BUTTONS.
I’ve said it before, and damn it, I’m going to say it again. The Duchess of Cambridge has a Button Problem to go along with her Raccoon McWaity problem. Bedhead just said, “Duchess of Buttons” so now I can’t get it out of my head. Raccoon McWaity, Duchess of Buttons. It really is like no button will ever be too big or too garish for Kate. Bless her heart.
As for the buttony ensemble, it’s Alexander McQueen. Or, Sarah Burton for McQueen. WTF is Sarah Burton doing to the label? She designed that Ralph Lauren-looking sailor outfit during Will and Kate’s Canadian tour too. Sarah Burton has become Kate’s Button Enabler.
William and Kate’s appearance yesterday in Birmingham was all part of the royal family reaching out to those affected by the London riots. People Mag has more:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge showed empathy and support Friday for those who had lost family members, seen their possessions snatched or worked 15-hour days to cope with traumatic events of a riot-torn area of Britain. The royal couple made the surprise trip to Birmingham on Friday and comforted the families of three men who died while defending shops from looters.
Like other visits by members of the royal family this week, it was unheralded in the media, so there were only a handful of well-wishers outside Summerfield Community Centre, at the heart of the Winson Green area, about 130 miles north west of London.
Inside, William and Kate first met representatives of the mourning families of Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31. Included in the group for the 15-minute meeting was Haroon’s father Tariq, who, amid his grief hours after his son’s death, had stood on the street and urged locals not to seek revenge.
There was a “very somber atmosphere” at the meeting, Insp. Cate Webb-Jones of West Midlands Police says. “They were very concerned about what the families had gone through and how they were coping with such a tragedy.”
William and Kate “showed a lot of respect” and offered the condolences to the families, he said. Later, aides said William and Kate were “full of admiration for the dignity” the families had shown in the face of their loss.
With Kate, 29, rarely away from his side, William, also 29, led the way as they spoke with members of community groups and emergency services who had dealt with the outbreak of street violence.
The Duchess revealed that the couple had watched in horror at home in Anglesey, Wales, as it unfolded on TV. “Looking at all the young people out and about on the streets, we couldn’t believe it was happening in Britain,” she told Supt. Sue Southern from West Midlands Police.
They also met the ambulance crew who were first on the scene when the three young men were hit by a car as they protected shops from looters. “They thanked us for all our work under pressure in those circumstances,” Darren Roberts said. “We told them we just wanted to carry on helping.”
Kate, meanwhile, exchanged praises with nurses at two of the city’s hospitals: “She said, ‘When you are doing your everyday job and then this on top, it must be very hard,’ ” nurse Lesley Clare says.
And her colleague, Mandy Sankey, nurse manager at the Children’s Hospital adds, “She’s a real ambassador. She conducted herself with real dignity. She’s extremely ladylike.”
Their visit followed that of Prince Harry to the Manchester area Thursday, and Prince Charles and wife’s tour of riot-hit parts of London Wednesday.
[From People]
“Like other visits by members of the royal family this week, it was unheralded in the media…”???? But we still got lots and lots of quality photos! I think there was actually one photographer taking photos, and the dude just sold the pics to several photo agencies.
But sure, I’m glad Kate and William spent some time with “the people”. It’s good for her to really begin to do royal appearances on a regular basis, and it’s good for her mingle amongst the commoners. Sometimes… ugh, should I say this? I’ll say it. Sometimes I get the feeling that William has more of a “common touch” than Kate, who was actually a commoner. Yes, she seems engaged with the people she’s talking to (as opposed to her usual habit of looking around for the camera and posing while people speak to her). She’s getting better at this stuff… but William just seems more natural.
Photos courtesy of Fame.
First outfit I’ve seen her wear that does make her look too thin. Put that one back in the closet until you gain 10 lbs, Kate.
Y’all please don’t mock me when I say that this set of photos is really the first time I’ve ever noticed the eyeliner overload problem. I never really saw it before, or at least it never seemed as bad as everyone made it out to be. But here? Yeah. Tooooooo much.
Also, I am usually a fan of yachty buttony nautical styles done well. This one is not done so well. Not cute. Saggy looking and droopy–nautical styling needs to be crisp, ultra-tailored, and very neat. Not saggy and sloppy.
If you put aside the eyeliner issue, though, she has absolutely gorgeous eyes!
I think she always looks lovely but I do admit she’s too thin. Thankfully, behind that brass button midriff panel is a storage compartment for pistachios and beef jerky…..Imagine CB and Kate sitting next to each other at a movie…keep your hands to yourself.
Seriously?
A sailor-themed outfit AND nehru neckline AND shoulder pads AND epaulets AND gold-toned buttons everywhere AND droopy detailing across the bust AND front, off-center splits? All in one very small space.
Just. no.
can sumone please teach this woman how to do a smokey, soft eye? Her solid black eyeliner gives her a hardened ‘old slag’ type look. Shame about the outfit 2 – who is her stylist?
I LOVE everything about this outfit! I so covet it.
Kate’s outfit reminds me of the tragic-but-mercifully-brief period in the Eighties when Di decided it was high time to trot out her military epaulette ensembles.
This woman is full of class and sophistication, something that many young people cannot fathom. Her clothes are elegant.
It’s lovely. She’s lovely.
In an age of crassness, vulgarity, and trash, she is dignified, refined, and classy.
The eyeliner is tragic!
Seriously, all I can think is what if she needs to rub her eye? She can’t or else the makeup will get in it!
Just.. no!
Why did the 3rd and 5th pictures make me nearly shoot coffee thru my nose?
WHAT is that outfit? Why is she dressing like a 50 year old from the 80s?
I like the outfit
I like her hair
I like her eyeliner
I like her
There’s just something so dated about her. She definitely has to shorten up the long-ass hair or start wearing it up or off her face in a pony-tail as it blows around her face and she fusses with it constantly, a very annoying habit. Then she needs to soften the black eyeliner (a bad habit Diana acquired too….) and start using some more colour on her lips instead of that pasty, bland neutral. She actually looks like she’s gained a few pounds but clearly needs at least another 10 before she stops looking like a bone-rack.
A good way to have people keep talking about your uterine contents–or lack thereof– is to outline it with shiny gold buttons.
It’s very appropriate, which, when you’re visiting the family of people who have been murdered, is the only thing that matters. Spending your time worrying about her clothing and eyeliner on an occasion like this shows no class.
If Kate wears uniforms for no apparent reason, she’s turning into a Windsor for sure.
No, really, I like it when Wills looks all stodgy and Kate’s a little ray of sunshine next to him. I imagine that’s part of her appeal to him– she seems to have fun practically anywhere they go.
The outfit isn’t fashion forward, nor should it be (for her or the occasion). But it is pretty, classic and would look nice on a bit more solid of frame. Wispy gals always look a bit silly in structured clothes, to me.
I agree she needs to take about 6 inches off the hair. Her pretty face would be more flattered by it, then.
@boo- I was thinking the same thing. It looks like it’s highlighting her reproductive organs or something. And her eyeliner is torturing me. Lose the buttons below the waist and the eyeliner, and she would have looked great.
Overdressed & insensitive.
she is thin, but i like her or what little i know of her.
Lindy, me too. I thought it wasn’t too, too bad before, but this is OVERLOAD, especially for the a.m.
The skirt is cute, the blouse is heinous. That’s not an outfit, it’s a costume. Or a waitress uniform.
And yes – horrid flashbacks to Diana and her Sgt. Pepper outfits.
This is not a look that I’m loving: although the skirt would be nice with a simple top, the blouse is beyond redemption and even worse when paired with the skirt. Kelly: not gettin’ the over-dressed or insensitive vibe here, just a faux-paramilitary vibe.
The placement of those buttons on the skirt screams “adult diaper.”
That dated, outfit cost over $2000! That’s ridiculous -She wore High Street for the Obamas, but an exclusive designer to meet the victims of a riot during a deep recession? Suprisingly dumb misstep for her.
And she seems so out of her depth -a barbie shouldn’t be in this context. She just seems years younger than 29 -she’s poised in a fashion sense -but so sheltered to other points of view and life experience. She looks like she’s making what she thinks are the right faces for the photos and I think what I find off-putting about the photos -it’s so transparently a photo-op -she doesn’t seem caring or concerened -but rather like she’s thinking -“Must appear caring and concerned!” I have a middling opinion of William, but even he seems more engaged with what’s happening.
toooooooo mannnnnnyyyyyyy butttttttttons!!!!!
And my goodness, that skirt is frumpy.
This outfit has 19 visible gold buttons. Anyone who thinks its stylish or fashion forward; I dare you to find an outfit with at least 25 gold buttons and rock it!
Her hair is to die for. Why should/would she cut it? She keeps it trimmed up nicely.
This is bad. Looks like a costume.
She looks so inappropriate and ridiculous wearing a flashy, uniform-like outfit to meet the riot victims. What is wrong with wearing a simple pair of slacks pants and a white shirt? Why must she always look like she’s dressing to impress by wearing clothes that almost look like costumes?
Why does she always need to wear expensive clothes? Yeah, yeah she recycles once or twice like the “rest of us”. Whatever. Her clothes are still expensive as heck, and wearing over $1000 worth of clothes while meeting people who lost their business, their livelihoods, and their family members to riots is a huge slap in the face and IMO, the height of disrespect. You can look classy while dressing in simple clothes, Kate.
What’s worse is her constant smiling, like she’s so happy to be there and that the event is something to be joyful about. Some of those people buried their sons the day before.
She did the same thing while signing the Condolence book for the New Zealand earthquake. She was giggling and smiling widely, like a little girl, while writing notes of sympathy. Totally clueless and inappropriate.
IMO she’s not warm or engaging at all. She just seems clueless as to how to respond and behave in the face of tragedy and pain. She looks like she tries hard to listen and sympathize, but she just doesn’t express it well. Her parents have done her a great disservice by spoiling her and not encouraging her to contribute more to society. Those charity galas and fundraisers for equally wealthy people are not an indicator of empathy. She’s never been reported to have served in a soup kitchen, or volunteered at a nursing home, or volunteered for kids with physical/mental disabilities. Every “charity” she’s done was all party, food, booze, and overall a display of wealth and excess. William will always be more natural and warm because Diana has instilled in him empathy and kindness towards others. He’s been to many places that can be considered desolate, with people suffering and in poverty. These things can really affect a person’s view of their lives and change the way they behave towards others. Kate has none of these experiences, so she seems like she’s having trouble with the “common touch”.
Now compare her appearance here to that of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, who wore such simple outfits while comforting the families of the victims of the Oslo bombing/massacre, and you’ll see a HUGE, HUGE difference. Mette-Marit barely wore any makeup, her hair was limp and not styled. However, she was naturally warm and compassionate, and you can see the genuine anguish on her face while she shed tears for the victims and their families.
In Kate, I see someone who treats the event like it’s a costume party and proceeds to smile with a “cat got the cream” look on her face, and someone who puts in a lot of effort into looking great in order to offer her sympathies: heavy makeup, blow-dried and curled hair, over $1000 worth of clothes…I wonder how much time it took for her to prepare?
Thank you very much for your post, Jessica, you opened my eyes. Until now I always defended the DoC, but now I see what you all mean with your critic. I must say, I’m very shocked, she is a very shallow person, very self-centered, very inappropriate.
Still loving Waitey, but not digging the button lined shute door over her abdomen. Looks like something that should go on a male sailor’s trousers. Not feeling the buttony Russian Orthodox cross over her chest, either. The outfit is just off – way too buttony.
Big smiles to meet with families of riot victims? Very inappropriate. As Jessica stated, this is not the first time she has grinned inappropriately. She is out of her depth, which isn’t saying much. Depth, that is.
Jessica: I think I read that Mette-Marit’s step brother was killed in the Norway massacre. Might help to explain her increased emotion. I always liked her. She had a questionable past but has risen to the occasion of being future consort to the King of Norway.
I like her photos when she looks at people having a conversation and kind of pretends she cares or understands what they are talking about. Also, bad bad skin. So I guess no amount of money helps if you have bad genes right?
The skirt is nice, the top is too much. Beautiful eyes, horrible make-up.
the butt-flap in the front doesnt look good. too much eyeliner. too much blush. the blouse buttons are too heavy for the fabric, making areas of the blouse sag from the weight.
i agree w/ the other poster who said she needs to do something w/ her hair as her constantly fiddling w/ it is annoying.
i also agree w/ the other posters who’ve said her outfit & her manner are inappropriate for the situation. this outfit makes it look like she’s attending a party. she needs to think less about the paparazzi & magazine covers & more about the subject of the events she attends.
Wow, she is SKINNY. Unnaturally so.
the best nickname i’ve heard for her is “Duchess Do Little,” it perfectly sums up her life before and after the wedding.
her apparent obsession with buttons aside, this outfit is totally inappropriate for meeting with folks who have lost so much; she should have gone simple & understated.
Anyone who gripes about Kate’s hair is exhibiting pure jealousy. There is no way ANYONE would not admire her long, thick, gorgeous, healthy hair. Unless your own is limp, fine, thin, and won’t grow past your shoulders. So there.
Her assistants need to sneek into makeup and snatch that black eyeliner. Gosh, I wish I could her makeup for her for one day. Also think she should start eating now.
@ Jessica, you are spot on. Her demeanor is completely off. You cant fake empathy. This girl is hallow on the inside.
I’ve always gotten a snotty vibe from her. William’s the Royal and even though it clearly pains him to shake hands and smile for the cameras, he is more natural. She always comes off like she’s too good for it. I wonder what kind of little bubble she grew up in thinking she was better than everyone else when her mother came from an Estate and her father’s family were lorry drivers. Bitch please, you only married in to wealth (and even then I don’t think it was his decision to do so).
Look at her face in some of those photos. Haha has she been practicing in the mirror? They’re so put on and fake looking.
“This woman is full of class and sophistication, something that many young people cannot fathom.”
I’ve seen plenty of old people without class and sophistication. Just because I don’t want to go out looking like Mrs. Kravitz doesn’t mean I’m unsophisticated. *burps* lol
That eyeliner is so bad!! I also never noticed it was so bad until these pictures. The clothes are awful. I think she looks like she is at least 40. If she was some hard-working charity supporter who actually contributed to society, I wouldn’t care what she looked like. But her looks are really all she has to offer and they aren’t too good.
I am normally against lip injections, but for her I would strongly encourage the idea. Tastefully done, it would help soften her face an awful lot. That and a smokey eye would transform her.
Dear god she’s thin. That’s not stress or morning sickness, that is flat out eating disorder.
@ Jessica (#31) – You nailed it.
Forgive me for making a second comparison to Di, but when Di went to Angola to meet land mine victims, she wore very simple clothes. She still looked elegant, but she looked as though she had been going for comfortable & relaxed rather than “photo op – must look pretty (and buttony!).”
Also, Di, much as she milked the press for her own ends, really did have a genuine warmth with people. Duchess Do Little (I want to call her Eliza now) doesn’t have that. I suppose she can’t help it, but she could at least quit the vacuous grinning. She always looks as though she’s pretending to be interested in the people around her (which is what poster #26 also noted). William always appears genuinely interested. So does Charles, actually. Perhaps, with practise, “Eliza” will get better at faking interest. (And I’m not convinced that William & his father aren’t faking their interest. But, assuming they are, they do a better job of it than she does.)
At any rate, she does indeed come across as “I’m too good for this.” Social climbers tend to be that way. *arches an eyebrow*
Oh and Sarah Burton has ruined McQueen. I cannot believe this travesty. She apparently worked under Lee for years? Obviously she learned nothing.
Kate looks like she’ll eat your soul in the first picture. All hair and stick body.
She is a lovely girl and seems sweet and genuine from interviews…who knows? BUT, her style is dreadful, horrid! She lacks that certain something…does anyone know what I mean…Her sister has it…Diana certainly had it..Kate just doesn’t. She can be stylish and refined, but show a youthful, modern sparkle…Diana was always refined and classy but her style choices were feminine and modern and often trendy…KATE needs someone else to dress her…
I know that this incredibly pedantic, but Kate and Wills visited Birmingham which is the second largest city in the UK and most definitely not in London.
p.s i think Kate looks lovely and smart for quiet a somber occasion (meeting the families of those who were killed during the riots)
Kate is becoming more and more gaunt. Considering Will’s own mother struggled with an eating disorder, you’d think he’d push hard for his wife to get treatment.
That dress looks like something that came out of Princess Di’s closet..hmmm..but they are British Royalty, so that may account for the way she is dressing, maybe when she thought about how she would conduct herself as royalty, and she used Dianna as her model..makes sense to me..I think she is gorgeous in every way 🙂
Before bashing Sarah Burton, please note that the sailor-esque dress Kate wore in PEI last month was not designed by Burton, but by McQueen himself – it was from the archives. SJP wore the same dress in navy a few years back.
I unfortunately had an outfit like that in the late 80s/early 90s. I got rid of it. All those buttons…
I jsut can’t see why everyone hates her so much? she can’t do anything right it seems she’s Raccon McWaity and Duchess Do little and so on. Well coming from bullies like you, nice. You don’t know her, you (probably) haven’t talked to her, so stop judgin her like that.
Regardless of what she wore, the woman SHOWED UP to comfort people who had been through a terrible experience!! Hats off to both her and William for showing compassion towards others.
CB happened to run smiley pictures of Kate, but both of them look very somber in other photos of this event I’ve seen. You can see the pain on William’s face — but he lost his mother so unexpectedly, just like the people he was talking to. It must have brought back some hard memories.
Even if she were wearing a meat dress I’d still adore her!
A somber visit to a riot-torn poor neighborhood isn’t the best place to display a dress that looks like it’s begging to be photographed. A simple dress in a neutral color would be more appropriate.
I actually kinda like this outfit!! With all the buttons and stuff it’s a unique ensemble, and she actually pulled it off. hmmmm dunno if it’s just me but does the outfit loosely resemble a police uniform? maybe it was chosen because it reminds people of the police in light of the riots.
And I love her hair!!! How do you get hair like that? How do you style it? What do you describe to your hairstylist if you want a haircut like hers?
@Jessica Spot on! I know their types. Lived with them.
There isn’t any point in commenting on her eyeliner. She loves it and it’s not going away any time soon. In a few years if she doesn’t tone it down, it will start making her look hard and much older.
It looks like an unfinished square box across the bottom, just needs that one button to make it complete. Having said that, she is a sweet, kind girl. It can’t be easy for her being judged every time she leaves the house.
I love her, but this looks like a costume from the Zigfield Follies 1945.
Trashy racoon-eye strikes again!
Haha! I’m torn between reading these comments and thinking wow people are mean and judgmental, and wanting to weigh in with some nasty observations of my own.
First the nasty… What’s with the man hands? Never noticed them before but they look really big in these shots! Maybe it’s the excessive thinness.
Meh on the dress. I tend to agree there is way too much going on there. Buttons and shoulder pads I’m not ready for the second go round of those together.
She does look posed in most of these shots.
On a more generous note, it’s true that we have no idea who she really is or whether or not she has a genuine bone in her body. Anyone new to this type of scrutiny is bound to be stiff in uncomfortable or sensitive circumstances. It’s much easier to pose and smile than try to ignore and focus on the suffering at hand.
Generally I find them to be a likable couple, despite the fact it’s almost certain they are entitled and privileged to a point that would make most of us puke. They seem to be making an effort to earn their keep and their titles.
Love reading this btw, rarely post but always read…;)
Thanks Lau. They were in Birmingham, which is definitely not London! That’s the UK equivalent of referring to Washington DC as New York City.
that womens clothes “for McQueen” is a god damn disgrace for McQueen!!! HIRE SOMEONE ELSE!
@ladybert62: agreed
@ Jessica.
Wow – what a lot of Kate hate!!
First up – how do you expect her to dress at this function? You moan that she’s “always” wearing expensive clothes, yet Kate is known for wearing High St fashions that are affordable – hence the Reiss dress selling out the same day she wore it to meet the Obamas.
Do you expect her to look grubby and wear a tracksuit to meet the riot victims? Isn’t having nice hair, wearing makeup and a blouse and skirt (ugly though it is) simply being respectful? It’s not like she rocked up clutching the latest Prada bag and dripping in diamonds with a small furry dog under one arm.
I’m fascinated that you also know she’s only promoted charities that display wealth and excess. Ummm….when?
As Duchess of Cambridge she is reviewing the charities she will become patron of – she isn’t the formal patron of any yet. For her wedding she and William specified a number of charities for people to contribute to rather than buy gifts – remember that? One of those was an anti bullying charity as Kate was bullied at school. Hardly the actions of someone who allegedly promotes charities for “all party, food, booze, and overall a display of wealth and excess”.
Finally, aren’t you being a little patronising asserting that its wrong of Kate to smile and look polished because “some of those people buried their sons the day before”? Surely the families of the 3 men who met Kate – and from the pics no one seems insulted by her appearance – are the best people to judge whether her appearance and attitude was appropriate? I’m pretty sure the British media would be all over a story of Kate giggling inappropriately, not being respectful (etc, all the rest of your Kate hate rant).
And – yes she is smiling in some of the pics.Especially the one where’s it’s clearly a group photo being taken. And guess what – the other people are smiling too!
William and Kate visited Birmingham to show their support to the people who were in the midst of the riots. Their visit lifted the spirits of the community. So job done, no need for all the cruel comments about Kate.
Considering many of you don’t even live in the UK, and didn’t live through the events I don’t see how you are such an authority on the visit or Kate and the royal family.
I almost fell out of my chair laughing at how ridiculous she looks.
I think she does fine for what she is (public relations job where you have to smile a lot, and not cough or fart at inappropriate times). But she’s extremely boring, and while she’s got a nice smile, she will never be a fashion icon.
How about for every pic of Kate, you post one of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden? Now there’s a princess I could look at all day.
Not my favourite outfit. Looks like an airline pilot gone mad.
Kate’s makeup is getting seriously Kardashian. But – The K’s know how to blend the cheek blush. For her to emulate the eye makeup look of the cheesiest Klan in America is pathetic. That said, she is pretty, but deadly skinny at this point. Her clothes (excepting the sailor outfit) are OK. Do they have stylists in England. The royals clothes always look a bit cartoonish to me. So matchy, matchy.
I always have such high expectations for Waity’s fashion choices, and she has disappointed me since her wedding. She needs to stop with the fake tan, its horrible
I’m afraid Kate is looking like a Stepford wife here…not a fan of the eye makeup, but she has nice hair…
Team Ell and Summer! I think you’re comments represent the voices of reason. However, if Kate were to sport a little furry dog under her arm, it would be okay by me!(Preferably a Shih Tzu)
Perfect! Love her.
This entire article had me rotflmfao
@jessica ~ could not agree with you more
God I miss McQueen.. Anyone remember when McQueen collections were innovative, stunning, boundry-pushing controversial, creatively BRILLIANT. I do love Ms. Burton still, but her knee bending to Waity (who is nothing more than an average girl that managed to play her cards right) is just killing what made that label GREAT.
I didn’t like Kate from the start (call it intuition) but I tried to embrace the positive & join the royal bandwagon. Now I’m jumping back off where I should have stayed. Someone PLEASE explain to me why anyone should be applauded and praised for acting and dressing “ladylike” when that is exactly what the position (and I’m sure her minders) call(s) for?! Congrats, would you like a cracker for doing what you should be doing? It looks like she needs a few crackers actually…
This girl has zero “IT” factor that makes certain icons who they are… The only reason I can think of as to why she ends up being covered as much as she does in the press is that people still feel the need to fill the spot that Diana left. She does not, nor will she ever, have that kind of touch Diana had. Ever. The comparisons NEED to stop.
And as for the people who say Waity is a “role model”, I have this question for you to ponder. Would you want your daughter galavanting around on your dime for 8+ years of her adult life with zero drive or professional goals, only to chase around a guy?… Granted Will isn’t just any guy. But Waity had what.. at least 7 years of chasing after him to prepare for that role she obviously so desperately wanted, knowing the duties & charitable obligations it entailed. Meaning she had all those years to partake in charitable causes making more use of herself. Yet all this time, she’s managed to fit in a hosting duty or two for one charity in between all those vacations, not to mention STILL has not picked a charity to be patron of 4 months after her marriage, and STILL clings to Will at these photo ops like today. I read on one of these posts someone described her as a girl mainly concerned with being a “pretty picture princess” and I think that’s not only true, but all that we will probably get from her, aside from the kids she’ll gleefully pop out.
This isn’t “hate” guys & gals, they can keep their fishbowl life. I’m quite happy in my own. Just would like to get a break from these relentless reports about Waity which are nothing more than posed photo ops with no real residual impact. Enough already.
WOW. That is one fugly outfit! She looks waaayyyy too thin … the buttons on the blouse seem to be pulling it off of her. I cannot believe that came from the same woman who designed her wedding dress!!!! Ackkkk …
Button overload!
It wouldn’t be as bad if she had worn each piece (blouse and skirt) separately.
The eyeliner is just hopeless.
Oh my goodness. Kate is YOUNG and will make many fashion blunders before she hits her stride. I’ve seen some really gorgeous choices on her btw. And she will have to dig in a little deeper with charities, and William I bet will coach her more. She is a newlywed, so leave her in peace. She will get used to public life. I seem to remember a few dreadful outfits on Diana, folks.
I like Kate and I like her easy, classic fashion choices. I don’t find it boring and I’m glad she brought back simple fashion choices–most of the time I don’t like what celebrities wear on red carpets. But for Kate, it’s practical, it’s easy, and it looks good.
However these are one of the few outfits on her that I don’t like. Separately the pieces might work but even then, they’re just weird looking. The buttons draw attention to all the wrong areas! And I also don’t think the outfit was that appropriate for the function. Oh and yeah, I’ve started noticing the eyeliner–I wish someone (the Queen!) would tell Kate to lay off the dark eyeliner.
Well, Duchess Kate, so long as you keep yourself covered up and condition that hair regularly, you’ll have fans!
But seriously, how can some of you praise someone so much for doing so little? This is the only job she’s bothered to prepare for. She’d better be good at it! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the girl. But this unwarranted fawning might drive me to it. Does she seem sophisticated enough? Hair flipping aside, I suppose. Does she wear ladylike clothing? Yes. I work on Fifth Avenue. So do most of the women I see walking to and from work, all in possession of this class and dignity some of you seem to think young women so sorely lack.
Kate’s job is to dress formally, to smile when the occasion calls for it and, sometimes, to wave. She’s done that. Okay. But to love her for these things seems a bit outrageous. Hate all of our “trashy” American starlets all you want—Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Britney Spears—but they are self-made women who didn’t need to marry a man of status to make them relevant. At the age of 29 marriage should be AN accomplishment, not the only one. Also, can we stop attributing Kate’s hair-flipping and obvious posing to age? I am 29 as well, and my mother told me I lost the right to blame my shortcomings on the folly of youth at least four years ago. I tend to agree with her.
As for the outfit, I don’t love it. I have loved some of the things she’s worn in the past, but this—this is ocular assault. It’s probably the work of some pushy stylist and I think she’s worn enough beautiful pieces to give her a pass on this one. See? I said something nice.
@Jessica: Holy unnecessary bitchiness Batman. Calm down, she’s just a woman who’s in a new job–there’s a learning curve for all of us when we start a new job. Mette-Marit has been a princess for 10yrs, so she’s got quite a bit more practice (she was also a single mom who’s baby daddy was a druggie/convict, so she may not be the best example of “classy” either btw). I don’t see all this “constant smiling”–in half the pictures posted Kate’s not smiling at all. And she recycles clothes way more than 1 or 2 times. The blue pumps she has on I’ve seen tons of times, and I’m only a casual observer. And, I could’ve done that hair and makeup in 20min, 30 tops. So, it’s not like she’s a Kardashian prepping for a red carpet or something. I don’t think her outfit is ‘flashy’ either. Just fug. 🙂
she dresses appropriately for the royal family, boring, but she is not supposed to attract a ton of attention.
but poor thing looks scary skinny.
On a different note, don’t Kate and William look really tan in picture 5? She’s been photographed wearing sweaters in Wales and Scotland, but they both look like they’ve been laying out in the sun rather than fake bake. Maybe ten years from now, some tell-all biography will reveal that William’s job was a front to avoid royal duties, like Kate’s Jigsaw job was a front to avoid bad press for not working. Maybe they have a tanning bed, maybe it’s the lighting.
About her outfit, she was probably instructed to represent herself as royalty’s stability in the face of crisis, and she chose a military outfit to convey that.
McQueen under Sarah Burton is like a big closet for her, and it’s not like this was planned with as much notice as her other events (and this is an event. Yet another chance for the royals to get good press and to prove their worth against their cost), so she probably nipped in, grabbed something, and yeah, this is why she needs a dresser, because life is unpredictable, she is not innately stylish, and she’s still learning the ropes. And I mean a dresser, rather than a stylist, someone who understands the needs of a royal as a public figure, and plans accordingly for any circumstance. The Queen, for example, never leaves the UK without a black outfit packed in case she needs to return suddenly in a state of mourning.
Substance-wise, I think she’s a self-interested, shallow twit. Also, William looks kinda hot with a tan.
Dang, some comments are super long! Longer than the article! lol
She has a pretty face but her body is so unattractive. She looks like skeletor.
OK, so the riots tore apart the town…why do these two have to make an appearance? Because they’re “royalty”?
The monarchy should be dismantled. It’s ridiculous that we, the UN-royals, are presumed inferior just because we didn’t rape and pillage the whole world, then designate ourselves the prettiest girl at the dance.
I wonder if some of Kates choices are based on Diana’s wardrobe, as the fashion is very similar and hearkens back to the eighties.
I sort of pity her. She will forever be criticized and critiqued for the rest of her life. I guess she knew what she was getting into and still married him.
She really does need to do something with her eye make-up. It’s so unflattering and makes her look older than she really is.
The Royals are working her hard. Like she’s a show horse to be shown off. *sigh* As for the outfit. There’s a way of looking elegant and subdued without looking so dated or old. Think Jackie-O. She was always impeccably dressed but always age appropriate. This looks like something Queen Elizabeth would wear.
I wish she would trust a top makeup artist, just once, and she would definately see the difference. The racoon eyes make her look to “hard” and not soft and pretty. She has strong features, like her teeth and smile and needs to soften the whole look including the hair. She was look so much prettier
She looks like something out of a Gilbert & Sullivan opera. Her dress sense stinks. Why does she look 45? All of the Middleton women are really so plain looking and OLD.
I think it’s hard for her to relax in public because she was a commoner who aspired to this princess gig, and if she lets loose too much the judgement will be much harder on her for not being perfect. If you were born royal, people love it when you show the ‘common touch’, so I think it’s easier for William and Harry to just be themselves in the public glare than it is for Kate right now.
I agree with Jessica. You can’t fake empathy and this girl has always been so far removed from real problems that she cannot relate at all. William, born in privilege none of us can even imagine, shows more genuine empathy. This is not a place to a) show off a new outfit and b) fuss with your tresses. This would have been a good opportunity to recycle something really simple – skirt, shirt and a cardigan for ex- not a busy, over the top outfit that is bound to be commented on. She has great hair, we all get it, but it should NOT be about the hair all the time – put it in a bun or a ponytail when you’re visiting riot victims! The eyeliner is getting out of control, making her eyes smaller and skin tired, absolutely hate the skirt.
Francesca wrote: “Why does she look 45? All of the Middleton women are really so plain looking and OLD.”
Because they’re all too skinny and too tanned. Kate would look miles better with 25 lbs more on her frame.
Her eyeliner is almost as bad as Raccoon McPantless’!
She seems a bit self-conscious and vain, so hence the awkwardness and seeming lack of empathy in these pictures. Despite her lady-like mien, Middleton lacks real presence. She rarely seems to be in the moment, so it’s not a surprise that she doesn’t seem to connect and engage with those around her. William, on the other hand, inherited his mother’s sense of presence and genuine empathy. Princess Diana and people like Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King Jr, and Marlon Brando had presence and were able to engage and inspire the common person and the disenfranchised. Maybe Middleton is empathetic, but she has to stop being so damn uptight. To me the button-obsession, weight-loss, and raccoon-eyes are a sure sign of a young woman wanting to be perfect. Hey, we all fall into that trap, but the cost is high. We lose a real connection to others and, worst of all, to our true selves.
OK, on to the bitchy. Kate’s style is beyond mediocre. The fact that she’s on the Vanity Fair best-dressed list is another proof of star-power trumping real style. I’m sick of hearing people make justifications like, “Well, she HAS to dress conservatively” or “She CAN’T be daring.” Bollocks! Her wedding gown was the biggest disappointment of the century.
Perhaps she takes a leaf out of the Queen Mother’s book, the leaf where the QM, when asked why she always dressed up to visit the poor bombed out areas of London in WWII, said of course she did because they’d dress up to come visit her.
I love make up and I wear it a lot and way before the Kdashians ever came to public. If you think Kate is wearing heavy makeup ffs am a Drag Queen!
The sheer nastiness on this thread is disturbing.
The dutchess has 3 months’ experience on the job and gets ripped to shreds for wearing her usual makeup and a tailored navy blue dress while on a mercy mission to the bereaved.
The woman has never hurt a flea, is friendly and pretty, seems to be actually kind, and behaves in a totally prim and proper manner. I just don’t get the hate.
@ Nymeria “Kate’s outfit reminds me of the tragic-but-mercifully-brief period in the Eighties when Di decided it was high time to trot out her military epaulette ensembles.”
Between her and Michael Jackson’s love of faux military outfits, I was always afraid they were going to stage a coup d’etat on some unsuspecting country.
Waity is not a good fit for this “job,” despite the fact that she’s had many years to prepare herself for it. She can’t manage to look empathetic ever. I watched her during a livestream in Canada and a veteran asked about her grandfather’s military service in that country which the press had been talking about. She did not know the year HER own grandfather served and had to ask William. How is that possible? How does William know more about the Middletons, her own family than she does? Major Stepford wife syndrome with this one.
@#97–I totally agree with you. The nastiness toward one harmless girl who will never have any effect on our lives disturbs me. But then, the amount of hateful and bitter comments on the internet in general shows a disturbing picture for people in general.
It amazes me that people can look at PHOTOGRAPHS and think they can tell just who a person is, what their character is like, and what their personalities are. It’s a photo people, you don’t know anything at all about the person except what their image looked like for that instant in time. To think that you can tell what they are thinking, who they are and what they feel from a photo is ridiculous.
Look up projection in the dictionary. That is all this thread is: projecting your own fears, prejudices, and inadequacies on someone else. Your comments say more about you than they will ever say about Kate.
She’s dressed appropriately for her job. She’s lovely.
Princess Di was very awkward in the beginning, it can’t be easy to all of a sudden be Royal, famous and constantly photographed. Having said that, I’m starting to wonder if both she and Pippa got that permanent eyeliner done? They must hear the remarks being made about it and haven’t changed it.
Love it all!
Even the eyeliner!
She is beautiful.
The End!
@ Palermo (#102) – Duchess Do Little has been hanging around William for a decade; how could she possibly be naive as to what is expected of the royal family? At the time of her marriage to William, Miss Do Little certainly had a better idea of what royal life would be like than did Diana when she married into the family. Diana was thrust abruptly into the spotlight and was expected to go about performing her duties at the age of 20. Not 29; 20.
This is a vapid, superficial woman who’s never had to lift a finger in her life and probably never will. (That’s not counting demands to the servants for tea. 😛 ) What has she done, really? Her existence just seems so… decorative, I guess. Which leads to the bigger question: What is the point of the royal family, exactly?
Anyway, if they must insist upon gadding about in public, please no more buttons, epaulettes, or Sarah Burton for McQueen.
That’s all.
who the fuck cares what she wears as long as she is okay with it. it’s never inappropriate or heiniously overstyled, she seems to know who she is and what she likes. good for her. leave the poor girl alone and go kardaassian bashing already!
That’s a McQueen? Seriously? Someone actually paid money for that? It’s awful. Reminds me of the 80s when everyone was into military wear ala Michael Jackson.
And Catherine, could you lay on that black eyeliner and pink cheek stripes any thicker? And how come she’s so orange-skinned. Is she a sun-cancer worshipper or does she spray on the tan like she spackles on the makeup?
I find it hypocritical anyone of the Royal Family went and did this “aww, I’m so sorry so-and-so died” because the Royal Family are a large part of the class system in England. Talk about rubbing salt into the wounds!
No one in the Royal Family will ever be homeless or be without money (even Sarah Ferguson’s millions of debts got bailed out by her ex Andrew) so for them alls to come trotting out like that in clothes that cost way more than what a lot of people make in a month is just not right.
@97 and 100 – this kind of logic bugs me because it should go both ways but is really only used by fans to criticize people making negative comments. If you can say “The woman has never hurt a flea, is friendly and pretty, seems to be actually kind, and behaves in a totally prim and proper manner.” based on PHOTOGRAPHS (per Jaxx) then how come people can’t look at photos and come to a different conclusion? I also think that most people are either criticizing her fashion and makeup sense – which you can totally do solely based on photos – or they are making negative judgments based on her behavior (i.e. lack of any charity and work ethic) since she’s been dating Wills. So it seems a little unfair if we are all supposed to look at photos or behavior but are only allowed to come to the conclusion that YOU think we should….or else we are deemed to have an unfulfilled unhappy life (or are called jealous haters or some such)!
I find her eyeliner to be so over the top it almost seems like a joke at this point (IMO). I think it looks very unattractive and gives her face a really harsh look overall (I think she already has kind of hard features and so should be using makeup – and gaining back some weight – to soften her face). And the hair…don’t get me started. I will grant that she has gorgeous hair – thick and healthy looking – but it’s just a mess most of the time and is really distracting (again, IMO). I think she’d do well to cut it several inches and find some soft styles that still keep it contained and off her face – a soft french braid or something.
As for the outfit…yuck. Not a fan of the top or skirt and I agree with those who think it was inappropriate for the setting. I understand what the Queen Mum said about dressing in her best but I felt this outfit was too flashy with the gold buttons. You can be dressed to the nines and still be a bit somber instead of looking like you are playing dress up or are about to go to the yacht club.
Kate is such a humble lady. Cute and lovely.
@Jaxx. I agree with you 100%. It’s all projection. I’m prone to all the banalities that I feel ails Kate. I am sensitive, image-conscious, vain, a perfectionist, and it feels good when someone tells me that I am lady-like, poised, caring, exquisitely charming, and that a prince will one day want to sweep me off my feet.
Absolutely, unabashedly tragic. She looks positively skeletal. Girl better chow some pizza if she wants to conceive.
@inthekitchen, agree with you. All her look is like a joke, not only the eyeliner which is really unbelievable 🙂
She looks old, she looks the age you can’t say about “Kate is YOUNG and will make many fashion blunders before she hits her stride.” ha-ha
Comments are so interesting!
Kate has that shiny botoxed forehead and fake teeth, so royal Hollywood. She doesn’t need botox. They are both driving me crazy with the posing. William is always toughing his mid buttons and she is always likely touching her hair. They look like they have been groomed and told, if you don’t know what to do with your hands hold them mid way to your body or hands folded in front.
the shirt is circa Michael Jackson
@107– If you can say “The woman has never hurt a flea, is friendly and pretty, seems to be actually kind, and behaves in a totally prim and proper manner.” based on PHOTOGRAPHS (per Jaxx) then how come people can’t look at photos and come to a different conclusion?
Why did you attribute this comment to me? I did not say anything of these things about her. My comment was that you can’t tell ANYTHING about a person from looking at a photo.
The shoes are too big for Kate to fill. Diana had everything: poise, beauty, grace and kindness with EMPATHY. However, I think Kate’s hair is beautiful as it is.
Jaxx: How do you know Duchess Do Little is “One harmless girl”? Did you get that from a photograph? If you can’t tell anything from a photograph, how do you know? Actually, I think (my opinion only) photographs can be very enlightening. Photo-journalism anyone.
inthekitchen: exactly so.
Jaxx – I guess my point by including your post was that you were only bashing people who were making negative comments based on photos. And then making some kind of psychological diagnosis about our lives. How come people who are considering Kate to be sweet and kind and “harmless” (your word) – instead of say, a waity golddigger – aren’t also possibly seeing something that isn’t there?
Edit: What JulieM said!
@102 Palermo – Agree, thick, dark eyeliner on the bottom lid is harsh and aging on most people, including Kate. For the most part I like her style, it’s usually fitting for her AND the occasion, but this look is too old, with WAY too many buttons. On the positive side she won’t blow away in that outfit – she’d look more healthy if she gained a few pounds! 😉
@Julie–No I didn’t get harmless from looking at a photograph. I said harmless in line with my comment that she will never have any effect whatsoever on most of our lives. Hence, harmless to us regular people.
She looks so insincere in her “concern” especially since she is obviously camera-aware, and constantly fidgeting with her hair and $2000 outfit. I hardly understand why she’s even smiling. These people just lost their children, didn’t they?
Can’t stand her. Duchess do little is right. How many actual days has she put in since the wedding, maybe 15? In three months? And people are praising her for this? I just don’t get it.
I think she has a beautiful face and I really don’t see a problem with her eye liner. While I’m not a fan of the outfit, I think she looks fine in it.
Someone earlier up thread said that this would have been a perfect time to re wear one of her former outfits, but I see nothing wrong with her donning a new outfit for the occasion so long as it isn’t garrish or revealing.
All in all, I think Kate always looks elegant and well put together, even back during her St. Andrew days when she used to be seen much more in jeans, boots, and a t-shirt.
Did I not read that Kate has been reading about William’s mother? This would answer why we get 80’s eyeliner and that big wide eyed look of insincere concern. Also, the girl clearly has an eating disorder that no amount of designer label can disguise
Wow, i really don’t see why she looks too thin or whats the problem with her eyeliner. It looks great on her, and i don’t mind the buttons either. She liked it, suits her, it’s cool!
For more thoughts on Waity, er.. I mean Weighty Kaity go to the blog enclave24.
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