In the Duchess of Cambridge’s wardrobe is an elegantly tailored grey raw silk coat with hand beaded cuff and waist detail. Kate has paired this design, the “Buxton” by British designer Katherine Hooker, with two neutral hued hats:
Look #1: With a grey straw Rachel Trevor Morgan designed saucer with starburst overlay, straw multi-looped bow and curled feathers and a grey silk cowl necked dress worn June 13, 2011 to the Order of the Garter
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Look #2: With a Whiteley cappuccino parasisal beret percher with twist trim and a Jenny Packham floral dress worn June 9, 2012 for the marriage of Emily McCorquodale, one of William’s Spencer cousins
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Which hat do you prefer most with this coat ?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Absolutely the first pairing – love this hat, especially with this coat
Definitely #1 — the whole outfit is beautifully put together!
I like hat #2 much better with the alternate dress that Jimbo posted. I also think that hat #2 goes reasonably well with the featured coat, but wearing the coat over that dress is not, IMO, a good look. That dress is made to stand alone, not to be hidden under a coat of that style. The bit of it that shows at the neck and in the front is not the best part of the dress and does not show it to any advantage. It makes me almost wonder if her original intent was to wear just the dress but it was unexpectedly cold that day!
Matthew, the weaher in Stoke Rochford (Grantham) reached a high of only 13C (55F) on June 9, 2012, so Kate’s coat was surely a warm addition to her summery dress.
OMG, I am blown away, Jimbo! You are not only an expert in obscure photo location, but weather reports as well! From the photos of the dress alone, it looks very thin, so at that temperature, the addition of a coat is certainly understandable, though I’m surprised she didn’t just change out the entire outfit. But seriously, I was just guessing!
Definitely the first. I have a personal aversion to beige with grey! Seriously, though, I think the first hat is also a prettier shape, and the whole outfit looks more pulled-together as Jane in WI says.
I much prefer the style and shape of the first hat and think it goes better with the coat. The percher seems flat on her head.
I like both of them. Each are appropriate for the occasion. The first hat worn to an Order of the Garter ceremony has a lot more star power. The hat and coat make a strong statement. The dress is an accessory.
The second hat worn to a family wedding coordinates nicely with the dress. The coat is along for the ride. This outfit is not an attention grabber She is dressing to blend in, not stand out.
One of the things I love about Kate is how she has, since the very beginning of her public life, made her fashion choices with such care and regard for the larger context. I just wish we could get back to seeing her dress for the star power occasions.
I like the 1st ensemble very much.
Below is another outing of the 2nd hat, and a much better view of the 2nd dress, worn at a polo match.
June 4, 2011: Epsom
July 9, 2011: Polo match
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I much prefer this hat with this outfit.
Neither one. Would like to see more color even subtle in the hats. Also would like to see the dress. The buttons on the coat seem to overpower the outfit.
Love the first ensemble. The hat is beautiful and goes best with the coat.
I like the first look – more pulled together
I prefer the first ensemble. The hat worn at Windsor is more appealing to me as is the neckline of the dress. Her shoes are lovely.
The first one. The dark gray hat with the dark gray shoes is perfect.
I like the second one better, it matches the color in her dress and the waist detail of her coat and is much more elegant than the first one.
I don’t love either look actually. You just see how far her style has come, it’s just not as polished as she looks these days.
But to choose, definitely the first; at least it goes. The second one is a brown hat with a grey coat, it possibly picks up tones in the dress, but it’s otherwise tonally off.
Definitely the first. Although I quite liked the print dress under the coat for the Spencer wedding, the hat was the wrong shade – it should have been grey or silver green to compliment the outfit, or cream, not coffee.