Everyone knows that October—that most perfect of months, before the real cold sets in—is for suede boots. Ideally brown ones. Ideally with a little heel. Need some pointers? Peep Kate Middleton, who was recently pictured in dark brown suede boots and a khaki green Alexander McQueen coat in Northern Ireland, where she was visiting the fire and rescue service’s new Learning and Development College. Her husband—famously Prince William—was also in brown suede boots (his and hers!) although his were of a flatter variety, and paired with a brown blazer.

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Getty Images

This isn’t the first time Kate Middleton has opted for these tried-and-tested autumn essentials. Last month, for a stroll around Frogmore Gardens at Windsor as part of the US state visit, the Princess was again in khaki and those same brown boots. “Chocolate brown is a key colour of the season,” wrote Vogue’s Emily Chan at the time, “with brands including Saint Laurent, Victoria Beckham and The Row all embracing the shade for fall 2025.”

Brown suede boots in general have also been a mainstay on runways in recent seasons. See: the knee-high suede cowboy boots for Acne’s spring 2026 collection, or the lace-up suede boots for Hermès’s 2026 resort collection (although, let’s be honest, suede boots never really go out of style). Meanwhile, every other new creative director appears to be reimagining house classics in suede (Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, Jonathan Anderson at Dior). Essentially, as is often the case, the Princess manages to blend tradition with being bang on trend.