessories and so if you’re interested in adding a lace dress - or any lace item - to your collection it’s well worth keeping in mind what tones would work with your most-worn staples.

On a colder day a pair of knee high leather or suede boots would be perfect with Pippa’s dress, but she went for a lower style of boot. Whilst her lace mini dress remained the fun focal point of her outfit, these chestnut-toned boots helped to dress it down in a lovely way. They rose to mid-calf length and had buckles on the sides which were slouchy and draped around her feet.

This shape is a far cry from her usual streamlined boot shapes and it gave her look a casual feel whilst still being very put-together. Over the top of her dress, Pippa Middleton layered a black Zara zip-up coat which fell to just above her knees.

She wore it open and it had an asymmetric design, with a gold-toned zip that matched the hardware of her Modalu top handle bag as well as the buckles on her boots. The brown bag also coordinated with her footwear and sticking to just a few hues within one outfit took this street style look to elegant new heights.

After being reminded of Pippa Middleton’s 2011 outfit we’re excited to embrace more fun pieces and style them with classic items and neutral tones that will help to balance them and create a chic final look. This is an easy outfit formula for both daytime and evening events and can be so impactful without being overwhelming.