Princess Charlene, 47, admitted she spent years fine-tuning her wardrobe as the interest in her style skyrocketed ahead of her royal wedding with Prince Albert of Monaco, 67, in 2011.
While she settled on clean lines with power suits and belted jackets in monochromatic colours, the royal surprised fans at the weekend by throwing out her own rulebook.
In a 2010 interview with Tatler, the former Olympic swimmer revealed: "As I spend more time in Monaco, I have developed an understanding of fashion. But coming into myself has taken time. Because I've got broad shoulders, clean, simple, elegant lines suit me best."
While attending the 2025 FIA Formula E World Championship in Monte-Carlo over the weekend, Charlene turned heads in her bold and beautiful ensemble. Her satin A-line midi skirt was covered with pink, orange and yellow stripes, accentuating her waist alongside her tucked-in, crisp white shirt.
The skirt alone would normally be more colour than fans are used to seeing on the Monegasque royal, but she doubled down with her ruby red pointed-toe heels, finishing her look with Barbie pink lipstick.
Charlene's cropped blonde hair had been secured away from her face, leaving just two curled tendrils loose, drawing focus to her natural makeup and pearl drop earrings.
Charlene's fashion evolution
Even when it comes to her casual appearances, such as her recent outing to support Albert's charity bike race, Charlene tends to keep a low profile in black, white or navy blue.
She wore black skinny jeans, monochromatic black and white trainers and an edgy leather jacket for the Champagne & Oyster Cycling Club ride at the end of April 2025.
Perhaps Charlene's aversion to colour stems from one of her first outings with Albert, in which her black-tie outfit remains, in her mind, as her "baptism of fire" in the fashion world.
"My first Red Cross Ball was a baptism of fire," the mother-of-two, who shares Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella with Albert, recalled to Tatler.
"I was used to living in a swimsuit and totally clueless about fashion. The day of the ball, I had been playing volleyball all day on the beach and didn't think about getting ready until late in the afternoon.
"I borrowed a green dress from a friend, fixed my hair myself and painted my nails red, I looked like a Christmas tree."
Her backless dress featured cowl draping, a low V-neck, and glittery black embroidery layered over the dark green base. She teamed it with a gold bag and styled her then-long hair in an updo.
Since then, she was coached through the fashion world by Giorgio Armani, who also designed her wedding dress, which was adorned with 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops.
Now, Charlene has cemented her place as a fashion icon, showing off her sartorial prowess in Armani, Dior, Ralph Lauren and more designer labels.