I Wore a White Suit Like Kate Middleton at the Queen’s Jubilee Platinum Party—and It’s Less Than $250

Elizabeth II may be the Queen of England, but Kate Middleton is the queen of white suits. While attending the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee festivities this weekend, the Duchess of Cambridge rocked not one, but two of the tailored staples over the four-day celebration, opting for a recycled Alexander McQueen white blazer dress during the Jubilee flypast and a chic Self Portrait suit dress at the Platinum Party at the palace. If you're suddenly feeling inspired to jump on the menswear bandwagon, you're not alone: I found—and wore, so I can vouch for—just the lookalike ensemble (and psst: It's less than $250).

While Middleton's McQueen double-breasted blazer getup and Self Portrait piece, which features a belted tweed suit jacket over a pleated skirt with lace trim at the hem, are long gone (and, let’s be real, out of my price range), I managed to track down a similar version of a more traditional Alexander McQueen blazer and pant set the royal recently donned to meet with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness while on tour in the Caribbean in March.

Now, I am not a suit person. Sure, I love the way they look, but to be frank, at 5-foot 2 (this if we’re being generous), they’re usually more trouble than they’re worth. If the shoulders aren’t too big, the bottoms are too long. And anything with a wide leg? Forget about it—it’ll be dragging the ground at least a foot past my where my actual foot ends. I admittedly could take a suit in to the tailor to be rehemmed—but who wants to spend more time (and money!) on a piece that hasn’t even hit your credit card statement yet?

Needless to say, I was skeptical about trying out SuitShop—an online suiting company that offers affordable black tie attire for both men and women for less than the average cost of a rental—without trying the goods on first.

Still, I gave the company’s virtual Fit Finder a go, answering questions about my height, weight, typical blazer and pant measurements and my body type online in order to get a recommended size (0) and length (short) for my jacket and pants at the company.

SuitShop sent out my order, and roughly one week later, it arrived in a sturdy suit bag. I put it on, and to my complete and absolute shock, it fit like a glove. The slim cigarette pants hit exactly where they were supposed to, landing at my ankles instead of miles below them. They were also just right at the waist, with no additional nips or tucks needed to take in or let out the waistline.

As for the blazer, the seams actually hit at my shoulders, despite its slightly oversized look—honestly, a miracle for someone like myself, who usually looks like I’m dressing up drowning in my mom’s clothing when throwing one on.

Beyond the fit, the material felt silky and sleek with a slight sheen that made me feel like I was wearing something far pricier than my sweet set's combined $249 price tag ($164 for the jacket, $85 for the pants).

Both pieces are dry clean only, so you’ll have to spend a little more for care, but considering all the money I just saved on tailoring, I’m happy to shell out to keep it nice—especially given its complete versatility.

While I initially took a style cue from Kate and paired it with a contrasting tank and pumps, the Duchess of Cambridge has inspired me to switch it up yet again with her more recent ensembles—next time, I’ll be wearing the top solo with a belt and a pleated maxi skirt (this one from Reiss looks like it might do nicely). Or perhaps I’ll go for her bold pop of orange with a little tie-neck number, like this one.

Let's just say between Kate and Meghan Markle (another royal fan of the look), my white suit inspo well won't be running dry anytime soon.