Zara Tindall’s striped shirt dress and raffia Aspinal bag at Wimbledon was smart-casual at its best

Zara Tindall’s striped shirt dress and raffia Aspinal bag at Wimbledon 2023 was the perfect smart-casual look.

When it comes to incorporating patterns into your summer capsule wardrobe some of the most timeless and easy-to-wear of all are stripes and spots so it’s perhaps no surprise that the Royal Family are big fans of both. Last year Zara Tindall’s striped shirt dress and gorgeous Aspinal bag caught our eye as she attended Wimbledon with her husband Mike. The couple have regularly attended the championships over the years but this has to be one of our favourite looks from the King’s niece. It was a perfect occasion wear outfit that would look just as beautiful dressed down with a pair of her best white trainers and a denim jacket layered over the top.

Unsurprisingly for Wimbledon, Zara styled her navy and white striped ME+EM dress in a more elevated, formal way. Falling to an elegant midi length on her, this dress is described as a maxi dress by the brand. It had all the elements we love about a classic shirt dress design - the pointed collar, long sleeves and pockets on the bodice.

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Zara’s striped shirt dress had a relaxed fit-and-flare silhouette and a tie-waist belt incorporated into the dress which accentuated her waist in such a flattering way. She wore the piece with a few buttons undone at the top to give it more of a smart-casual feel and although she wasn’t pictured using them, the Fluid Stripe Maxi Shirt Dress has pockets.

If you want to invest in a dress for your wardrobe then going neutral is often a great choice. Shades like black, white, camel and navy can effortlessly be styled with so many other colours. The combination of the deep navy and white on Zara’s dress was so gorgeous and ensured that the bolder print was still incredibly wearable. The equestrian royal stuck to what she knows with her bag which was a chevron raffia crossbody design from her go-to brand, Aspinal of London.  

The exact handbag she wore to Wimbledon last year might now not be available, but Aspinal still sells a £350 Raffia Crossbody bag and it even comes in a similar tan and raffia colourway. This size of bag is great for all your essentials and if you want to be hands-free during the day as Zara likely did for a day at Wimbledon. Tan tones and raffia are so popular in the summer and Zara’s bag worked beautifully with her striped dress. She also copied Carole Middleton’s easy styling trick for achieving a polished outfit and matched the colours of her espadrille wedges to her bag.

She also brought a practical fedora hat with her to help shield her head from the sunshine, a white jacket in case of chilly breezes and added a pair of brown sunglasses. Zara’s short blonde hair was loose and straight for Wimbledon and keeping her overall look so pared-back added to its sense of sophistication.

Stripes might not be something we see her wear all the time but this outing showed how effective they can be at making a real style statement. We can’t help hoping we see her reach into her wardrobe for this ME+EM piece once again, or into her accessory collection for her Aspinal bag, if she attends Wimbledon 2024.