As the world’s eyes were glued to the front steps of St. Mary’s Hospital in London this afternoon, Kate Middleton, Prince William and their newborn baby emerged. While observers were eager to catch their first glimpse of the royal babe, just as many were wondering what the Duchess would wear in her first public appearance following the birth.
Kate stepped out in a baby blue polka-dotted Jenny Packham dress—the color, along with William’s similarly-hued button down shirt, no doubt selected as a nod to the baby’s gender. Princess Diana also wore polka dots when she walked out onto the same hospital steps with Prince William in 1982.
The Duchess has worn the British designer Packham on numerous occasions: a silvery dress with peach jacket while eight months pregnant to the Queen’s 60th anniversary coronation last month, a stunning lacy teal dress to a concert gala last summer, a sparkly pink number to another gala in 2011. Here she paired the casual frock with a pair of L.K. Bennett wedges. Looking stylish as ever, with loose locks and a radiant smile, she’s no doubt the envy—or perhaps bane—of new mothers everywhere.