Duchess of Cambridge continues style reinvention with $5000-plus Chanel handbag

Since Meghan came into the Royal Family, the Duchess of Cambridge is continuing her high-fashion makeover, with new hair and a super expensive leather accessory. SEE THE PHOTOS

Carrying a Chanel bag, the Duchess of Cambridge has turned heads in a stylish outfit that again suggests she is stepping it up in the fashion stakes.

Kate, 37, wore a £3000 ($A5400-plus) maroon-coloured quilted Chanel handbag for a royal engagement at the Natural History Museum in London.

The outfit was yet another example of the future Queen, 37, teaming high and low-cost pieces.

While her bag was extremely pricey, the rest of her ensemble wasn’t. She wore a pair of £130 ($A235) Jigsaw culottes and a £39 ($A70) turtleneck from Warehouse.

Her high-heeled loafers, from Tod’s, reportedly retail for £353 ($A640).

The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at Angela Marmont Centre for Biodiversity at Natural History Museum in London. Picture: Getty Images

Kate and her Chanel. Picture: Getty Images

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This is not the first time Kate has worn this particular Chanel bag: Previously, she was photographed carrying it on a trip to Paris circa 2017.

It’s not often the British royals wear Chanel. Though it is one of the world’s most famed fashion houses in the world, they tend to stick to British designers such as Mulberry and Stella McCartney when choosing accessories, particularly for day-to-day appearances.

At the the National History Museum — of which she is a patron — Kate also debuted a new hair look featuring blonde highlights and bouncy waves.

She also debuted new highlights. Picture: AFP

All smiles ... Chanel will do that to a Duchess. Picture: Getty Images

While Kate has unveiled a more polished, high-fashion image, her sister-in-law Meghan Markle seems to be going the other way.

On her royal tour of South Africa, the former Suits star, 38, sported a sleek and sophisticated Everlane jumpsuit, which at $US120 ($A177) is a lot more affordable than most of the designer outfits she wears.

The way she was. In September 2016, Kate wore cowboy boots over jeans. Picture: Getty Images

Her style, in November 2018, featured the ill-advised pairing of opaque tights with heels. Picture: Getty Images

Fashion fail. In March 2013, she tried a statement coat. Picture: Getty Images

Recycling looks is new move for the Duchess of Sussex, who has previously copped criticism for spending big on designer clothes and accessories, and often only wearing them once.

With husband Prince Harry in Cape Town, Meghan re-wore a $1600 striped maxi dress by Australian designer Martin Grant to an official engagement at the Residence of the British High Commissioner.

She teamed the eye-catching bag with a pair of Jigsaw pants and a knit by Warehouse - both chain stores. Picture: Getty Images

Kate often mixes high and low items. Picture: MATRIX

The Duchess of Cambridge debuted a more polished look at Wimbledon this year. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

A more sophisticated silhouette in January. Picture: Getty Images

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, at the Residence of the British High Commissioner in South Africa last month. Picture: Getty Images

She originally sported the dress in Bondi last October. Picture: Toby Zerna

Markle originally sported the look in Sydney last October.

It’s fair to say Markle is not known for re-wearing many of her designer outfits unlike her Middleton, who does it semi-regularly.

On one occasion, Kate sported a $100 maternity dress with an $80,000 Cartier necklace, according to The New York Post’s Page Six.

However, the Duchess of Sussex’s preference for designer fashion has been well-documented. She once wore $32,000 worth of clothes and accessories in a matter of hours, during a day of back-to-back royal engagements in Dublin.

From Miu Miu to Givenchy, and J. Crew to Goat — whatever the former Suits actor wears sells out almost immediately, with her influence termed the “Meghan effect”.

Originally published as Duchess of Cambridge continues style reinvention with $5000-plus Chanel handbag