Great! Catherine Radiant in Alessandra Rich Floral Dress and Patrick Mavros Ocean Tides Earrings
Catherine, Princess of Wales, has consistently demonstrated that her fashion choices are never merely aesthetic, but deliberate acts of storytelling—each look balancing elegance, diplomacy, and advocacy. A prime example lies in her enduring relationship with the Zimbabwean-born jewelry designer Patrick Mavros, whose intricate creations celebrate the natural world. From earrings shaped like pangolins to designs inspired by sea urchins and ocean tides, Catherine’s affinity for these pieces reflects her personal passion for conservation while subtly spotlighting global biodiversity. With Mavros donating 10% of proceeds from select collections to organizations such as the Tikki Hywood Trust, her decision to wear his designs turns moments of glamour into gestures of environmental stewardship.
This synergy of fashion and purpose was particularly evident during the Platinum Jubilee Caribbean Tour in March 2022. The eight-day journey across Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas was a landmark in celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign, but it also became a moment of reflection on the Commonwealth’s history. The farewell at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau offered one of Catherine’s most memorable looks of the tour. She appeared radiant in a canary-yellow Alessandra Rich jacquard floral dress, its 1980s-inspired puff sleeves, bow-tied collar, and peplum waist embodying both retro charm and regal polish. The ensemble, finished with white Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps and a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch, captured optimism and poise. But it was her Patrick Mavros Ocean Tides Milky Quartz earrings—crafted in 18ct gold with diamond-set sea urchin drops—that elevated the outfit into something more profound. Dancing lightly in the Bahamian breeze, the earrings symbolized not only her appreciation for natural beauty but also her quiet advocacy for protecting fragile marine ecosystems.
Later that year, her love for Mavros’s pieces resurfaced in a more intimate context. On September 26, 2020, the Princess and Prince William hosted a private outdoor screening of Sir David Attenborough’s A Life on Our Planet at Kensington Palace, attended by their children. The evening highlighted the couple’s shared environmental mission, a passion that would crystallize into the Earthshot Prize, William’s ambitious £50 million initiative to reward groundbreaking climate solutions. Catherine’s outfit mirrored the event’s balance of elegance and ease: Gabriela Hearst’s Marley blue denim shirt dress, cinched at the waist with a silver lobster-claw belt buckle, conveyed understated sophistication. For the first time, she debuted her Patrick Mavros Pangolin Haka earrings in sterling silver, the delicate design embodying her growing commitment to spotlighting endangered wildlife. The choice was both personal and symbolic, aligning her fashion with the very cause being celebrated that evening.
Her advocacy through style deepened the following year. On October 13, 2021, Catherine visited London’s Kew Gardens for the Generation Earthshot event, part of the Earthshot Prize’s educational program designed to inspire young people to develop environmental solutions. Engaging children alongside Mayor Sadiq Khan, explorer Steve Backshall, and Olympian Helen Glover, Catherine radiated energy in Erdem’s bright green wool crepe “Allie” coat, layered over a Zara ribbed top and tailored trousers. The coat’s structured silhouette, blooming with floral print, visually echoed the botanical richness of Kew’s UNESCO-recognized grounds. To complement the setting, she re-wore her Pangolin Haka earrings—larger in scale this time—drawing attention once again to the plight of the scaly anteater, the world’s most trafficked mammal. Their glinting silver scales framed her face as she spoke with students, weaving together education, conservation, and fashion in a single narrative thread.
Taken together, these appearances underscore a defining feature of Catherine’s royal role: her ability to transform the language of fashion into a medium of advocacy. By choosing designers like Patrick Mavros, she connects her personal style to global issues, ensuring her ensembles speak not only to royal tradition but also to modern values of sustainability and awareness. In wearing pangolin earrings to a children’s climate workshop or sea urchin motifs on a Caribbean runway, she uses her platform to amplify the quiet but urgent stories of the natural world.
