Kate Middleton's Latest Dress Is Your Reminder That the Duchess Does Summer Style Best

She knows her way around a coat dress and a pair of boots, but Kate Middleton is really on her fashion game come Summer. Or maybe I'm just partial to the pretty floral sheaths and maxi dresses, like the option the duchess wore for an outing to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Following her appearance on Monday in wide-leg khakis, Kate stepped out again, this time in a blue-and-black-print Erdem dress. It's romantic, but uncomplicated — something easy and accessible about Kate Middleton slipping into a breezy dress like this and adding a pair of floral-shaped earrings and espadrilles that wrap at the ankle. She's appropriately dressed, per usual, for the occasion at hand, though this outfit is also the kind you might imagine the duchess showing up in at a Summer party with friends, or even a wedding.

So, while I don't have a "garden party" to attend, I'm taking notes. Kate is my unofficial style muse for Summer, fueling my penchant for pretty things that are easy to throw on and go, and lend the look of polish. These are the dresses that come to the rescue when you've just about had it with the heat and can't muster up any real energy to get dressed at all. Well, one look at a beautiful print like this hanging in your closet, and I suspect inspiration might strike and you'll be halfway to one seriously lovely outfit (just add shoes!). So, let the Kate Middleton effect take hold and shop the similar looks ahead.