These photos prove Kate Middleton is undergoing a subtle style makeover

The INSIDER Summary:

• Kate Middleton appears to be changing her style.
• The Duchess of Cambridge recently cut her hair into a lob and has been wearing slightly bolder designs, including polka dots.
• In particular, she seems to have swapped her go-to cream-colored heels for more interesting footwear like statement strappy sandals and block heels.

As a royal, Kate Middleton plays it relatively safe with her style. Her wardrobe has stayed much the same over the years, seemingly full of elegant dresses that fall just below the knee and pairs of cream-colored court heels from L.K. Bennett.

Lately, however, the Duchess of Cambridge appears to be moving toward a slightly more playful style. At recent events, Middleton has been photographed wearing polka dots, strappy sandals, and block heels. She also got her signature long hair cut into a chic lob.

While these don't sound like very bold fashion moves, they make a subtle difference to the Duchess of Cambridge's overall aesthetic.

Scroll down to see how her style is beginning to change.

This photo from May 22 shows Middleton's usually traditional style: an over-the-knee dress with a pair of patent cream court heels.

Recently, however, the Duchess of Cambridge seems to have retired her go-to L.K. Bennett "nude" heels in favor of more interesting designs, according to the Daily Mail.

At London's Victoria & Albert Museum in June, Middleton sported an above-the-knee tweed Gucci dress and wore her hair in a half-up, half-down style.

Shortly after the Duchess was seen wearing it, the $2,890 dress sold out on Net-A-Porter.

She was also pictured in June wearing a £278 (US$362) pair of J. Crew tweed shoes with a more casual outfit at London's Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre.

The pointed, low-heel shoes with a tassel complement the rest of her outfit, which has an effortlessly preppy, nautical vibe. 

Then on July 3, Middleton debuted a new shorter hairstyle at Wimbledon.

As the Daily Mail notes, she wore a $2,159 Dolce & Gabbana dress with a pair of $81 block heel sandals from the British shoe retailer Office for the occasion.

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If you want to copy Middleton's style, the shoes she wore to Wimbledon are still available here.

At a July 13 event at London's Natural History Museum, Middleton wore a powder blue Preen dress with a pair of purple heeled sandals with edgy straps from Prada.

The mixture of colors in the Duchess' ensemble and her statement sandals are a big departure from her usually prim footwear.

As this photo from a visit to Poland on July 17 proves, however, Middleton hasn't stopped wearing cream court shoes altogether — though this pair of suede heels are noticeably different to the shiny heels she used to wear regularly.

The Duchess of Cambridge may be changing her style in a small way, but it's a big difference for someone who represents the British royal family. Her outfits are still classic and polished, but they look more modern and fresh. When it comes to fashion, it seems that Middleton has hit her stride.