I should have known that as soon as I praised Duchess Kate for not wearing those damn nude LK Bennetts that the Wedges of Doom would come out. Kate and William did a “sailboat/yacht racing” event around Auckland Harbour today in New Zealand. William had one team of Kiwi sailors and a boat, and Kate had her team of Kiwi sailors and a boat. And Kate WON. Twice!!
First, the outfit – Kate wore a series of repeats. The Russell & Bromley wedges we’ve seen a million times before, and I think I’ve hated them every single time I’ve seen them. They’re too high! And they’re sort of inappropriate for the event, right? Surely a good pair of sneakers or sailboat-specific footwear would be better? And she wore the same navy skinny jeans (I think they’re J Brand) she’s been wearing for years. The striped Me + Em shirt feels like something we’ve seen before – is this the same shirt she wore when the Middletons had Prince George pap’d in Mustique? I’m looking at the photos… no, it’s not. Kate must own several white-and-navy striped shirts. Oh, and the blazer is from Zara.
There were several funny details from the event, but you can read full coverage of what went down here. Kate and William were showing their competitive sides, and the UK press is calling Kate’s victories her “revenge” after William beat her in a similar racing event in Canada in 2011. William was reportedly “not afraid to get his hands dirty.” But when Kate’s team won, William said: “We were sabotaged!” As it turns out, William’s boat did have some technical problems but other sailors remarked that Kate had simply outmaneuvered them as well.
The Express says that Kate and William are very competitive in private and “they cannot even play Scrabble together without falling out.” The best part? When Kate sailed to the finish line first, she flashed an “L” for loser sign at William. Classic. I wish we could see that side of her more often.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.
For the most part it looks cute to me. My only reservation is it’s an awful lot of blue. Sort of like wearing a jean jacket with blue jeans.
oh don’t diss the Canadian tuxedo!
Better than the American tent wear, I suppose.
I think she looks cute. Don’t know why you are so hard on her style. The hair, I agree with you about generally, but if I looked that good in a pair of jeans, I would wear them everyday!
I agree she looked good here but should have chosen way more sensible shoes for the occasion
Agreed. Some nice Sperry boat shoes would have been better. That being said, I don’t hate the wedges.
She changed into flats for the boat race and for the boat ride back to town -which frankly looked SO MUCH cuter with the outfit. I wish she had worn them for the army base meet and greet and pictures.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/04/11/article-2602020-1D04E03800000578-440_470x862.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/04/11/article-2602020-1D04E02100000578-569_470x862.jpg
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/royal-tour-2014-recap-kate-3399000
Kate did change into boat shoes for the race. The wedges were for the meet and greet time.
I adore Sperrys. I think Lagerfeld should have sent her the new Chanel tennis shoe lol.
I think she relies on a heel and the additional height for confidence, which isn’t a bad thing. I just think the canvas wedge is such a dated look.
And William looks like an old man the way he is dressed. Seriously could he not inject a little bit of style into his outfits.
In Kate’s defense, who doesn’t own a million striped t’s these days? I own 5 or so!! 😞
@L Those boat shoes are ADORABLE. I do not sail or live near water, but I really want some now.
Bucky-I went and found them for you! (from what kate wore)
http://www.sebago.com/US/en-US/Product.mvc.aspx/20867W/72659/Womens/Bala
I have a pair of top siders that I love, but these are also adorable.
Yeah, I don’t understand the complaining about her style either. So she wears an outfit more than once. If she didn’t and wore a new outfit every single day, people would be complaining about that too. And I happened to like wedges (esp. for work) but she should have changed shoes while being on the boat.
Let’s bounce from her style and move on over to William’s front teeth. The less hair that poor man sprouts, the longer his front toofers get. Baffling.
This is my biggest complaint. Those Are Not SkinnyJeans!!!
They’re Jeggins. They’re spandex tights that look like denim.
If you’ve ever gone into a store and tried on both you’d see the difference. And you never look like you had to pour yourself into a pair of skinny jeans.
Yep. The Jeggings are really inappropriate and another part of her wardrobe which someone should finally toss out. We are not in kindergarten or junior school. Aside from the jeggings and the dreaded wedges, she is ugly skinny these days. I am myself athletic and thin but she is already beyond the line of fit.
She looks terrible in person and untouched up photos.
I have 2 big wishes for Kate.
1. Burn your Jeggings for trousers.
2. Stop Smoking.
@FLORC. It is what we discussed before. She needs two separate wardrobes so she can learn the difference between 1) play clothes and 2) work clothes. She should have been in a pair of trousers and flats, jeggings and wedges are not appropriate for her role – no matter if she’s out on a boat “on duty” or not.
She should wear her jeggings in her private time, NOT when she’s representing the Queen. Kate is clueless, she thinks it’s all about her.
It makes me crazy when people say they’re jeggings. Her pants are clearly not jeggings as they are a little baggy in the rear and there is space down at the ankle whereas jeggings are tight.
http://imeldas.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/conan-in-jeggings.jpg
Let your jeggings rants go and give her slightly more credit.
Uyd4life
Wow! You just noted a link with a man wearing women’s size jeggings for you opinion? That holds no real comparison!
And I happen to know a very thin and equally tall girl who insists on wearing jeggings to all events. She is equal weight and size to Kate imo. Jeggins do not give. Skinny Jeans do.
When Kate is seen wearing skinny jeans the differene will be very obvious. This is a very skewed view you have on skinny jeans and jeggings. I do suggest you go to your local AE and GAP store to see the difference.
I also think she looks cute and I’m GLAD she is wearing her clothes several times! Good for her!
Kate is just too full of herself, plain and simple.
I think the picture of her shrugging is adorable.
I sail, and nobody wears wedges of doom, but whatever.
She changed into flats for the sailing.
Good idea.
But why go to all the trouble of having to change shoes for this event? Why not just show up in the flats? Sheesh. (Not snarking at you, but at Duchess Dude’s painfully obvious vanity.)
Heels to lengthen her legs so since casual she chose wedges? Or for walking (supportive). I like cute phantom wedges. I don’t like these old wedges though. I feel like she and Pippa bought out a clearance rack of them.
I do wonder hy he doesn’t wear a shorter heel overall. She’s taller than more of the people she meets and must always look down on them.
Overall, I also wish this side of Kate would come out more. The side that is seen with a personality and working.
I feel like we’re getting spoiled with lots of positive coverage so they can go into a hibernation period from all duties, but rich in vacations.
Sigh.
FLORC,
No doubt they will take a holiday after this. And don’t they have a wedding in the states coming up in May? HOLIDAY!
Meanwhile, does Wills have a ‘job’ now?
Hmmm
William is seeking out an internship. He’s seeking it out so heavily that he refused a private dinner with a diplomat that would be a welath of infrmation in this. Makes me ponder even more how willing he is to find reasons to validate his procrastination as far as stepping up to his Royal duties.
EDIT
I use Google Translate for much of my sentence structure and spelling. Sorry If my comments are misspelled. Too much to correct.
I like that photo too!
GN
You sail? Lucky!!
me three. she looks likes she’s more relaxed here and truly enjoying herself.
I think the shrugging pic and the one with baby G. smiling while on her shoulder are my favs so far this tour.
I’ve only been sailing once and it was amazing.
She looks great here IMO. Not that what she’s wearing is “cutting-edge” in any way, shape, or form, but she looks cute.
Oh Kitten…I hope you can get out there & sail again. I am a certified sailor & there is nothing like it. *sigh*
My husband is still certified. I wish I could do it again and hope everyone gets the chance!
It’s really amazing!.
I’ve always wanted to, but never have.
I think she looks cute here too. I would loved to have seen a picture of her giving William the “L”.
And I think I saw that outfit when she was playing volleyball somewhere?
Agree… reminds me of the volleyball outfit. After a quick look at a photo from that appearance, the jacket might be different… ?
She is really shining on this tour. And this is the first time that they actually look like a couple in love.
It reminds me of their NA tour. They seemed relaxed with each other then, too.
It’s pictures like these that make me doubt she has a team of experts dressing her or helping her dress.
Ditto. I think she wears things that are for women a decade younger or a decade older than she is.
Didn’t she wear that outfit when she repeatedly flashed her tummy while playing volleyball?
This is an interesting assessment of her wardrobe, angelique. That can be true when you wear classics, of course, but there something else about it, a combination of colors, severity of cut? Is it because she is so slender, the garments remind us of frail older ladies wearing the garments to social functions? is it the lack of fresh energy” in the selections (i.e., a classic with a subtle modernizing spin of details, shaping or tone)? She looks fine (apart from the wedges) here but somehow I know what you mean. Bottom half a little younger, top part a little older…
I think it is how tight her jeans are that makes her look dressed too young for her age. if they were slightly less skinny she would look much better. I mean, she has great legs, but this is verging on body painting. And the shoes make it even more obvious.
I think she looks like an a-typical Royal, or upper-class person. The kind of person that has several ‘Elegant style’ handbooks and follows them. I don’t mean that in a shady way – just an observation. Stylish, practical, elegant. That’s what she does. I bet she hand-washes her cashmere sweaters in vinegar too. I like her, even though I could never be elegant (miss-matched, garish and sloppy is my ‘style’). I also think if I tried to dress like her I’d look about 50 (I’m 30) – so I think the style suits her well.
@angelique, I think you nailed part of why Kate’s outfits often don’t look right. Too young. Too old. Just something off.
I think another reason is that even though Kate’s thighs are thin, her calves aren’t much thinner than her thighs, so the leg goes straight up & down, without much muscle tone.
Tim Gunn calls it ‘marshmallow legs’, when the legs are thin & soft with no shape. Like the elongated legs of the Campbell Soup kids.
I think that’s why skinny jeans are always going to look like jeggings on Kate and look inappropriately tight, even though she is thin.
“Marshmellow legs”
Somewhere James just felt a disturbance in the universe.
She has super toned legs and anyone who exercises will see the muscles. This is something she does have. Even the back of her thigh which is a very tough place for women in general is well toned and the muscle is obvious, going up towards the bump.
@Ronia
“Even the back of her thigh which is a very tough place for women in general is well toned and the muscle is obvious, going up towards the bump.”
Very interesting. Cause everyone is getting to see those details, aren’t they? She might as well be naked. Exhibitionist much?
She’s representing the Queen and wears jeggings? NO. Major fashion FLOP. I don’t care how nice her f-ing legs are, she doesn’t need to be showcasing them.
The Queen may care what she is wearing, but the majority of NZers won’t. We are generally quite relaxed, casual people. Jeggings are fine for boat racing on the Waitemata Harbour.
Andie, I think the queen herself could publicly endorse Kate’s skinny jeans and some people would still go on. And on. And on about them.
Nice to hear from you though 🙂
@Dame
If the Queen endorsed the jeggings, indeed, I would still go on about the jeggings. I would also argue that she’s out of her mind ;).
Andie
I happen to know a few Nzlanders that strongly dislike her attire. 1 said it was cvery youthful. Meaning more for a 19 or younger girl.
Hmmm
TBH I wear them on Saturday mornings when I’m deep cleaning my house and listening to the Beatles.
*hides face*
They just are not ladylike: Diana was always ladylike, the Queen is always ladylike, I expect those who are “royal” to be ladylike. I can’t see Diana ever wearing a pair of those, except perhaps in casual wear.
Those wedges need to die.
A slow death.
could not agree more.
Ditto. Throw them in the drink along with that Breton top.
It was cute the first time around,now its just meh and Will looks like he is a sore loser, wonder what he will say behind closed doors. I kid (not really)
I think that William looks like a nerd. As far as the duchess, I believe only my anorexic friends think that being that thin looks good.
It should be noted that these folks have all sorts of people around them, staff and such, giving them plenty of warm fuzzies about how they look, and if they might need a nap. What I truly wonder is if they even care about how they are perceived. I feel a bit of defiance, being royalty, after all.
her hair looks better here. And according to the artifice, she appears to maybe have a sense of humor – I wonder why their PR team don’t try to play that up more as it would make them seem like a more loving couple
Hair is nice. She looks cute in a baseball cap.
You need to read the Daily Mail. It’s being played up plenty. I was getting nauseous reading, and I’m not exactly a die hard hater!
But… but… they couldn’t keep their hands off each other! 😉
Bluhare/Liberty: Ladies, I really enjoyed your exchange yesterday and I posted a really good retort to the teasing, but alas the computer has recently decided not to publish my comments.
I was tickled pink!!
LAK, I will advise the baroness. She will be most displeased. She’s not available right now . . . something about polishing Rodger’s rubies.
LAK, it is my understanding that you are more than pink around Rodger, the loyal and flexible staffer of bluhare. While I can imagine the sort of playful teasing and light pinching and emotional fondue-making that goes on as you fold lingerie and he makes her chambers comfortable, is it worth it? I agree he wears the eyepatch well and is delightful about letting his rubies be handled, but I thought you were doing well with the late Queen Mum’s strapping gin footman, Rumpo?
Yes re DM. For the record, I don’t hate her, though I snark. I’m frustrated with her (and him) because they have the chance to do much, and do little. I am prepared to change my vote someday if she wakes up and goes to work. I will give her points for looking engaged or involved, even intent on boat racing or showing any willfully sustained effort or cheer. But the repetitious DM sugar speak simply for not being a plank this time out… I was getting dizzy too.
Glad I have company, Liberty. I don’t know what was worse; that article or the one about how George is a self confident happy baby born to rule. ;P
Thumbs up.
Bluhare, I know!! They can tell he will be a good king because he snatches toys or whatever….I was mopping the thick DM syrup off my computer screen.
Love her wedges.
She has her own personal style. When you have a bunch of stuff in your closet that is all over the place – you have no style. You don’t know what you want, or what is your personal taste.
This is why so many people buy a bunch of stuff and never wear it. Find out what your style is and stick to it. Throw in some trendy pieces here and there but I find it refreshing that she knows what she likes, fits well, and reflects her as a person. Repeats? So what?
I love her wedges too. I wear my own all the time so I understand her. I think she is not a shoe person and just wears what she likes and does not think they are a be a part of the outfit. And she changed them to flats for the sailing competition.
I love wedges, too. I wear them to work all the time because they approximate the effect of heels, but they are so much more comfortable and easy to walk in.
I don’t like wedges but otherwise I agree with you.
Geez, don’t fall sideways, or you’ll break an ankle. I don’t think that they are easy to wear at all, even sort of dangerous.
Well the wedges paired with the skinny jeans make me shudder, but to each their own. I think she looked great in the flats and skinny jeans, and should save the wedges for longer dresses, personally.
That said, she does have her style and I think she’s been refining it throughout this trip. I have really liked a couple of the outfits a lot.
Im sorry, but skinny jeans are so inappropriate for royals to wear. A pair of bootcut jeans would be much better and they would have given her some shape as well. Quite frankly, there is a reason that Kate is the only Euro royal I have ever seen wear skinny jeans while working.
I think the skinny jeans look good particularly since the rest of her wardrobe is generally ‘classic’/boring looking. Skinny jeans are no longer super trendy and they look like a neutral base for any outfit. If anything she needs more sensible shoes – the wedges are awesome, but not appropriate for the occasion really
Are we sure they are skinny jeans and not just a good fitting pair of pants?
Where I live the only people who wear skinny jeans/jeggings are the college girls. And they wear them in a very casual way with sweat shits and tennis shoes. It’s a cute look when you’re 19. I think Kate wears them to show off how sexy she is, which I have seen only a few times
I am a 29 year old lawyer and am currently wearing skinny jeans at my office with a cute blouse and blazer (no wedges of doom though!!!!). I work in a large, serious, corporate firm, and they are considered perfectly acceptable for work, as long as they are dark coloured (navy or black) and in good shape.
LNG
I could see this. While I personally would uncomfortable wearing denim to work Monday-Thursday I can see how skinny jeans in a dark hue would work paired with conservative tops/blazers. It would look like the Jackie Kennedy/Audrey Hepburn/Laura Petrie cigarette pant silhouette from the sixties.
Skinny jeans can be appropriate in the workplace in casual Friday ( or if the office has a more lax dress code). Jeans period look better in a dark wash; more slimming and elegant looking. The jeans shouldn’t fit like a glove, but if they do then a longer shirt should be worn. Both wedges and heels can look nice with skinny jeans, but anything over 3 inches looks unprofessional. Overall, the rules of professional dressing are simple: dress in a way that someone can take you serious; dress in a way that people can focus on your work. Kate’s outfits are a big deal because they take away from her work and it’s clear that’s how she intends it. She wants the skinny jeans to accentuate her figure. She likes the wedges to accentuate her height. I don’t like outfit, but if someone else does that’s fine. I can’t, however, understand how anyone finds this professional/business casual. No matter what event, Kate is representing the monarchy and her clothing choices should reflect that.
@LNG
I wear skinny jeans with blazers and blouses to work, too, all the time. I think they’re fine, I think Kate looks fine in them.
ETA: And I’m 30 and in a job that requires a graduate degree.
It’s nice that you can wear casual clothes like that to work–I’m not criticizing you. I’m a teacher with a post graduate degree and if I showed up wearing Kate’s outfit I would be written up with a warning placed in my permanent file. Our dress code specifically addresses clothing that is too tight is unacceptable when working with children and parents. While many workplaces are not so strict, I hope that Kate will refrain from wearing the jeans/jeggings to public events. They do make her look tarty and look as if she is trying to draw attention to her body, not her charitable causes.
JMO
Well, Angelique, I’m a PR and wearing skinny jeans is totally unacceptable as well (boot cut if I’m at an outdoor sports event will do). I don’t work with children and parents but appearing in such an outfit to my clients would put an end to our partnership. It’s also the first time I hear people in law offices wear such outfits, my lawyer (and all the others I know considering my husband is a lawyer) are completely against such and there is a very strict dress code in all their offices, no casual Fridays either. Even their recpetionists are always wearing business suits and dresses.
@Ronia,
That was a major “clang” moment for me. If I walked into an office where the LAWYERS were wearing jeggings I would walk right out. I wonder how acceptable they would be in court, too. This can’t be real.
.
I wrote a long response, and then changed my mind on how I’d like to respond. Lets just say we have different experiences. Perhaps I live in a more laid back area of the world (and that god for that, because wearing a suit all day every 12 hour day in the office is not the most comfortable choice for me!). Its about substance, not just surface, and a nice, good quality dark blue or black pair of skinny jeans paired with a blazer and blouse are appropriate for a day in my office. More formal events (mediations, court appearances, negotiations, etc) require a different dress code, obviously. I haven’t had any issue yet with the events Kate has chosen to wear the jeans to – they are always more casual events.
They look more like jeggings to me. I have a very similar pair from J Brand (which I think is what she’s wearing) and they’re really just dyed to look like jeans and fit more like leggings, but very flattering. I think the issue is that they aren’t past the ankle. Mine hit right under the ankle and look really good with any shoe, really. Kate’s cut off right above like capris and make it look too casual/stumpy with the wedges.
i have to agree. i find this particular pair of pants too tight and inappropriate. and together with the wedges of doom…brrrr. love the top part of her outfit and would love to see the ‘L’ picture.
Will..can he look anymore frumpy?! kate looks 30, he looks 60.
@m, don’t apologize, I agree with you. Looking at Kate here, all I see is the Ab Fab scene where Bubble walks in on Patsy helping Edina with her outfit.
Bubble: Leggings?
Patsy: No. Slacks.
What amounts to looking like workout gear doesn’t work here, I think.
And I don’t think Kate looks business casual. She looks like a football WAG on her way to the shops.
All Kate is missing is an It Bag & big sunglasses.
I wish leggings/skinny jeans would just go away! I am a size 10 and I am terribly uncomfortable in both. Even when I was a size 6 and 130 lbs. I have wider hips and they are not conducive for skinny mini outfits.
This look screams, “Intern.” It may be allowed where you work, but it does not look professional.
One thing though – this is not a professional business trip. She’s going sailing. I’d call them skinny jeans rather than jeggings because the jeggings that I have seen are more like slightly thicker tights. These jeans are seem more like trousers to me.
I see loads of young women wearing them here in the Northeastern US. In fact that would be the primary type of jeans they wear. (Not me – I’m too old for that!)
I do wish she’d wear a ponytail more often – she looks quite good with one.
@justme,
No they are so obviously jeggings. And this is OFFICIAL royal business, even if she is sailing. It is BUSINESS.
What pants she wore today won’t keep anyone up at night. It is the more structured/higher profile events where she really needs to get it right. Pick your battles, I say.
@Damesnark
This was low profile with a bazillion pictures?
In my books it’s not the supposedly glossy high profile moments that make the man or woman but the ones that seem inconsequential.
No heads of state or dignitaries present. Just some sailing. Yes the world is watching but they will move on to something else tomorrow. The skinny jeans are annoying lots of people but as long as they stay away from truly important events I just can’t care. When she wore them to the Olympic ceremony – huge mistake, imo. But here? Meh.
Bingo.
They are immodest. I don’t want to think about Her Royal Hotness. Looks like a tart, acts like a tart, but is not a tart because she is so classy. Remember the emperor’s new clothes?
Yes, they are immodest. And I’m glad you said it, wolfpup. Thank you. The empress’s new-old clothes, indeed.
One thing I like about Kate is that she is so athletic. I also like that she is standing there in sky high wedges and a Wills is still taller than her. I just love seeing a tall woman with an even taller man. It is so sexy to me. Giselle and Tom come to mind.
Athletic? She looks borderline anorexic.
If you look back at older pictures of her – pre-royal – especially in uni, she was quite athletic looking and not frail looking as she is now.
Yeah, the pro-ana people don’t idolize Kate for being athletic.
I agree she has gone from athletic to way-too-skinny. Beyoncé will be enraged to see Kate’s natural thigh gap:)
TG said she likes that Kate is athletic, not that she thinks Kate looks athletic. Kate has always been sporty. Shortly after the baby was born she played volleyball in wedges. I wish she would mentor youth through some sort of sports challenge or something.
That would be perfect – something like Girls on the Run, aimed at young girls to improve their self-esteem, etc etc
Ita and right in her wheelhouse. She and future Mrs. harry could compete with Will and Harry’s respective patronages. Plus it would get more young people out in nature and becoming fit. I also think Charles should let underprivileged/at risk youth raise produce and livestock on his estate and sell the food for their college funds. That would be so awesome, imo.
Dame — brilliant idea. Yes. I hope their people read this.
Dame
Kate was more athletic prewedding. She just isn’t as active in sports as she use to be. If she did have a charity that was youth sports I wouldn’t be saying this.
Kate only has the image of being athletic these days. A few photo ops and such.
Her gym time with a trainer is for appearances. Not to train for anything.
This girl WAS athletic. Now it’s simply for appearances.
And we’ve been hoping Kate would adopt another charity baby related or sports related.
Speaking of charity related sports, I’m thinking she couldn’t care less. Why skip out on the paralympics to go lie naked in the sun in France? Why lie about it? Isn’t it clear where her priorities lie? I don’t think giving her a sports related charity is going to make her more empathetic or more active.
Hmmm
I will say her time skipping her suties to go sunbathing was not the issue. And it’s wasn’t an issue because it resulted in George.
The big thing here is that they stayed for the main Olympics, but left when it came to the Paralympics. They left with the initial excuse of prepping for the Asian Tour once caught.
Overall I do agree with you. Her priorities are to maintain her lifestyle that she clung to for so long. Had William be an average aristo’s son would she have put up with his behavior? Unlikely.
She is pretty athletic, and that is an admirable thing. I think that her PR people should emphasize this about her – gives her image a bit more pizzaz.
And as Snarkweek said, do something with it. It would be great. Maybe working with injured children through sport or something. She was an ace hockey player at Marlborough, skis, likes sailing and/or rowing . . . there’s a lot she could do.
Perhaps pair an at-risk teen with a wounded veteran for a decathlon style event. Can you imagine what each could learn from/teach the other? Sigh. So much good could be done.
Work with older people on mobility issues.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Work with older people on mobility issues.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Agree with Dame Snark. Kate comes off better showing her athletic side. Should do charity work with at risk kids and sports.
This is my only problem with Kate and William: they are not actualizing their potential. I don’t know why and every bone in my body is tired of speculating…but I haven’t given up yet. If Charles changed for the better over time then Will can also. Heck, at one point even workhorse Phillip was criticized for enjoying himself a bit too much while Liz worked tirelessly. People can change.
Dame Snarkweek
I think this is the only real problem many of us have with them. I call it apathy for their platform, but it’s the same.
This outing and photos give me hope they can change. Even though this has happened before and we’re always let down I’m still holding out…
Only time will tell.
@FLORC et al
When they indulge themselves they are engaging and happy. This doesn’t give me hope at all. It just strengthens the idea that they are lazy sybarites and feckless.
Hmmmm
It seems like you want proof that Will and Kate are showing compassion/empathy through humanitarian endeavors and thereby becoming less selfish/self-absorbed. I don’t know. I hope that they at least figure out how horrible they look and roll up their sleeves, accepting their lot in life. Working with charities you love and that reflect your interests is one way to make it more bearable and rewarding once you realize there’s no alternative. Until Harry went to war both he and William found their most fulfilling charity work in Africa. William and Kate will eventually have to find something they can sink their veneers into.
@Dame Snarkweek
“I don’t know. I hope that they at least figure out how horrible they look and roll up their sleeves, accepting their lot in life. ”
How little is asked of them- resignation. I prefer the olden days of “noblesse oblige”.
Hmmm
Zing! True, lol.
Dame
But how will they ever find a charity or cause to be taken by if they only spend their time in resorts or around people praising them.
They’re very sheltered and show no signs of leaving the safety of that world to see what others struggle with.
FLORC
That is what I was saying. Or at least this is what I am hoping for with these two. The situation is not good but I just think it is ridiculous for people to predict the demise of the monarchy because the 31 year old heir to the heir hasn’t gotten his act together. Pfffft.as if any of the men in the RF were paragons at that stage in their lives. And if anyone wishes to fully understand this I suggest reading a shelf full of honest-to-goodness RF biographies. Not the Daily Fail, not the Telegraph, not this blog. Then let’s have a real conversatio
@Dame Snarkweek
I think the monarchy has outlived its usefulness. I want it gone after Charles. I didn’t think so until these two wastrels came along. It’s actually wonderful how they have highlighted for the first time in a big way how useless royalty is and I don’t see a better future for George, either.
Having said that, it’s clear that William relies on the PR machine. That is far huger than the handful of us concerned/fed up with the monarchy. He will wield it like a great big sword and smite anyone who irks him. Meanwhile, the sycophantic press keep pumping out the fairy tale image, the lies, supports the Dolittles’ lies, finds absurd justifications for them. The PR machine is a juggernaut and I can’t see how that tide can be turned. Perhaps LAK has some ideas.
Some of us rage against the machine but most people prefer the bread and circuses. I think the Dolittles will be okay and ascend the throne and go down in history no matter what that history suggests. William is a playboy, but as you’ve stated, he’s not the first. I doubt that even later in life he will suddenly become a paragon- he would need a conversion experience. All will always be well in royal fairyland because of the massive self-interested support machine. I doubt there will ever be another Diana to challenge the monarchy.
Dame/Hmmm
I believe the monarchy will vanish after William. For a number of reasons.
Dame – I’ve loved following and reading up on RFs for some time. Even the Royal Family or Greece (being Greek myself). The level of indulgence and superiority was insane! I see much of this inCharles, but more in William. If Harry was switched with William I can’t say we’d be so up in arms.
FLORC and Hmmm
I wish everyone could see it this way. As long as people show due respect for the RF and what they represent and have meant to history I see no need to perpetuate the monarchy. If these people ever really cared for the commonwealth they would still work hard to patronize charities and serve as goodwill ambassadors/ambassadresses – with or without the tiaras. Give up the tax funded existence.
Keep the corgies.
Fantastic as always. I really like her and Will and George… its embarrassing.
Same 🙁
More her and George than Will though
I get frustrated that she doesn’t do more but I still like her for some reason. I guess I sort of relate to her since my daughter is just a few months older than George so I get the new mom stuff
My husband and I are also super competitive. We won’t play games together anymore cause we always fight. He once gave away all of his monopoly stuff to another player and said just don’t let Audrey win. Huge fight lol
I find it her really hard to relate to… she feels like a phoney-baloney – but maybe that’s because she is nervous. Or she is just used to following orders…
In advance, everybody doesn’t have to feel the same way.
If I wore those wedges, I would face plant to the center of the earth after 2 steps, especially on a boat.
Lol *waves*
**edit** I see a bunch of other people pointing this out also
She changed her shoes for the actual boating, beige and white topsider-looking flats.
http://whatkatewore.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Screen-Shot-2014-04-11-at-12.10.37-AM.png (not sure if I can link?)
I love the picture of her shrugging.
I really love those flats.
Me too. I wish she would pair them with her jeans. Much more modern looking.
Is there an ID on those shoes? I think I’ve seen that pair.. $300.
The shoes are sebago bala. Around $100 or so
Thanks!
It’s obvious how thin she is whenever there is a healthy looking woman in the same photo. That woman off to the left is skinny but looks twice as big as Kate. I noticed this when I saw Kate in photographs with Reese Witherspoon who is very petite but who looked awfully big next Kate.
I haven’t commented on Kate’s fashion choices the last several days because I’m honestly bored with her. None of her clothing choices wowed me. She looks appropriate for the occasion but nothing spectacular. There really is nothing to talk about when it comes to Kate other than her frail frame, her clothes, her hair, and now baby George. Oh, and her laziness.
Also, I know this is going to happen, but everyone is going to go “aww, so cute” when William is finally, FINALLY seen holding his son. Newsflash, many men hold and play with their children each and everyday, but when William finally does it, a ton of praise will be heaped on him for being a “hands on” dad. I am beginning to understand why he chose Kate to be his wife. He clearly believes in traditional gender roles because he is definitely not hands on with his baby. He leaves all of that to Kate and the nannies.
kibbles – I noticed the discrepancy in these pictures as well (one woman who is thin, athletic, and healthy looking and one that appears underweight) by comparison! I also remember the photographs you are referring to & I THINK (someone correct me if I am incorrect, please) that Reese had just had her baby …
There were some shots in the DM last night of William relating relatively well to kids with this story, and a video — take a look — so it’s odd he’s not shown relating more to George.
EDIT — I just see the video today not the photos of him w the kids.
Here are other pictures of William holding George.
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/imagelibrary/Client%20Images/Client00004/00501000/00501747.jpg
http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/gty_prince_george_wy_131023_v16x9_16x9_992.jpg
http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article2516421.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/4The-official-portrait-for-the-christening-of-Prince-George-Alexander-Louis-of-Cambridge-photographed-in-The-Morning-2516421.jpg
I still don’t get why some of you NEED to see him hold his son.
George looks like such a grumpy little sh*t. Love it.
I don’t “NEED” to see him holding his son. I commented on it because there was a lot of discussion at Celebitchy and other websites asking why William rarely holds his son. Those photos you posted were official photographs and one with William holding his newborn in front of the hospital for cameras. People have speculated about William’s vacationing and bespoke program away from Kate and George and how often he really sees his family. In some of their most recent outings, many people have pointed out that William seems detached/distant from both Kate and George and is not as hands on with the baby as Kate. Maybe you think William is a hand-on father, but many people believe otherwise.
I have no idea what kind of father William is all I did was Google Prince George who from what I saw has only been seen a hand full of times. I posted the pictures just to point out that he has held his son in public not to show what kind of father he is.
It’s clear that you and other have already decided that he’s a not a hands on father who believes in traditional gender roles.
@Candy Love. That’s a really big leap. All they’re saying is, where is the casual photo-op picture of William holding the baby. He could have taken a turn holding him at the event the other day and it would have been great PR. So it seems odd to some folks that that didn’t happen.
Candy
William can only be accounted for when a camera is present. If not he’s likely and often caught being somewhere he shouldn’t be. For much time he was only around Kate when there was a photo op. Civilians caught him elsewhere.
So, it’s not out of line to assume William is only around George when he needs to be. Also, many parents know much about their children. William could only say George was a screamer.
She’s now a size 0 and not an example for anybody!
I agree; if she were this size naturally (and she is not – we have photographic evidence that clearly demonstrates she actively keeps herself this size), then I would not comment on her weight because her appearance would be healthy if it were natural. However, she conforms her body to a certain size for whatever reason (whether it be appearance in photographs, societal pressure, etc.) and as a result, she does not epitomize the picture of health. For this and so many reasons, she truly is the antithesis of a person that I want my daughter to look up to …
At the end of the day, it is her decision, her choice regarding the image she wants to project and this is the image she has chosen. It is my choice to be critical of it, and I will be, as I want society to celebrate natural shapes, without pressuring women to be so thin they appear frail or malnourished or feel pressure to devote endless time to excessive exercise or calorie counting to maintain one certain shape celebrated by society. For my daughter, I want health to be celebrated – whatever body shape that may take!
She will pay the price later on in her face — i.e. premature aging and looking much older than she is.
@wendi – she already is, IMO …
Original N/wendi
The premature aging is from a few factors. Low weight, smoking, dehydration.
Carol and Pippa also show signs of aging harshy, but that could be from the same factors or genetics.
When people call her beautiful from photos they’re idolizing an image and not the person. There are certainly times I wish I had people to touch up my photos before the public saw them.
Love those thoughts, Original N.
Bottom line, it just seems to me that people need to invent all sorts of reasons to be better than each other – like there is not enough sunshine for everyone.
If someone chooses to believe that Kate is pretty that is their choice and it doesn’t mean they are buying into an idealized, golden image. People find others beautiful for a thousand reasons which doesn’t mean they are deluded/tricked. Kate is often photoshopped and airbrushed and her skin shows signs of damage/stress. Her veneers are a tad too movie star perfect, there’s always too much makeup and she obviously uses hair pieces/extensions to make her hair appear fuller and thicker. I am not deluded. And I think she is a beautiful young lady.
Doctored photos, tons of makeup, weaves and cosmetic procedures can not make an unattractive person beautiful in an effortless, natural way. But at the same time if you are naturally attractive it is hard to argue that. Eye of the beholder and whatnot.
I don’t think she’s beautiful. I think Audrey Hepburn is beautiful. I think Kate can look attractive, sometimes pretty according to mood, but overall she’s not that great looking. Why? When you see the real her, the really bad skin, and the lack of personality and the vacuousness, there is NO way she could be beautiful to me. When she was younger, before this awful ‘makeover’ she was pretty. But it’s all superficial.
Hmmm
Fair enough. I tend to find people pretty that others probably wouldn’t and there are some Hollywood beauties that I find to be bland. I like Kate’s particular type of co-ed girl next door but a little cheeky beauty.
Good grief. I think I just described Daphne from Scooby Doo.
Agree 100%. I would suspect that she has a borderline eating disorder or exercises excessively – perhaps for most of the day – when she isn’t shopping or doing her hair. This is not the type of woman any girl in the 21st century should look up to.
Dame
I’m not shunning people who think she’s pretty. More that the Kate they see in photos and the person they would see crossing the street would not be the same.
All too often here photos are used as examples of her beauty. While untouched photos are deemed tampered to smear her image. Whatever they find beautiful is not the point. Even with hair, color, veneers, etc aside. It’s that the Kate they admire is a false image. That Kate doesn’t exist. It is very Hollywood.
Kibbles
Kate’s work out routine has been commented on here and there. A few hours a day with a trainer while being on a strict diet with prepared meals.
What I hate to hear is how people go from fad diet to fad diet. That they can’t just adopt a healthy routine. I think Kate had a routine once, but then the engagement happened. All too drastic weight loss after that.
@Dame Snarkweek
LOL! I had to look up Daphne. She sounds like a much better role model than Her Nibs. LOL
I dislike everything about this outfit. The individual pieces are fine, but not put together. The skinny jeans + blazer accentuate her broad shoulders. A blazer can dress up an outfit, but not styled as such. The blazer was too formal for the chosen shirt; it shouldn’t have been worn buttoned over such a casual look; and, the shoes kill any sense of attempted formality. Finally the wedges. Burn them.
+1
She wore that blazer to attempt to create an hourglass figure. The blazer tricks the eye. How many navy blazers does this chick have? How many blue and white striped t shirts?
The jeggings are completely inappropriate and vulgar for an official royal appearance. They should be reserved for her private time (and everyone knows she has a lot of that!). We don’t need to see the outline of her thigh muscles, her butt, or her crotch. She should save that for Willy behind the scenes.
Those wedges have got to be the ugliest shoes she owns and I fail to understand why on earth she bought them in the first place muchless keeps on wearing the damned things. They look like hooves.
She looks haggard and underweight. Certainly if she thinks that’s attractive, it’s her prerogative, but IMO this is a woman with some serious negative issues about food, body weight, and self esteem. In a few years from now we’ll hear more about that.
It’s continually apparent that despite being 30/31(???) she has NEVER had to dress professionally. She has zero, ZERO professional dress sense.
HH,
She’s 32.
No dress sense whatsoever.
@LadySlippers – Thanks for the correction. Although it has slightly enraged me more. Haha. 😉
I can’t believe someone of her age is so clueless about such things. She dresses like an intern. Well, a ditzy intern. I don’t want to disrespect others. I’ve seen plenty of interns dress professionally, myself included.
I hope she is getting some counseling
Totally agree…
AMEN!! Top half pf body looks good. Waist down reminds me of what a street walker would wear getting ready to meet clients. A wider legged pant (at the bottom) decreasing in fullness as the oant hits her hips would have a classic retro nautical look..she almost had it…. someone needs to burn these leotards she is so fond of and put her in good tailored slacks.
+1.
She looks ravaged and malnourished,her skin dull and so is her hair. Can’t believe she’s only 32. Looks like 15 years older
Skinny jeans only emphasize how scrawny she is and seem like an inappropriate choice for a royal carrying out royal duties.
She have a similar navy military coat/jacket also. So basically she goes around buying same stiff from different brands. I hate this look, all blues are of different shades and don’t get along well at all.
Despite her stupid outfit, she did well yesterday. She was relaxed, happy and looked like she have some personality instead of her stepford wife persona.
Oh and she made some very interesting comments. She told someone that William was gone a lot of times when George was young. If I remember correctly, he left his RAF job after a month or so George’s birth. So was she telling us even though he had no job, no obligations, he still choose to spend a lot of time away from his beloved wife and son? I wasn’t surprised at all. I really doubt he does anything for George other then play with for few hours. He might get more involved later, but now I don’t think he contributes much in his son’s care.
Again as I failed to understand on the play date day, what’s the point of this bloody tour and millions spent by Kiwi and Ausies? First they came and met some traditional dancers, then 2 days rest in a luxury resort, then and half an hour play date (yes that’s was the duration of their engagement and they did nothing on that day), then attending museum, memorial service and now they are sailing for 3 hours(again that’s all they did yesterday) and nothing else. Except for yesterday absolutely nothing else they did so far can be considered as work. They are doing 1 event per day, royal tours don’t work that way in general. I don’t get how can this be considered as anything else but another vacation. Oh now they will be going wine tasting, man I want their jobs.
I wondered about the William’s never home comments too. I thought she must have meant the SAR job; didn’t realize it was only a month after he was born, and she was at her mom and dad’s for most of that, wasn’t she?
Blue,
yes she was with her mother and then went to Wales for maximum a moth, after which all 3 of them moved back to London permanently as his job ended. What is so amazing is that he lift his job to concentrate on his son and enjoy some time with his new little family. Now we know, as we haters have always suspected, he was away A LOT leaving her and his son behind, living life just like he did before his marriage.
William has shown a pattern here.
He shows up to be a husband and father and then goes off. Off to a new excuse for not taking on royal duties, but not too busy to enjoy several vacations.
Kate and George can look forward to the next royal photo op together to see their husband and father.
They went out and had fun for a couple of hours and that was their ‘engagement’ for the entire day. What the heck??? What is the purpose of this trip?
As for her jeggings- they’re really disgusting and inappropriate. I don’t want to see the outline of her entire lower body, every muscle and crevice. It’s like she’s wearing tights. And she’s 32! The woman really has no shame, will never learn, and will never care.
Again, what is the purpose of this trip apart from us getting to see them at play. It’s all so dull, too. I can’t imagine that they still have 2 more weeks of this freebie, lazing around and being feted, and will call it work.
@hmmm – that is the entire point of this trip: seeing them at play! This trip was THEIR idea … They constructed a trip that involves activities that they enjoy participating in, thereby making it easier to have fun/be relaxed/enjoy themselves … and ta-dah! People’s perceptions of her are becoming more positive by the day. Endless vacation criticisms are being replaced by “they look so in love,” “she is such a natural at being a mother,” and “Kate is so [competitive/athletic/funny]” etc. Best part: Will and Waity don’t have to pay for thing out of their personal pocket … I mean, in all honesty, who wouldn’t be having fun on this trip? I would be having a blast!
Original,
Don’t worry these two will flush this new positive publicity very soon just like they always do. They will be back to do nothing. Anyway I don’t think they have won any of their critics yet, those who are fawning were always their fans IMO. They might get a compliment from someone like me who still don’t like them for behaving appropriately but that doesn’t change my opinion of them being lazy,useless, liars and waste to my taxes. At least for me they have really start working for any improvement in my opinions but there is no harm in saying they did a good job when they do.
@Original N
Well thanks for the dose of harsh reality. My heart can sink no further. 🙂
It’s rather Machiavellian/evil, no? The masses are so easily satisfied by bread and circuses.
@old prude,
Well, I feel a little better. But PR hypnotises so I don’t see how they won’t come out of anything they do or don’t do smelling like a rose.
Royal is sounding like a dynasty, a brand, perhaps even a corporation? I’ll bet my tulips that lots of business goes down.
I think you nailed it, wolfpup. It’s all business, except, of course, when they want to play for free.
Bread and circuses…disappointment is not a big enough word. (horror, perhaps?) I think that we must to pass the baton of consciousness, even if that is all we can do in a lifetime.
True words, wolfpup.
At least these jeggings don’t create a camel toe.
Someone on another blog refers to Kate as Peg Bundy. Anyway, starting with the spray-ons she wore greeting Olympic torch bearers at BP, (those ones gave her the most prominent W-lips I’ve seen) I’ve hated every pair since then. I don’t think jeggings are appropriate for any diplomat to wear while on official duty. Not even for sports.
Her thigh gap is bonafide though. Definitely not photoshopped.
Peg Bundy!!!! Rotfl!
I love the fact she likes sports and she is competitive. You can tell she works out herself so if she looks enthusiastic about sailing or being engaged in other sports I believe her! I like that she Is not a princess in a ‘princess and the pea’ way. I bet she can kick some ass too! I also love the fact she smiles so much and she strikes me as someone who’s trying really hard to be the person the royal family expects her to be.
I don’t think I would be able to engage conversations with boring people without pulling a face or looking grumpy sometimes.
I have to say I like her more every day.
I agree w you in that she seems to like sports and feel at home competing. Maybe she can somehow focus her energies in that in some way — more sports for kids, for health, etc.
We do want her to succeed.
She is so bloody thin, even her skinny jeans was falling off. Go to the link below to see how unhealthy and unnatural she is now compared to her normal size. You can see she was always thin, healthy and simple looked so much better before but now she looks unhealthy and malnutrition ed .
http://royaldish.com/index.php?topic=13675.1170
Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You don’t even have to go back as far as her college days to see it though. Before she was engaged, she looked like that (normal) too. It’s one thing to be bone thin your whole life despite eating like a horse, not working out, etc., but that’s clearly not the case here.
LMAO at that thread. Lots of unflattering photographs of the Duchess. Looks like Celebitchy readers aren’t the only Waity haters on the web, lol.
That blog and Royal Gossip are two of the worst. Try commenting there and saying something nice. You’ll pull back two bloody stumps that used to function as your typing hands!
There’s only one forum I’ve found that has any balance and that’s Royal Insight. Fans and non fans post at that place. If anyone knows of any other balanced ones, I’d love to know!
Blue,
I agree re Royal Dish but I love going there for photos of all royal and not just Kate. Sadly media only covers BRF, so for my European royal fix, I go to Royal Dish. They have great photos there, especially a thread called Diana photos. It’s a treasure for anyone who is a Diana fan, that forum have great photos of Queen Poala of Belgium, who is the only woman that gave Grace a run for her money in terms beauty IMO. The content on various posters post on royal women is borderline misogynist.
@bluehare
I lurk at those sites sometimes. They are great for getting current photos and info, and I especially love their wit; some of them are accomplished satirists like our Liberty. Yeah, some can also be lunatics (just like the sugars), but the good outweighs the bad for me.
I lurk too, hmmm. I just don’t comment any more. It hurt too much!!! 😉
Lol Bluhare
I remember posting on another Kate blog and you tried to back me up. We got destroyed!
Never again. I just grew back my hands from those bloody stumps!
I’d forgotten all about that, FLORC!! I think it was Duchess or Diva if I remember correctly. I went back once more afer that, posted something that wasn’t totally negative (I think it was about her clothes) and got descended on. It seriously makes me laugh when people complain about how awful this site is!
It was KM Criticism. Not that DorD was any better (IMO Worse).
Once Kate was criticised on how she held George I was up in arms.
The Creator of the site reached out to me to contribute before. I wrote back (privately) how I thought the direction of the site was going and I was more interested in facts. Less with insighting hate. Last I saw she posted my (private) email to the main board. I was so upset, but felt better to cut ties swiftly.
Overall, I’m happy with this sites coverage. We all have our bias. We all have strong opinions. At least this one was more balanced with facts.
Those WordPress pages are just littered with the same names that want blood.
It gives me a solid giggle when others think this site is so harsh. We here that aren’t huge fans of Kate happen to be Kate defenders on other sites. Heh…
I really don’t like Royal Dish – they are really harsh on royal bridse with an ordinary background, which is just classist. And some of the stuff they write about CP Mary and CP Mette-Marit is downlight slander. However, RoyalGossip is even worse – it is the mothership of the nutters and conspiracy theorists.
Wow that is one interesting site!
After looking at her photos and yes she looked way better in her college days i read what the posters wrote and they really are quite blunt.
This is from the Royal Dish site…..I thought it was interesting that many felt the two are having massive issues in their marriage because as written on the royal dish site…kate is clingy and will is tired of her and her family. She is close to diana territory complaining to people about how wills is not around too much since the baby was born. That she better be careful because she is not the real royal and they could if not already go their separate ways.
So….yea after reading all that…the posters her on cb are pretty tame.
If you want some real fun, go read the threads about the surrogate pregnancy. Woe betide anyone who dare disagree!
Willow
Hand to god I was a true Kate defender on those other blogs. Mean doesn’t cover it. They want blood.
Wow! Yes, i was trying to be nice when i said “quite blunt.” I really meant “quite mean.” The site really ripped those two to shreds and i only read a few pages!
I am glad you ladies came to this site…i really enjoy your writing which has been informative and fun. I really love the wit and i can almost envision all of you ladies sitting to tea with your pearls and tiaras…and i so want to join!
There are not many places where people of all opinions can post and come out alive, WIllow, so please come on in and join us here. There are people who think we’re too mean, but I think overall CB is pretty balanced.
Willow
With Bluhare, Ang/Old Prude, Vava, LS, LAK, Mich, Sachi, Dame, and loads of others (So sorry If I Missed You!) we offer tea, crumpets, a ride in the Wiglet Watch Wagon, and insight to many parts in this discussion.
And some of us may be too strongly stating our opinions it’s to be taken with a grain of salt. How would you like stating 2+2=4 when others keep insisting its equal to 8. That’s when the keys to the wagon are handed over and we hold on to out saucers while a member of the watch lets out some aggression.
I offer you your tin foil tiara adorened with pearls and feathers. Welcome aboard.
Well said, FLORC – and if she understands that La Liberty’s Fifty Shades of Windsor is required reading Willow will do just fine!
Oh my goodness that made me giggle…yes, yes and yes!
I must confess i have been reading Liberty’s Fifty Shades of Windsor and if i am bummed at all….well no more. I am waiting for her to introduce other characters like kate. When i am reading i literally have to go back and reread sentences not because i didn’t get it but because it was that funny.
There are some seriously good writers on this site and then you have the well informed or well read writers like Lak, History and the rest of you ladies.
I have been reading a while and although i am quite verbal…i feel limited in my eloquence of speech compared to you lovely ladies.
I proudly take my tin foil tiara adorned with pearls and feathers bowing gracefully low as one can without falling forward.
Just had a thought!
What about starting a site that discusses royals.
I think all you ladies would be wonderful and it
would be a balanced but informative site.
Liberty could write her novel to her hearts content.
I would totally visit that site on a daily basis!
I want the wedges of doom. I always wore heels, even after my first was born. However, now that I have twins (they’re 3), I wear wedges because their much more stable for walking (and chasing kids)
As far as stripes, I can’t lay blame. I probably have around ten in different colors
The pants are a little too narrow – maybe she should have gone for a trouser (JCrew Pixie).
I do wish she would gain weight. She’s looking like Princess Letizia of Spain.
J Crew pixie pants are basically leggings with a zipper up the back. Even more inappropriate for a royal official appearance than a pair of jeggings.
@JustNo
You make a good point. She unconsciously caters to the adolescent crowd because she never grew up.
She looks great! Seriously…I love the whole look…she does not look malnourished. I envy her discipline but if I was photographed as much as her I would be vain too…I think most folks would be. The wedges look classy not trashy….not sure what the problem is with this look.
I love her wedges! Always!
I find her painfully thin but think she has been doing a good job on this tour (minus the skirt at waist debacle). She seems confident and engaging. I’ve waited years to be able to say ‘good job, Kate!’ and am going to enjoy it while I can because I’m sure it won’t last.
She upped her royal dress sense and a little bit of personality is emerging, which has helped a lot. Her PR team really should play up her sense of humor and competitive athleticism a bit, instead of presenting her as a bland mother/fashion “icon”/perfect wife.
I think this tour has helped her PR.
She does well on tours. I’d like to know why or hear some theories on this. Kate is always very likeable on tour (despite some clothing mishaps), but when doing UK events, there’s no personality. Are the wrongs being planned? Is she putting on a show that she doesn’t care to do back home? Is the Palace trying to quell popularity? It’s strange. Her Canada tour was a great starting point that just fell flat.
I’m interested to see how she evolves now that she is a mother. It gives her ‘meaning’ beyond being William’s wife. To me, she has seemed far more confident since George of Chubby came along.
I get incredibly irritated with her because the vast majority of criticism she faces relate to easy fixes. When in public, keep your skirts down. Stop playing with your hair. Don’t giggle during somber events. Do a couple more engagements a month. It seriously isn’t that hard.
CORRECTION: Are the wrong *events* being planned?
On her tours she can be so lively and remember when she was singing with the kids and doing that little puppet?? It was great! I mean, what’s the deal?
I’ve always suspected that Will feels more alive/energetic/unemcumbered when he travels. Diana was definitely that way and just before her death speculation ran rampant that she was going to announce that she would be purchasing a home abroad. That plus Will and Kate have always connected well when traveling. Maybe it is just their thing.
Mr. bluhare and I always had great sex while traveling. The different environment, warm breezes and all that. Helps a lot. Then you get home and you’re the same old things again.
This comment is everything.
Really, snarky? I’m all puffed up with pride.
PS I quit that job.
LOL bluhare – you are not the only one to think that way.
I agree – the Cambridge duo are at their very best when they tour. They are actually interesting to watch.
Blu
You quit your job? Well, to hell with them!
*raises glass*
Lol about travel/vacation sex. How do you not??
Dame, I think you are right; they have that happy sexy vacation glow, don’t they? Yay vacation sex! The best fun.
Maybe they can be housed on the Royal Yacht and circle the earth forever, hopping off at ports to do smiles and waves and child-bouncing. Then Harry can be assigned to all on-land duties! King Harry, and Royal Captain Commodore Duke of the Oceans. Kate can steer the vessel around happily while William suns in the back with Jecca and others! Happy happy. Special lifeboat for poor Fraulein Maria’s escape of course.
Blu, I join the Dame in a glass-lift to the former pew-pew job! Bad is bad, who needs bad.
Liberty
You nade me spill my drink lol!
Vacations really do loosen thing up. Since we’re sharing.. FMORC is damn near a guaranteed go on vacation.
Although, I doubt William and Kate vacation for the same reasons others do. With so many homes and lack of seeing eachother on a regular basis. Wouldn’t most any day be like a vacation?
LOL, Florc!! What is it about hotel rooms that get men going?
And interesting question. The old “how can I miss you if you won’t go away” thing. There’s something to be said for reunion sex too!
HAha!
Bluhare if I knew I would bottle it!
Dennis Leary joked in his stand up once that it was paying $200+ a night for a room that got him going. Getting his money’s worth and so on.
I truly don’t know. And reunion sex is awesome. Not the best, but up there!
I think you’ve said something before when I tried to justify Zach Efrons jaw being cracked during him posibly getting his freak on.
Or my defence of Chris Pine and Munns text back and forth. I’m young and I have my health. Why the hell not. Kate often does the strut of a girl getting some while on tour, but more often of a woman being ignored and spending money while William is off somewhere.
My point? I’m not an expert in reading the body language or who’s getting some and who’s not. I do notice when a woman struts a little bit more and has that sly smile. I tip my hat to them.
And Bluhare. I tip my hat to you! Get It Girl!
I don’t think they are always great when they are touring. So far their Canda tour was great but Asian one was a snooze and this is also not at all exciting but yes they are performing well compared to Asian tour.
Kate always performs really when some sports is involved. She comes of natural, enthusiastic and in her element. I don’t understand why doesn’t her team exploit this and perhaps only left interest of hers.
Million dollar question. Why aren’t they playing to her strengths. Is she the one holding back? What other reasons are there?
Volleyball, field hockey, gymnastics, and the crew event. Those were events where she shined.
There’s one good reason the Asian tour wasn’t their best performance, Aop (hope that’s ok; you’ve got a long name!), and that’s those nude photos that were photographed after they left for that tour. I can see how something like that might sap your spark a bit.
I’d be nervous and thin as a rail too if thousands of women worldwide nitpicked everything I said, wore, and did anytime I went anywhere. Good grief.
Lol, true.
Seriously… A few posts ago, someone criticized her ELBOWS for goodness sake.
If everyone would put as much time and effort as they do with her (Googling, researching, comparing, analyzing and scouring different sources…even counting the buttons on her coat??!) into some worthwhile cause, the world would be a better place!!
I’ll wait for it…”Well, she could put her energy into something worthwhile too!!!!”
Amanda
I demand you post a few links to back up your assertions.
…touché 😉
I saw it, too. Someone seriously said, “What’s wrong with Kate’s elbows? She has really ugly elbows” or something to that effect. It wasn’t satire, though I wish it had been.
@Amanduh, I love your username. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoSuBAqgHNA
I say some permutation of, “So he’s kinda tall, he has hair, and he wears t-shirts, sometimes,” all the dang time.
Aww thanks Bucky!!! When I do something not-so-bright, I tell people to call me “Amanduh”…the cheap laugh was my salvation during my waitressing career 🙂
ps. Loved that movie!!! Must watch again this weekend!
Totally agree with you! She’s a classy, athletic, and not snobby (I mean she often wears “off the rack” clothes from stores that us “commoners” shop at, for Pete’s sake!) and I think her style is great! Why does everyone on here tear her apart? I mean, even dissing her “skin tone”! Come on, peeps!
Who wears wedges anymore, besides her and her equally tacky mother and sister? Wear deck shoes on a boat (see: Top-sider, Sperry).
Lydia, where do you reside? Interesting how style is affected by geographical area … I’m in New England and plenty of people I know still wear wedges (my peer group is mostly mothers of younger children; wedges are better for chasing after children/walking on grass, etc.) when they need to be active but do not want to be in flats. That said, I have NEVER seen anyone pair wedges with skinny jeans where I live. Wedges are paired with wider cut jeans/trousers and flats or boots with skinny jeans.
Meh, I have black skinny jeans that I pair with black or gray wedges and I get a lot of compliments. I’m also really tall with longer legs than the Duchess (her torso is much longer than mine), and I happen to think it’s a good look for my legs. But I suppose we’re just slow, backwards Southerners down here in Atlanta.
Peachtree and Dunwoody forever!
I quite like wedges too – but not quite so tall as Kate’s. But then, I’m a tall girl by English standards. Skinny jeans/jeggins, just hate them. I love the sporty looks from the 1920s though. I have a great photo of my grandmother and her sisters with 20s bobs, white shirts with short sleves and some ab fab widelegged and highwaisted trousers – very elegant. That was also the woman who got married in a long, dark dress, big hat and white gloves – she looked so elegant and sophisticated in her wedding photo!
This. The rare times I wear skinny jeans I wear them with riding boots and sweaters or long sleeved knit tops.
I wear my boot wedges with my skinny jeans….
*Quickly gets coat and leaves*
@Happyhat – I will readily admit that one set of my Hunter boots is the wedge style and I wear them with skinny jeans when it is raining so don’t leave! I was referring to the kind of wedges Waity is wearing; I have not observed anyone here pairing those with skinny jeans/jeggings.
@Original …..wedge hunters?!!! I need them!
And it must be a geographical fashion thing – I think skinnies and those kinda wedges would be fine around here (North of England) and be considered smart/tarty/hipster-esk depending on the rest of the outfit. But then I do live in a University city.
I don’t know what the US is like though.
On another note – I had a French friend at Uni, and he was looking around at the fashions people wear here (it was a time for students to wear sweat pants and ugg boots a lot) and he said “In France, this outfit…IMPOSSIBLE!” So there you go!
I haven’t seen anyone wear a baseketweave wedge in years, although I have seen wedge heels on boots.
Well to be fair, she did change into deck shoes when she went “on deck” (they looked better IMO)
God the judmental comments in this post…it’s no wonder she’s skinny as hell when all these people are constantly judging her (oh no wedges! Oh no stripes! oh no skinny jeans!) holy crap.
And she did change into boat shoes, you can see in this pic http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/04/11/article-2602313-1D04E03800000578-885_634x1184.jpg
And here is one more judgmental comment!
She’s worn this outfit so many times, It’s crazy. How many navy blue nautical outfits can one person own? Those wedges are way too heavy for the outfit & her body. Makes her feet look really large.
I imagine the upper class own a lot of nautical outfits!
Boodles and tonic on the poop deck at 4:00!
Filet of seabird nibbles on their way!
Don’t forget the hummingbird tongues on a bed of watercress.
LOL, you guys. And there’s a good one liner in there about water Cressida, hmmm, but I can’t come up with it!
The puppy wants to come! (tail all wageley)
I really can’t stand her but the part about her calling Wills a loser when she beat him kind of makes me like her a bit. What does that say about me? LOL
Apparently, he later made an ungallant comment about how he was trying to be a gallant husband so he could have some quite time later. Baldtop makes me stabby with those jerk comments of his – he does the same with his brother.
I think Kate is doing fine on this tour with the exception of the repeated Marilyn moment.
In fact she seems to be showing some personality! Perhaps all hope is not yet lost…
Yes, exactly! I’m actually liking her a bit more this week. She use to just come off as a dressed up prop, but I like when we get to see this side of her.
I don’t know what’s more annoying. Her wedge shoes or the comments PW made after the race about how he is a “selfless husband” and just “wanted quiet tonight” He sounds like a sore loser and a man-baby to me.
It was a joke
I just made a comment upthread about this! It is one of the reasons why I dislike him most of all – he does the same thing with his brother. Passige-aggressive snark is simply uncool. And a sore looser is a party pooper!
His jokes are always so passive-aggressive and really not that funny.
Unfortunatley that thigh gap was not photo shopped.
DM has a couple of really cute pics of them laughing together and in one pic it looks like they’re holding hands. Nice contrast to all the stuffy formal shots. I think she looks beautiful almost all the time.
She looks better casual than she does all glammed up, I find that this type of look suits her more than when she is glamorous.
I just came here to post that comment. We are of like mind.
To me, Kate is by far at her prettiest in casual clothes, less (relatively speaking) makeup and with slightly messy hair. Add bonus points if she doing something active.
I’ve always considered Kate to look better in casual wear rather than formal. She has the lean looks similar to a Ralph Lauren model wearing country/sporty fashion with their long tousled hair. But I do hate those wedges and jeggings, and she’s way too painfully thin.
She looks great again. Seriously, aside from the wind/wardrobe malfunction of their plane departure, she has been rocking this tour and her role in it. Just as some of us suspected she would. This shows a fun side to them as a couple and I enjoy seeing it. I’ve liked all versions of this outfit and I love the wedges. And some women just look better in jeggings/skinny jeans whereas others should not even attempt it.
On a whole I think they are doing well, even Baby George’s contribution.
HUH? ?
She’s starting to veer into bone-rack territory again. Really, she’s way too thin.
That’s a cute photo of her shrugging. She looks cute without the jacket. And wow is she tall and slim! Reminds me of my Nanny who’s figure was the same. I find it funny that she and William are competitive. I know she played sports in school so that’s not a surprise.
I’m thin like her and don’t consider myself too skinny. I eat what I want and I work out regularly. Some ppl are just thin naturally. Angelina Jolie is far skinnier in my opinion and people defend her all of the time. Kate looks healthy to me.
There’s a difference though. You’re naturally that thin and can eat what you want and exercise a reasonable amount and stay that weight. Healthy and natural vs. unhealthy.
There are years and years of photographic evidence that show that Kate is not this *naturally* thin (even when she was super athletic and training for events) and never has been this *naturally* thin and that her current weight is something that was produced after the engagement and during the marriage. I think it’s reasonable to believe that if she ate normally and healthily and exercised a reasonable amount, not for hours a day, she’d be thin and healthy but not as thin as she is now.
I think that’s where the comments come from about how thin she is. Not strictly because of her current weight but because her current weight isn’t natural to her and is a product of intense energy, focus, and (and rumored to be unhealthy) effort on her part.
This was also pointed out further up the thread. Huge difference between being thin all your life (and eating normally) v.s. transforming yourself into a stick insect.
caitlin,
Yep. She’s a social Xray.
I know people like you who are naturally very thin. I have several good friends who will never ever get fat even if they gorge themselves on fried chicken, fast food, pizza, chips, etc. However, I don’t think Kate has that type of body. She was much bigger in her 20s, an age when most healthy people have a faster metabolism than in their 30s or older. Now she’s in her 30s and had a baby and she’s thinner than ever. She is trying very hard to be that thin. It does not come naturally to her. I also think Angelina Jolie has an eating disorder. I’m not one to defend Jolie despite liking her very much. Jolie has a beautiful face but she is not at a healthy weight right now. She was also heavier in her 20s.
Those aren’t skinny jeans. Those are jeggings. I wish those wedges had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Find other shoes! Oh…like those loafers which are much more appropriate for this type of event than sky high wedges. It’s ridiculous her need to appear taller when she’s already 5’6. It’s not as if she’s short to begin with.
She’s not naturally thin. Back before the engagement, she looked healthy, athletic. This is starvation plain and simple. The public isn’t clamoring for her to be this thin. This is a conscious desire on her part to be this way. She said it before the wedding that the weight loss was all part of her plan, so please stop blaming peer pressure for this woman’s choice to starve and exercise her way through her married life.
On a positive note, yay! for girl power. Beat him, Kate. Beat him every single time.
She looks so old for her age. She looked so much younger when she was pregnant. I wish she’d ditch that teenage hair, too.
A lot of people have said she looks healthy. In the pictures, she looks borderline to me, but when I watched the video, her frame is shocking. I don’t care who you are, being that thin is not normal. She isn’t “naturally” like this either.
@HoustonGirl
So what does that say about me? I’m anorexic? I can assure you I’m not. I get a little defensive because all of my life people think it’s ok to tell me I’m too skinny.
Maggie, I understand. I’m about Kate’s height and quite thin myself. People often say I’m skinny in an accusatory way. It doesn’t give a good feeling. But I’m nowhere NEAR as thin as Kate, and I think in real life she must look even more thin. She did not use to look like this.
Maggie, I’m the same. I’ve always been called skinny, etc., etc., and there was a time I ate everything in sight to try to gain weight. The key word is “naturally”. Kate was not this thin until she began to be photographed a lot more, and her outfits, etc. were front and center. I’ve read that people see their photos at their regular weight and think they look fat so they start dieting. I think Kate’s done the same.
I wish she’d embrace her natural frame. She looked fabulous.
Kate’s build circa 2006 was incredible. I honestly think that was the best looking she has ever been, and it wasn’t just because she was younger – in fact, not at all because she was younger.
She was athletic and seemed to have a real verve and enthusiasm about her.
The only time since then that I thought she was truly, incandescently beautiful was when she left the hospital with George.
@Maggie, it doesn’t say anything about you. You are not Kate.
We are talking about Kate here and like so many have already said & showed, Kate was at a much healthier looking weight only a few years ago.
The weight she is at now is not her natural state. Pro-ana websites aren’t praising her for being ‘natural’. They are praising Kate for looking emaciated.
It’s not about you, Maggie. It’s about Kate. That woman is not naturally skinny.
There is nothing wrong with being an anorexic. It should not be used as a term to put people down. We all try so hard. We have different and strange ways of coping with life, and anorexia is devastating to the people who have it. I believe what people are hoping, is for the duchess to realize that good health, both mind and body is very attractive. We want to be happy with her!
Anorexia is sort of an addiction, where people seem to see in a reverse mirror. It is very frustrating to help someone with this affliction, because their mirror is correct to them. I’ve seen girls almost die, and still be casual about it. They get attention which only seems to entrench their views.
I really don’t know how to help. Certainly the images corporations want us to strive toward demean, and yes, debase all women.
@Mena
I didnt mean it to come across as though it was about me. I dont think I worded my comment correctly.
Now THIS is the William & Kate that I love to see and hear about: sporty, openly competitive, having fun together and being openly playful with one another. It reminds me that no matter what the actual current state of their marriage behind closed doors is, this is who they were in college and why they originally fell in love 🙂
Speaking of which, for the love of G*d, why isn’t Kate allowed to patronize more things like athletic charities since THIS is where she so obviously shines as it’s where her passion lies. I’d much rather see her do that happily and wholeheartedly than patronize things like addiction charities half-*ssed as she’s at best uncomfortable and at worst, miserable. (It’s not to say that things like substance abuse programs aren’t incredibly important and that the Royals shouldn’t be involved, but they should be represented by those who are fit to and capable of representing them.) Seems like a pretty easy fix to me…
Good poins all.
Yup. Harkens back to that Canadian tour. They were very engaged then.
Yes, I agree. I just don’t see the passion in Kate/Wills for the addiction, arts and arboretums that are on their patronage list. I don’t even get a huge enthusiastic vibe from Kate about the Girl Guides, which is always trumpeted as her pet cause.
Let them support causes where they have a real interest in the outcome and a true enthusiasm for the process.
Yup. She needs to focus on sports charity; she’s a natural for it.
@bluehare,
What’s a sports charity? I have no idea.
There’s a bunch of them that use sports as a vehicle to help children and teenagers, hmmmm. The other option would be wounded warriors type stuff, but Harry’s got that covered.
Thanks, bluhare. That sounds so wonderful. And she wouldn’t have to deal with anything icky, like missing limbs or anything.
She is not allowed to choose the causes that interest her? For some reason, I thought she did choose them… ?
I think she does choose her own charities/patronages. However, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out there’s an “approved” list.
What bugs me is the automatic assumption that she’s going to be involved with children. There isn’t that assumption with men, but there is for women, especially women in her position.
I really think the choice of children is because it makes her look good, and because children are not highly critical etc. It’s not remotely as challenging as adults and she’s not going to be intimidated. But I never thought of the female angle. Damn!
The thing is – I think Kate is fine with children, she doesn’t scare them off or anything, but she isn’t super-great with them. Both Harry and Sophie Wessex have a lot more natural connection with kids.
Actually, I thought Kate was very touching when talking with the elderly vet. She seems to do better with adults, or older kids, actually.
That’s why I find her choice of patronages just a little bit off. They seemed to have been chosen with an eye to what is appropriate to the public, not what Kate’s natural enthusiasms are.
Suze,
I think your comment is spot-on. I don’t think she’s a natural around kids and concur that this choice of patronages is not the right fit. Kids are pretty perceptive and often can sense when someone is genuine. Unlike (most) adults though, they don’t have much restraint when it comes to calling someone out, so watch out, Kate 😉
On a side note, I do think that by contrast Diana was a natural with children and Sophie Wessex seems that way too.
Suze, I think so too. And the fawning articles to back them up. The “caring Kate” stuff. Maybe she does care, but I think she’d do a lot better to find something she really can put her heft behind (and she’s got considerable heft; I wish she’d use it!).
Yes, people at play are enchanting. I am sure the Dolittles are very happy to be having fun. They could be anyone. But what about the work?
Unlike Beyonce, THIS thigh gap is not photoshopped…..
Guys don’t care about thigh-gaps, stop worrying about it. They just want somebody to do. (sorry guys)
In one of the photos, Will could pass as her father.
I’m reading history books about the Regency period now, and I think it is really strange that they chose to call their son “George”. George IV was just plain vile and ruined that name for everyone after.
I don’t care about what some of the most privileged people on the planet wear when sailing.
George VI redeemed the name, and the Queen adored her father it’s been said. So it’s more of a nod to him I think.
@Emily C. But he was not the only person (or even king!) named George. George VI was not vile, nor really was George V (a bit of a martinet maybe, but not vile).
And St. George is the patron saint of England (and his day is coming up -April 23, also Shakespeare’s birthday), so it is a patriotic type of name.
If we had to avoid names for our children because somebody vile had the same name, we’d run out of names pretty quickly! 🙂
For the record, here is how a gentleman husband reacts to his wife’s up skirting… or “Kate Middleton Moment” as it is now called…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2601792/That-close-call-President-Obama-saves-Michelle-Kate-Middleton-moment-stops-skirt-blowing-wind.html
So, where were Michelle’s weights? LOL Just kidding.
Now THAT is an alert, protective husband! Such an amazing contrast with the Dolittles.
To her credit, Michelle had another moment with the Queen. Her dress flew up a bit and she added weights. But the stairs out of AF! Wow!
First time post … I’m in NZ and went down at lunchtime to catch a glimpse of Mr and Mrs Cambridge.
First to the outfit & its appropriateness – I can tell you that no NZer was offended by Kate wearing jeggings (personally I’m not keen on the navy blazer/jeans combo but that’s just me). It was a Friday lunchtime, lots of people were wearing jeans, it’s no biggie. In fact I was wearing J Brand jeggings in snow leopard print and I’m a lawyer! *clutches pearls*
As to the royal couple themselves, I only saw William up close and he looked quite nice, more cheerful than I expected – seemed very chuffed with the large excited crowd. Dorky jumper though. We should be talking about his wardrobe, not his wife’s. He dresses like a 50 year old banker.
Sadly didn’t see Kate up close but we talked to people who had and they were totally star-struck – said she was absolutely gorgeous and very natural and lovely to talk to. So there you have it, straight from the hoi polloi. She is very slim – too skinny I think – but I do think she has a lovely face. She is lucky that she has the dimples when she smiles which means that despite the uber-slim figure, her face doesn’t look gaunt.
I think she looked best on the yacht and then on the sealegs trip home. Was she wearing rayban wayfarers? Quite a trendy look for the Duch I thought. I do think that their schedule is pretty like but I don’t have an issue with her wardrobe choices (I never have though).
oh I do hate the wedges though. I loathe wedges.
Thanks, sandring,
It’s nice and edifying to hear a view from the trenches. 🙂
I agree with Hmmm. Very cool.
So agree he dresses like a banker! I guess I thought Kate might spiff him up a bit, but it hasn’t happened.
I’m not surprised that William is dorky. Nothing and no one is able to change him. I’m sure he exudes a certain royal charisma, though. Both he and Harry are comfortable with public appearances.
I think that Kate in person would be more charming than Kate in photos. I don’t think jeggings are in and of themselves offensive. For the outdoor, sporty event, I think they are fine. Not ideal, but fine. Certainly I wouldn’t bat an eye to see a woman wearing them in my private life. I think that paired with flat, boat shoes, they look relatively stylish.
Very cool that you were able to get to the event, though.
sandring – thanks for the up close, inside look! Very cool! I agree with the boring banker characterization of his garments and we should discuss it more. Now, did she look glowing and expectant? The Mirror (UK) has an article suggesting William dropped hints to a gift giver that another heir may be on the way soon….
She’s really cute in the shrugging picture, but that pose also emphasizes her thinness. What choice does she have, though? She’s basically a runway model who is constantly judged for her poses and fashion choices. Not judging. Just saying.
I don’t know about that, bettyrose. Prior to her dramatic weightloss, Kate had an enviable figure — athletic, slim and curves in all the right places. Unless I missed something, she was never criticized about her weight in the press so I don’t know what incentive she had for putting her health at risk. She achieved what she was after (William) and was already positively received by the press for the most part….
greta2 – I know, but she’s now older, more prominent, and more officially photographed – and it’s an extreme time in regards to body image. Sure, I suppose she could change the conversation about her by making her public appearances more about public service than fashion – in which case an athletic figure for an “on the go” woman would seem appropriate – but as long as her public image is tied more to fashion than service, I think she has to be Hollywood thin to fit the image.
Burn the images!
Hi Bettyrose
If I’m reading your post correctly, I agree wholeheartedly that if Kate had a true work ethic and was more sincere about her “work” as a royal, there would be less interest/emphasis in fashion and her figure. However, to say or imply that she actually photographs better and looks better now than she did before this crazy dieting obsession, is inaccurate. She wasn’t remotely heavy before and looked good in pictures; when people see her up close now – the camera adds weight – she looks frail and unhealthy. Models who are naturally thin (many of them) are born that way and look good that way – Kate doesn’t.
I actually was jealous of her figure before. She looked incredible.
You make her sound like a victim.
She’s no more of a victim than anyone else who chooses a profession that demands extreme dieting. I’m just saying that since she chooses to be known more as a fashion icon than a public servant, it’s her job to be painfully thin, and kudos to her for success on that front. Slightly sarcastic, but not entirely. I do think that SHE thinks it’s her job to be painfully thin, and I do think she’s achieving that.
@bettyrose
Good points. It’s kinda twisted to think one’s profession is to be thin. Also, what is her profession? That usually requires higher education and a certain skill set. My guess is her ‘profession’ is to be social Xray (you can never be too rich or too thin). She certainly has a distorted view of reality.
Also to be fair to the Cambridges (though I do think their schedule is very light) while their yachting does look pretty fun, boat building and the marine industry generally is a huge business here in NZ – super-yachts are built here & maintained in the off season – so publicising our marine industry and the Sealegs vessel (which is a NZ invention) is really good publicity.
Also the America’s Cup sailing is a massive deal for us (something I doubt most of the world knows or cares about) – it’s as big as rugby (which is huge – if you know anything about NZ, you’ve probably heard of the All Blacks) so we were all pretty excited about seeing them race after our America’s Cup team had a heartbreaking loss in the match racing series late last year.
I think they could definitely fit more into their days though, one engagement a day seems pretty lazy to me. Plus they got a side-eye from me for day off after they arrived. When I lived in London I once did a direct flight (28 hours all up) Auckland – London – in cattle class, arrived at London at 6am, home for a shower and then into the office for a full day’s work. (I’m pretty tough though).
I agree that there’s nothing wrong with being lighthearted. Everything doesn’t have to be state dinners and official meetings. It’s just they don’t have anything else on their resume, and William supposedly wants to learn about diplomacy for his next job. What better way to dip your foot in the water than by having meetings at a very friendly commonwealth nation?
Harry’s engagements are fun too, but there’s an element of seriousness that hasn’t been seen in this one. Or am I missing something?
“Harry’s engagements are fun too, but there’s an element of seriousness that hasn’t been seen in this one. Or am I missing something?”
Well put, bluehare. Their engagements lack gravitas.
BTW, sandring,
I must be the average audience watching this unfold, and I could not tell you why they were sailing around having fun. The marine industry would never cross my mind, all I see is yachts, so how effective are they being? What is the message?
well Hmm I guess if you are not interested in the marine industry, you are not the target audience. You’re presumably not in the market for buying a superyacht or hiring a crack team of sailors or ordering a Sealegs! If they were touring a dairy plant (also an important NZ industry) I don’t think they would be criticised because, let’s face it, it wouldn’t look half as fun. Auckland is known as the City of Sails – 1 in 3 Aucklanders have a boat of some sort and we love our harbour – so I think this activity was appropriate.
However, I don’t think it should have been the ONLY activity they did that day – if they’d cut a ribbon on a charity and squeezed in a visit to a hospital ward as well (which would have taken them, what, another 2 hours) they wouldn’t cop any flak for the sailing (not that they have, the NZ media is besotted with them and there’s been pretty much no negative coverage at all. Interestingly a plane flew over the harbour flying the banner “KIWI HEAD OF STATE NOW” – I bet that hasn’t been picked up internationally!)
I can’t imagine the BRF with Will as king. I think he would morph into a cartoon character, not unlike Sir Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park. Sort of like Mickey Mouse welcoming people to DisneyWorld.
“I am King Willy and welcome to my country, peasants and commoners. Please spend your dollars and Euros so I might continue living my lavish and opulent lifestyle!”
I’ve heard nothing about their trip on US media. It seems not to be a big deal. What’s a big deal about two rich kids?
The blazer’s ill-fitting, the jeggings should be burned and replaced with actual denim, and I don’t even understand where she gets these wedges from, I haven’t seen anything with a cork heel in stores in close to a decade.
Like most of her outfits, if she had things properly tailored and styled them better, she’d look great, but as it is something’s always off.
ITA. I saw a rear-view pic of the outfit and it was not pretty or tasteful. Jacket: too short and boxy. Faux denim jeggings: stretched and creased = sloppy and a bit trashy. Total effect: Rather than give the illusion of longer legs, the clunky shoes and the length of the jacket and high-water jeggings emphasized her short legs. Even her ankle bones looked too large, and she doesn’t have cankles. She can afford a tailor and good fashion advice, so there’s no excuse for this look. And, maybe a stylist would help her get over the idea that she has to “theme dress” like she did on the Canadian tour with red maple leaves and western wear.
Absolutely agree – the whole look screams college student. The sprayed on jeggings are very trashy and way too revealing, the cork wedges unsuitable for anything but strolling to the local for a pint, and don’t even get me started on the hair. No matter what she wears she always looks a bit “off” and quite often just plain trashy. First thing is to shorten her hair into a layered shoulder-length bob that she can wear up or down. Second, tone down the make-up and orange faux tan. Third, gain about 10 lbs, and fourth, create a style that’s distinctive but more mature. She’s all over the map with her clothing and it shows how out to sea she is on building a professional image.
I’m not a royal lover or anything, but…Her style is unimpeachable, imho. I don’t know why Kaiser has so much angst about her shoes. I like that she wears the same shoes frequently, unlike lots of celebs who wouldn’t be caught dead in the same thing more than once. I also love that she wears “off the rack” clothes, when she clearly doesn’t have to.
Those shoes are really not good, and doubly so for a Duchess. They are trying too hard, those shoes. Super-tall wedges like that always have a bit of the jailbait thing going on, imo….no. No, no, no, not good at all. The rest of the outfit is lovely.