Here are some photos of Duchess Kate and Prince William attending last night’s Royal Variety Performance in London. The Royal Variety show is an annual event of music, comedy and shenanigans and I think (?) this is the first time Will and Kate have been the “royals” forced to attend. Most years, it’s Prince Charles and Camilla.
As for Kate’s look… um, I don’t have any complaints whatsoever. This is completely new for me. Her Diane Von Furstenberg gown is gorgeous and perfectly tailored. It’s conservative and elegant enough for a 30-something royal woman, but it’s still beautiful and interesting to look at. Plus, it’s got lace and Kate loves lace. Kate’s updo is completely occasion-appropriate and flattering. She wore big statement earrings but they don’t overwhelm her face. Her makeup is standard, but like I’ve always said – her heavy eye makeup actually WORKS for evening events. She just needs to work on a lighter look for day-wear. So… yeah. I love everything here. This is one of her best outings of the whole year.
And to make the night complete, Kate got to meet the boys of One Direction! When she shook hands with Harry Styles, he had something to say to her: “I said congratulations on the bump. She didn’t look bumpy.”
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet, Getty and Pacific Coast News.
I liked her look, and apparently so did her mother, as she wore an extremely similar look to the same event. Kind of like Kate & Sophie’s matching McQueen coats from Remembrance Day… too much matching for me, lately.
DM photos comparing Kate and Carole’s black dresses…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2834295/Carole-Middleton-steps-identical-version-Kate-s-dress-Royal-Variety-Performance-One-Direction-performed.html
Kate wore it better.
The woman in the receiving line wearing what looks like the same DVF as Kate Middleton wore it better.
IMO the only time that CM got it absolutely spot on was at her daughter’s wedding in that stunning pale blue coat dress. She looks like a smoker, has terrible posture. and reminds me of something on the prowl. Her daughter, on the other hand, deserves a compliment on getting it almost exactly right last evening….but bigger jewels, please? PLEASE???
I checked out the DM pics, Mom really needs to put away her nipples.
Sometimes I am shocked all over again by how thin she is.
I just keep staring at her stomach because we are nearly the same stage of pregnancy (I may be a week or so further) and I look like an absolute whale comparatively. Granted she is considerably taller than me, but her stomach looks nearly flat still!
In the behind pics she has a rather severe vpl. I think she may be wearing a body-shaper/spanx type thing under the dress. It seems there’s something under there much thicker than normal underwear. And her hips bulge weirdly from behind (NOT saying she has big bulging hips, just that, for her, the way her frame was pre-pregnancy, they are somewhat bulging.) And they seem to be kind of held-in. There’s a contained fullness there that seems to point to shape-wear.
I’m the exact same stage as her, and I to stare at her ‘bump’. I’m not as thin or tall as she is, but my stomach is pretty flat to. Everyone just carries differently-I’m sure you look great!
Maybe because she couldn’t keep anything down for weeks with that hyperemesis gravidarum condition. Congrats on your baby!
Santolina
That has been over for a good stretch of time now and no one has been calling it hg since the start. They’ve all called it a variety of other things, but not hg. Distance has been createdon purpose from that term
And she’s been well for enough time now to have recovered.
I’ve seen so many ladies that stay tiny until the end of the 2nd trimester. Then they look ready to pop.
Me too! I’m due mid April, same as Kate, and my belly is out past my boobs already. I look now like Kate did at 8 months last time.
Very appropriate.
Yes she looks really nice there. Formal but occasion and age appropriate. I would love to see pictures of what her mother wore.
Very nice and appropriate. Alwats happy to see the hair up.
So how many events for her is that this week? Refiney on Friday, rememberance day on Sunday, the solo visit to the Olympic charity on Wednesday (loved the dress, hated the hair), and concert on Thursday. She’s almost due for a vacation right? 🙂
You must miss all the jokes over the last 3-4 years about all the vacations these two take. A burst of events (this was true during the last pregnancy to) and then off to vacation. Simmer down.
@Elle: Your reply is totally inappropriate – calling someone a scag in response to their witty comment isn’t how we do things here.
@Elle Thank you for not procreating.
@elle – CALM. DOWN.
Comment must have been removed. Sounds like someone had a meltdown!
Must have.
It was removed. The poster attacked other posters for their views.
May I say on behalf of the world, THANK YOU.
She just got back from a vacation and there is another rumored approaching quickly. She’s “working” more than usual so we’re all a bit more forgiving on the vacations.
Hair up, dress is lovely, makeup applied as usual, but the heavy hand approach is better for evening events. Not a single complaint. She looks lovely.
FLORC, what do you think about the posture? That would be my complaint, but maybe at this point I need to just get over it. Kate has horrible posture for her young age. Makes me wonder what she’ll look like in 30 years…….
Vava
Her posture is horrible. Maybe it’s a combo of her height in her heels. She’s rarely eye level or below so she’s always looking down a bit.
Or weakness or lack of confidence.
Whatever it is it’s noticable with that v dip in the back of the dress. And we all hunch. Some more than others. It takes thought to keep throwing your shoulders back.
My posture improved when I started working out my upper body. Kate is thin with tone in her legs, but for as tone as her legs are her upper body looks weak.
After these years of watching Kate, I have to say that she has improved my posture. Whenever I she her slouching about, I stand and sit straight. LOL.
Vava
I’ve been correcting mine for years. It’s tough. You think you’re standing straight, but what feels straight isn’t. It’s up to my husband being my gentle reminder. It’s too easy to slouch without knowing.
When my back, neck aren’t straight or i’m in an event i’m hyper aware/ Maybe Kate is just really relaxed at these things?
Kate looks very pretty. It’s an improvement from that Jenny Packham dress she wore a couple of weeks ago.
I think the all over black lace ages her – it’s way too matronly. If she had just worn a different color then everything would have been fine. Or if she’d worn more jewelry or carried a bolder bag – spice up the accessories if she’s going to wear something so matronly.
BTW I’m pretty sure another woman wore the same dress as Kate. In the video, you can see a woman wearing what appears to be the same dress. That woman is much older than Kate.
That was her mom
No. Carole was there and did wear a similar dress, but there was another woman inside the event in the greeting line about ten people down from the One Direction boys, who was wearing the exact same dress as Kate. This woman had short reddish-brown hair, like super short not touching her shoulders at all. Carole has shoulder-length hair. I know what Carole Middleton looks like and the woman in the receiving line was not Carole Middleton.
Here’s a link to the video, the woman I’m talking about is in the frame from 0:50 – 0:55.
http://youtu.be/lW0vJQS2iSE?t=50s
It looks close, but no way to tell for sure with video quality. Black lace dresses all kind of look the same until you’re up close.
No, aside from her mother, there was another woman wearing the identical dress to Kate – it was a very popular theme last night, must be.
that other woman DOES look to be wearing the same dress.
Kate would have really knocked it out of the park in a jewel tone, although she did look lovely though a tad matronly. At least a colorful clutch would have brightened up the look. And I actually prefer the sheer neckline of the dress her mom wore and wished Kate had that style since it’s more youthful looking. And a fabulous brooch or jeweled pin nestled in her wonderful updo would have been the finishing touch.
ITA on the color. She looks lovely, I’m a fan of the dress, but if it was in a deep purple or blue? It would be stunning.
If the dress was another colour it would look tacky, and her earrings are a bit too big for my taste.
B O R I N G
The least interesting couple in the world.
Love it. I don’t think it ages her at all. She looks beautiful.
The hair is up and I can’t see thighs (or more!)!! Good job, Kate!
Bingo! Love the updo and dignified look. She should incorporate some of this into her day look. Getting a bit tired of the swing coats and schoolgirl hair.
+1
Honest question: Is it considered rude to comment on the Duchess’ bump? To her face and to the press?
And who says “congrats on the bump” to anyone who is expecting? She’s not a road, she’s a pregnant woman.
At least he was sure she’s pregnant. That could have been awful if it was assumed.
I think it’s rude to comment on any woman’s body if you don’t know her well. Not rude to say congratulations, but to say you’re showing or not showing. Just my opinion.
He told Kate “Congrats on the child”, it was afterwards when talking to the press that he used the term “bump”.
Love the dress, hate the earrings.
Gorgeous!
Aside from the puking, pregnancy always seem to agree with Kate. She just glows. She looks fabulous here and keeps solidifying that Will choose well for a wife to fill this royal role. Amazing how views change.
Loving the hair to. And that smile just tops it. She seems so unbothered by any negativity and I bet that p*sses people off more. Lol.
I don’t understand you comment. What negativity is she receiving? Most people don’t put any stock in those stories about the queen being unhappy with her work ethic and that other BRF are displeased with her, and I seriously doubt she is reading the comments in tabloids, blogs and celebrity news websites. It appears to me that she and William live very insular lives and are only bothered when pap photos are released that he didn’t approve.
I don’t understand it either. To suggest that William chose his wife well because she just glows and pregnancy agrees with her is just as negative. You’ve relegated her to a wife whose job is solely to look pretty and reproduce, which is a negative comment all on its own. I hope Kate never sees it. “Lol.”
Lace is aging. Don’t get me wrong there are pretty patterns (the only true lace I’ve loved was a scene in True Blood when Lorena is torturing Bill. That was some sexy beautiful lace) but for the most part it reminds me of Mother of the Bride. It’s neither young nor fresh. And she’s not in her 40, you can do casual elegance without looking old. Someone needs to get her a JCrew catalog so she can learn how to do plain simple pieces but with color and Jewels.
Lace is actually quite popular among young people these days.
It is. I have a great little lace cocktail dress from Tadashi Shoji. Not matronly at all or scratchy.
The latest collection is really heavy on the lace. I recommend a peek.
Totally agree.
That is the cutest little bump.
It is, I agree! That’s one aspect of Kate’s look that I think looks great.
I love the dress- and glad to see her feeling better. I think black lace works better than other colors- have seen that same style done in green or red and all I can think of is Xmas tablecloths!
She looks great and I love the dress.
She looks very elegant, which is a good look to go for with her job.
People give her grief on these sites for dressing “old” or “boring” but the fact is she has to dress for her position, not her age. It’s like any of us wearing a business suit to an office job – the only difference is she is “on duty” virtually every time she steps outside her door.
Yeah, but she could dress for her position and not dress matronly. That same dress without the all over lace would have been perfect. Or the dress with the lace but in a bright color would have been fine. The lace and the black color are what make it super matronly.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was honored last night at the Bambi awards in Germany for her work for girls rights. There is an article on it over at the DM. Go look at those pictures and come back here and try to tell me that this is the best that Kate can do. Mind you, Mary is a 42 year old mother of four and the next Queen of Denmark. She was sexy and glamorous but still completely appropriate. THAT is how a royal knocks it out of the park.
Mary looked absolutely exquisite and that gorgeous gown was a knockout. What a color and texture that would have looked lovely on Kate. But then she would have diminished the look in some way since she never gets it absolutely right, and the wow factor may have been missing.
I agree, Mary looked very lovely. The dress was gorgeous and I really liked her bracelet. She and Fred looked very cute holding hands.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/427067977139043361/
It is hard to see Mary’s bracelet but it looks like one from Ole Lynggard, a firm whose jewels Mary often wears: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/394487248584437361/
That firm also made Mary’s Midnight Tiara (with matching earrings), made of rose gold, oxidized silver, silver, moonstones and tiny diamonds: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/316166836312996510/
Had a look at the DM article. It isn’t well-written but there are lots of pictures, even one very close-up where you can see the beading on the dress. Her hair is also gorgeous.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2833830/Sensational-sparkles-Wearing-matching-midnight-blue-Princess-Mary-Prince-Frederik-immaculate-red-carpet-style-Berlin-s-Bambi-Awards.html
Queen Letizia recently wore a absolutely gorgeous outfit at a day event. Very old-school glamour with a touch of “New Look”.
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/427067977139042773/
I think that Kate looked very nice. The dress was well-fitted and though I don’t like lace I didn’t think it made her look matronly. It was a safe, conservative choice. Don’t like the earrings though – a simple, understated gown like that really called for some serious statement earrings. And her hair was up – jumpy claps! She looks sooo much better with an updo!
Crown Princess Mary looked exquisite from head to toe.. She looked flawless. Really stunning, elegant, modern, stylish. Wow.
Princess Mary dresses beautifully. She gets it right.
This argument never makes sense for me because 99.9% of the time she dresses completely inappropriately for her “position.” She’s flashed her bare bottom numerous times (while “at work”), worn very low cut tops, floaty mini dresses (in very windy places), and don’t get me started on all the jeggings and wedge platform heels on the beach and such.
She needs to take a page from Vikkan, Mary, Charlene, etc. who wear appropriate clothes and always look well pulled together with the right shoes, accessories, jewelry, hair, and confident posture.
It looks like she’s dressing more conservative and demure when representing the Queen (like last night and the welcome of the President of Singapore). For her own patronages she seems to dress in a very different manner. The baby blue Packham is the worst example of Kate trying to be “sexy” and “edgy”.
Stand up straight!!!
+1
Lace covered sleeved gowns always make me think mother of the bride. Way too old for her, and the style doesn’t suit her shape (though at least she’s not at risk of flashing her bits in it). She got a dress adequately tailored for once, so that’s something.
a nice dress, boring… but nice.
Finally her hair is up and all i can see is her round back. She has such poor posture and i don´t get why. From the side you totally can see that she suffers from”Forward Head Posture”. Kate is sporty and should have a good posture.
Same goes for Charlotte Casiraghi. This woman is a professionel rider/ show jumper, but her posture is just horrible. How is this possible? When it comes to horse riding posture is important.
The updo looks very nice. Posture is terrible. The black lace dress is a better choice than her Temperley long black lace dress, but it is boring to repeat such similar style. She’ll have many formal somber occasions in her royal life to wear all black. Why not a little color for a festive one?
This looks black tie. Floor length black gowns are expected. This may have been less somber of an event, but color would have been a bad/tacky choice. If she did that she’d come off as more of an attention grabber. How she’s styled here is on point for the event.
There is no such requirement and there has never been as per the colour of female clothing! This is not even white tie to require full length dress. Etiquette is and has always been clear on such occasions. Black is absolutely not required at black tie for women and night blue is completely acceptable for men, as well. Nor is floor length expected. This is white tie’s province.
Florc: what Ronia said.
People only started wearing black for evening wear/black tie because it became trendy and is considered slimming – blame the film BREAKFAST AT TIFFANYS for kicking off the black dress trend.
HM wears every colour under the sun to this event, and last year Camilla wore midnight blue Vivienne westwood frock that rocked.
The only requirement for this particular engagement is that the monarch or a member of the royal family representing the monarch has to attend. As it’s both an evening do AND royalty in attendance, people like to dress up due to etiquette of being in the presence of royalty. However, there has never been a dress code per se.
LAK/Ronia
As I understand it Black Tie or Formal events where men wear tux/suits for evening events. And that it may not have originally been required, but when a Black Tie or Formal evening event is planned it’s highly suggested if not requested (by stating black tie) for women to wear black knee to floor length gowns. It’s the norm. Or at least that is what I have been taught and understand it to mean. It’s about the same as wearing sneakers to a gym. It’s not a written in stone rule, but it’s appreciated that you do so.
It may not be law in a sense, but if anyone showed up in a brightly colored dress I can’t imagine it would be well accepted.
I stand by my comment. Kate chose appropriately. If not a strict dress code she went a more accepted route. Kudos.
And I adore All Audrey Hepburn was seen in that movie 1960’s. Coco came out with her LBD 1920’s with Vogue in 1930’s if my facts are right. I thought when CC made the simplistic LBD that was nearly the end of associating black with mourning.
Florc: Coco absolutely did a lot to dissociate black from mourning, BUT! She didn’t turn it into a mass market trend.
That was all Audrey and that film. It helped of course that the only couturier already doing black dresses was Chanel. Givenchy had to make Audrey’s black wardrobe to work with her subversive character and in the process really showed the masses how truly chic black could be.
And Black tie really doesn’t mean ‘black dress’ nor does it mean ‘long dress’.
It is more formal than ‘smart dress’ or ‘smart casual’ but one is free to wear any colour under the sun.
White tie absolutely calls for ‘long dress’, ‘hair up’ and all the jewels in the vault!!
‘Black dress’ is one of those things that has simply acquired the cache of being smart and slimming. Very few people can get it wrong in a black dress as far as outcome – though Kate looks matronly here which completely leaves me gobsmacked. Girl managed to make black matronly. Go figure. If she’s worn big jewels with the dress, we’d have tipped over into ‘white tie’ territory, that’s how formal this dress looks.
Only as I understand it Black Tie is to dress well. I’ve been to many black tie events and the etiquette is to wear dresses no higher than knee length and darker seasonal colors. If Kate showed up in a knee high yellow cocktail dress it may not be directly against the BT theme, but it’s not accepted.
You dress well and pull out your best jewelry.
I’m just finding it difficult to seperate what is expected from what has been stated.
And I’ve read loads of how Coco simplified and popularized the LBD from mourning. Maybe it’s history rewritten.
Posture is partly due to your skeletal structure–largely inherited, but also affected by disease, etc.,; and partly due to your activity/lifestyle. Those of us bent over desks all day, at work or school, tend to develop poor posture. On the other hand, ballet dancers have notable posture, and yes, so do equestriennes, but look at the mothers of both of these women. I think they’ve inherited their respective mother’s skeletal structure & hence, their posture.
Hazel
But Pippa’s posture is fine. And Carol is more straight than hunched.
Also, Kate is not at a desk all day. She’s working out. By reports mostly running. that’s great for posture.
True enough, FLORC, although, so many variables affect posture. I think if you want to improve your posture, it’s possible–as much as your genetics, etc., will allow. But, of course, that takes work…. 😉
I like it. Lace is trendy these days, and black is elegant. With her hair up and statement earrings, she looks great.
People seem to be very divided on lace. Either its matronly or elegant. It’s def very very trendy these days
OK, Kate and I are due around the same time and I’m about 4 times as big as she is. This is totally depressing. I’m off to eat some Thai food now…
Why does William never wear a wedding ring? Does he have one? Now I am going to have to look a pics from the wedding to see if it was part of the ceremony. Somebody, please answer my question.
I remember reading something before the wedding that said William wasn’t going to wear a wedding ring; don’t know if he has one…
That is to bad. I think it is so sexy when a man (my hubby mostly) remembers to put his ring on (cause men are so forgetful). When we are going out for the night he will often ask me “are you married?”. It means do you have your ring on, cause I have mine on. We have been together 10 years and he still does it.
Anyway, if she were to forget her ring, the clock at Big Ben would stop!
He doesn’t wear one, didn’t have one made. The other men in the BRF have wedding rings. See point 33 on a previous thread.
http://www.celebitchy.com/396456/duchess_kate_in_a_pale_blue_matthew_williamson_coat_buttony_perfection/
He doesn’t wear one or have one. Neither does Charles-it’s a british royal family thing.
Please see the note above. All of the other males in the BRF have wedding rings and wear them. Philip doesn’t wear his now because of his swollen hands. William chose not to wear a wedding ring, or even to have one made — against the tradition of the males in his family.
Charles has and wears a wedding ring. He wears it under his signet ring. Philip also wore a wedding ring until his fingers swelled too much for him to wear it. Thanks, notasugarhere. Looks like we were posting at the same time.
To be fair, •notasugarhere• and •DeeDee•, wearing their wedding ring with their signet ring makes it hard to tell there IS another ring.
But •L•, as the two others have stated, almost all the current royal men (in the BRF and elsewhere) all have worn one, until they can’t.
(I still get just gushy that Charles still wears Diana’s wedding ring…that’s just so sweet)
Not just the BRF surely? I think many of the Upper men don’t either?
•girlygirl 410•
At the time of the wedding, a statement was put out by KP (I think it was KP) that William disliked all rings and decided not to wear a wedding ring due to that.
The ring is a symbol of the promise of commitment. I wonder if he has taken on another symbol? Like a watch gifted to him by Kate with vows on the inside for example. If he had we might have heard?
Actually before the 1940s it was very rare for any men to wear wedding rings. (My father never did, nor did either of my grandfathers). Prince Philip does not wear a ring, never did.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-12986535
“While the wearing of wedding rings by brides has been traced back to ancient Egypt, it is only in the latter part of the last century that more than a small minority of bridegrooms began doing the same.
World War II is considered to have heralded a seismic shift, as many Western men fighting overseas chose to wear wedding rings as a comforting reminder of their wives and families back home.”
Prince Philip has a wedding ring. There are many photos of his hands where it is clearly visible behind his signet ring.
He took it off when he took off ALL his rings when his fingers became too swollen.
Unfortunately I can’t post links from my phone, but if you google pictures of him where his hands are clearly visible, you’ll see the ring. Ditto Charles who also wears his ring in the same manner.
@LAK – well at least 2 places say the DOE does not wear a ring – the BBC article I linked to above and the DM:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1372078/Royal-wedding-Palace-confirms-Prince-William-wont-wear-ring-marries-Kate-Middleton.html
“Most male royals do wear a wedding ring of some kind, with the exception of the Duke of Edinburgh.”
“William’s decision not to wear a wedding ring isn’t unique even in his own family. Prince Charles does wear one – next to a signet ring on the little finger of his left hand – but the Duke of Edinburgh does not.”
Maybe they are wrong or maybe they meant that he does not wear one now, but the DOE is of the generation of men who frequently did not wear rings. As I said, my father (born the year after Prince Philip) did not, nor did many of his friends. It had nothing to do with being committed to the marriage, it just wasn’t the custom. I personally had no idea that men wore wedding rings until I was an adult! (My family are Irish Americans, second generation.)
You can see Prince Philip’s wedding ring on his pinky finger, along with his father’s signet ring. He stopped wearing both at the same time, due to swelling of his fingers.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5if01Z7z01r7b7kho1_500.jpg
JustMe
I don’t think men’s rings are anywhere near as common in England as in other countries. I was just mentally inventoring my (large number of) married male pals and only one, a devastatingly gorgeous London barrister, wears one….quite possibly as armour! These guys are all around 50/50+ and I know for sure that none of their fathers would have countenanced such a thing either. (My friends, and the unmarried guys too, eschew other jewellery too…..neck chains, earrings, though they’d be considered pretty fash-tastic and cool, on the whole.)
• Maybe it’s caught on with younger blokes though.
Justme: Normally I would believe everything the BBC says, but in this case they were wrong and or didn’t do their research. Ditto the DM being wrong on this one.
They wrote that report in present continuous because Philip stopped wearing his rings in the late 90s or early 00s. To say he doesn’t wear a ring NOW is absolutely correct, to say he never wore one or never had one made is 100% wrong.
I can post 00s of pictures of his hands from 1947 to the late 90s where the wedding ring is clearly visible.
He wore his father’s signet ring, and behind that his wedding ring.
Edit: Notasugar has posted a picture above showing Philip’s ring.
I don’t wear a wedding ring because I just don’t like the feeling of rings on my hand. After nearly losing it many times (because I would take it off to drive, work, eat, etc.), I just stopped wearing it. It is no comment on the state of my marriage, just a strong personal preference.
Yay! This is the way to go, Kate! Or rather this is the first step towards STYLE. The look is slightly boring (matronly) but otherwise it ticks all the right boxes for me. AND the hair is up!
I think she looks lovely. I don’t think black is really her colour and as always I am not find of her accessories (black court shoes and those odd looking earrings) but overall she looks great.
On a side note those DVF lace sleeve dresses are EVERYWHERE in London at the moment. I went to a registry office wedding a couple of weeks ago and the bride was wearing a knee length one in white – and the bridesmaid had (independently) bought exactly the same dress in plum! v embarrassing. Anyway, for better or worse those lace sleeve dresses are all over town.
Other than the London part (which I wish I knew!) I agree with every word. 🙂
Stunning! And how refreshing to see photos of classy Kate after being bombarded with Kim Kartrashian’s nude shots yesterday….
Has she always not have a butt? Am I just now noticing this? Interesting.
I do like the dress but I, too, have a thing for lace.
It’s tiny. When she lost weight she lost more of her bottom. And ther’s numerous shots of it to back that up.
Some here have pointed it out and I agree. It appears she’s wearing spanx maybe. Maternity type dress liners. That would flatten things out pretty fast.
When Princess Diana went out, the gowns she wore were memorable, so much so that years later, when the dresses went on tour, women like me teared up to see them. Why do I feel absolutely nothing when I look at Kate’s outfits?
I know exactly what you mean, and I feel the same way. Princess Diana’s dresses were iconic. I can write “Remember that dress she wore while dancing with John Travolta?” and you probably don’t even need to Google it – you know exactly which dress I meant.
I’m not so much a Royal Loonie and I KNOW which dress you’re talking about. I’ve only seen a picture of it once….I liked a lot of her looks, although some were very dated.
+1 about Diana and her amazing clothes. Reason for difference in wow factor is imo the wearer’s presence plus Diana’s true couture gowns vs. Kate’s off-the rack.
+1000
Lace is very in these days among the young set (I am 26). I suppose Kate kind of started it with the lace on her wedding dress but it’s taken off and is considered trendy. Some of you may associate with an older, matronly look but we young people beg to differ. I don’t mind the look and I much prefer it to the Peter Pan collar which was EVERYWHERE a few years ago. That look made me think of toddlers and every time I saw a woman wearing it I kept thinking of a four year old wearin a bib. But to each his or her own. I don’t mind the lace.
No, she didn’t start the trend. Lace has been making a slow (and unfortunate in my mind) comeback for a decade.
Lace has been around heavily for some time now.
Notasugar
I said above, but i’m in love with Tadashi Shoji right now. Very heavy on the lace, but lovely. I have a few dresses from the latest collection. I always get compliments and i’m still in my 20’s.
It may have been making a comeback for awhile but I think that there has been a huge resurgence since Kate started wearing lace everywhere. I noticed it once in awhile and liked it but I noticed a huge difference in stores once women started copying Kate trends.
Yes and no Amy.
Yes, people do buy what she wears. No is it around more because of this.
It’s just being noticed more and spotlighted. Lace has been in for years and years now. Long before Kate wore it. And not all her lace dresses did well for sales.
It’s all in when you notice things. Lace is kind of a staple with me. Classic lace, not trashy lace. So, when it comes out I notice.
FLORC, this is why I lament the return of lace. So much of the lace produced today is trashy, especially colored lace over colored or nude lining, and it is just EVERYWHERE these days. My kingdom for a simple raw silk shift dress.
Nota
There needs to be a textured or colored mesh if it’s lace draped over a nude lining. It helps so much to have that. You need a high quality lace or good pattern. And then there’s how it looks and how it photographs. That can be a deal breaker.
And I looove a good shift dress. That mod style isn’t easy to pull off though. Long legs and a straight/thin frame are needed.
When I see them they’re always so pricey.
FLORC, my preference is something like this, a cocoa liner. The description calls it a “nude underlay” but to me it looks much darker. More attractive/distinctive lace too.
https://www.1stdibs.com/fashion/clothing/evening-dresses/1950s-irene-lentz-sheer-lace-illusion-black-floral-trained-cocktail-dress/id-v_193598/
I like your style Nota
Simple and minimal is my dressing style. Even though I love lace that doesn’t mean the dress has to be “busy” or “matronly”. I’m slim so I love slim cuts that would make other people look curvy. Lace is often in a column cut rather flared and risking pattern/lace overlap. When it comes to a alce dress overlapping it can ruin it.
Most people can pull off lace and look great. Too bad it’s not often made properly.
Perfect! She looks beautiful.
Can I just say I love how every report of this event talks about Royals being “forced” to go each year? If One Direction is performing, I would love to be forced to go watch them, that’s all I’m saying….. 😉
I like the hair and some of the design features of the dress (neckline and the back). There’s no crotch grabbing or overexposure, so that’s encouraging, too. OK, so those are the positive things.
She has SO MANY lace dresses, and now yet another one? I know it’s “in” right now, but I’m sick of seeing her in so many lace dresses in the past couple of years.
Posture is horrible. That jutting of the lower jaw is distracting, as usual. The earrings are OK, but they wouldn’t be my first choice. This would have been a good opportunity to carry a bag that would pop a bit of color into the look.
Lace has been a trend since the fall runways in 2008. Perhaps because we’ve seen it so much, it’s starting to get tiresome.
Vava, she’s pressing her clutch to her crotch in most of the pictures in this article.
Oops! I stand corrected! LOL. Maybe I’m just trying to ignore the crotch thing by “not seeing it”…..
She looked great for Kate, hair in place looking lovely, dress lovely. My only problem was Stage Mother Carole making an appearance. Papers focused on that and lookalike similar dress.
I think that just indicates where Kate gets her style from–her mother. All three of them–Carole, Kate, Pippa–dress with the same sense of style, with Pippa being maybe a tad more creative. Or, creative, period.
I thought it meant that Carole wanted to make sure she was in all the papers too? Why else where the exact same thing as your daughter? To the same event?
Carole , Pippa, James all seem to be out in force this week, the Middleton’s are opportunists, IMO. William likes them, but I believe if he wasn’t Prince William, they would have never given him the time of day.
Stage mum, Carole is not going to let Kate have all the spotlight to herself,afterall Carole helped reel William in too.
I think Carole although a smart business lady and a excellent climber, is tacky. i don’t care if William and Kate invited her or wanted her there.
Some things she does just look a tad tacky.
I also find it hilarious, the British press who pushed the Middletons, are now bitichin that they are giving US tv the exclusives and taking tv jobs in the US.
Flawless and totally appropriate! I think she is beautiful.
+1000
Nice hair, nice dress, ok jewels, average face.
I’ve never thought she was or is beautiful, she’s attractive though, but looks much older.
Kate has worn a different floor-length black dress a few times. I’m a little disappointed she bought another black lace dress so similar to the one she already has. Getting boring.
I guess it’s in keeping with her buying routine. Count the number of blue coats. The number of gray coats. The number of black coats.
Kate needs a stylist to nudge her into making more diverse choices and to nudge her to accessorize better.
At least her hair wasn’t all over the place like Cousin It this time and she didn’t have a V-neck down to her navel, hooker heels and a mid thigh skirt. Not to mention she didn’t have any flashing of her body parts. Baby steps for Kate as well as George.
She looks lovely. A bit of the jolie styling, I think.
Really? Jolie styling?
Ha! Kate wishes.
She’ll never have the timeless, etheral beauty of an Angelina Jolie,even on Angelina’s bad days
I think she looks gorgeous. I really wish she would pull her hair back more often for “working” events. I loved the video someone posted as you can see a young girl hand her that gorgeous bouquet that Kate leaves with. Super sweet!
Whenever people praise Kate for doing even the obvious and minuscule correctly, I’m reminded of George doing that for Lenny. Slow clap for Kate wearing something that isn’t see-through, isn’t flying up, is event-appropriate, and putting her hair up, away from her face & chest. Wow. Quite an accomplishment. Good job Lenny.
Ok. So they’re spending their time not going to visit the poor and sick. Ok. Just galas and fun stuff. (/expectations)
I’ll join you in a VERY slow clap.
*clap*
*clap*
*clap*
*clap*
*clap*
*clap*
(couldn’t resist)
Yes…..
Clap……..clap……clap….
I love Kate’s dress and her hair and earrings work perfectly together in creating an understated look. Her dress has the feel of the 1960’s…I might have liked her hair in a french twist with side part though…
It may just be me, but Harry Styles is giving me some Robert Mapplethorpe vibes in that photo. And I kind of want his leopard bomber jacket.
Appropriate. Finally. She looks like a duchess instead of a reality star.
It’s amusing to see them rush around during November to pad their numbers. It’s like clockwork. Laze about 10 months out of the year, then whoosh…work, which really is galas and sporting events.
You’re not the only one to notice. Some of the bloggers write great articles on it.
Completely agree with that!
These people don’t think the peasants notice. We do.
They have to justify that trip to New York and upcoming vacation with all these increased engagements. This couple is just so predictable.
Yup these two are soooooo obvious, it’s getting ridiculous.
basketball game in NY as work, OK I realize it’s in connection with the NBA’s role in the united wildlife organization but still
….it’s so William…….
Now they are saying a NY celeb couple is being lined up to sit court side with them…….
It’s appropriate and very meh. If I were Brit, I’d want her to showcase Brit designers.
I wonder if Carole got her DFV for free or substantial discount. I would bet that she did.
When Oprah did a show on the royal wedding, they went to Bucklebury , or Berkshire to Kate’s town and the postman told one of her producers that Kate, Pippa and Carole were getting racks and boxes of Designer clothes just set freely from designers from all over the world.
I’ll bet it was a freebie or token payment….to make it appear paid.
Also there was a story of Pippa going into some designer shop and making the store manager phone the actual designer about HER freebie or heavily discounted dress.
Wow! I figured pre-wedding it was some freebies but I had not idea the volume. I wonder if British tax law requires the Midds to claim freebies above a certain dollar amount.
I’ve read many times Kate as a royal no longer accepts freebies but there are some reports of how they skirt around that. FX, supposedly a gold necklace with a little boy charm was sent to Pippa who then passed it onto Kate as a gift.
Yes things were being sent to the Middleton’s home, interesting,because if it’s sent to Carole and Pippa , no one can really claim it’s a freebie for Kate if she wears it, it just looks borrowed,
Carole also deep sixed the first designer who she had design her a outfit for the wedding, when she found out Diana’s favorite house Catherine Walker was offering…. This was weeks after she had first designer to an outfit
The first designer Linka Cheric (sp.) told the story and Carole came off rather coldly…
I must say though the Catherine Walker she wore to the wedding was beautiful, perfect for her.
She looks innocuous enough. Tough work, those galas.
matronly,
sorry people. have we all lowered expectations just to find something positive??
The bar has been dead and buried for some time now.
She appeared and an event. Check.
She did not flash her privates. Check.
Well, she appears to have met all requirements. Time for praise. Give that lady a vacation!
Plus she wasn’t flicking her hair around. Check.
Vava
Having her hair up is a look on her that is lovely imo and keeps her hair out of reach. It should happen more often.
When talking about her hair flipping I always have a good laugh. It’s the scene in Talladega Nights where Ricky Bobby has his 1st win and in the interview. His hands come into frame and he doesn’t know what to do with them. Kate needs hair to toss or a clutch to fiddle with or else her hands go wild. When without a clutch or hair there are loads of times her hands are everywhere like she’s speaking with them.
Ah, their NYC vacation has been confirmed but no word on who is footing the bill for all of their expenses ie security,first class travel hotel etc. I guess they will force themselves to attend a few public events in order for all expenses to be covered…
Security is always covered from taxpayers. And didn’t someone post a link citing the accomidations for the visit would come as a business expense from the charity? Yes, no?
Which taxpayers??hopefully not American
yes we pay while they play in nyc
The US taxpayer better not be paying anything towards the BOONDOGGLE.
UK taxpayers. On their vacations I know it’s always covered by tax pounds. Unless expressed otherwise it’s safe to assume taxs in the UK are shouldering this cost.
The Maldives recent vacation and Kate’s moving into her parents home post Geroge’s birth are well documented examples of this.
The Maldives vacations was said to have hundreds of dollars per meal per guard.
And the Middletons home got upgrades via security funds to upgrade the home to protect Kate and George. Also how house staff and security.
The DM is reporting that they are not bringing George to NY. Boo.
Just had a laugh over at DM:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2834558/Was-wore-Kate-s-tailored-style-influenced-generation-royals-mother.html
1) Máx, Mary & Letizia had amazing style well before did. They’re just lesser known globally (such a shame)
2) Can you imagine how upset Beatrice is right now? (If she’s seen this) As if she’d take ANY kind of advice from her cousin-in-law.
That was a silly, silly article – just shows how ignorant the people at DM are. I think that Letizia has upped her sartorial game significantly since she became queen, and Mary has been THE most stylish royal for years IMO. I absolutely adore Maxima but her fashion sense is completely erratic. Sometimes she knocks it out of the park, sometimes she wears outfits that shouldn’t work but do and sometimes she’s a sartorial horror show. She has THE best jewellery game though – and access to one of the most well-stocked jewellery vaults.
The Daily Mail is doing it’s usual KATE is the biggest game in town thing hoping, well aware tnat these women from other Royal houses were dressing well long before Kate, they are just hoping the readers aren’t familar with the other royal ladies enough to realize that, but judging from the comments, the paper is not fooling many.
IMO Kate clothes looks undone and somewhat cheap and compared to the other women Kate fails badly. She never looks completley finished or polished.
funny that some of the pictures of the european royals are older than the ones with Kate. Alone the one with an extreme blond Madeleine… if i remember well it was when she was engaged to her first fiance (the guy who cheated on her). Means this picture is 5+years old. How can she copy Kate who is only known outside the UK since her wedding 3 years ago? The whole timeline is bs.
I think the DM is passive aggressive with articles like this. They often throw a little bit shade on the Widdletons lately. They know that people will bash Kate when such an article comes out. The other royal women aren´t that well known, but there are always royal-fans who know them and they comment. So in the end Kate gets negative coverage without doing something.
Oh and here is an interesting article about William´s search for a good PR person:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2832211/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Wills-plays-hardball-search-spin-doctor-drafting-firm-headhunters.html
“‘It’s a nightmare,’ claims a senior courtier. ‘Prince William does not take advice readily — let’s put it like that. Several well-qualified candidates have been ruled out.’
William has a reputation for being strong-willed,…”
Oh wow, on twitter a royal columnist was hinting in the press just days ago, that Pr. Harry was getting it RIGHT , very right this year, while William has been getting it WRONG over the past year because William doesn’t listen to SQUAT!..that the handler’s tell him. He’s unmanageable and thinks he knows better.
Hmm, “strong-willed” can also be a euphemism for “pigheaded.”
“Dumstædig” as we call it in my family since it is a bit of a family-trait. Can best be described as “stupidly stubborn” but the translation doesn’t quite have the panache the original phrase has.
I kind of get the vibe that Wills might be an absolute nightmare to work for. He did say himself in an interview that he does the opposite of whatever he is adviced to by the courtiers. There must be a few ulcers brewing amnong his staff.
I wonder who inside leaked the story, William will be livid.
P.S.Art Historian is that a Norwegian word? I see a Norwegian letter “æ” in the word.
Or, as it’s said in Italian, “testa dura” or “thick-headed.” It sounds like William delights in being contrary to make situations totally impossible for his suffering staff.
Someonestole…
Nope. It is a Danish word. However, Danish and Norwegian is very very similar. There are differences is spelling and pronounciation but they are small. Swedish is more different but still understandable for many Danes.
Fee,
That’s a great expression!
Kate’s hair isn’t blowing all over the place in the wind. It isn’t hiding her face or her jewelry. She doesn’t have a V-neck cut down to her navel with a thigh high skirt and hooker heels. I’ll take this dress as acceptable.
I wish Kate would hire a proper stylist and stop thinking she and her assistant are fashion experts. That way Kate can do something a la Keira Knightley or Emma Watson fashion wise, but I’ll take this dress over the blue mullet dress any day.
This dress was better than a lot of the alternatives she wears. I’d rather have a little matronly on a princess than a little hookerish.
Thanks for the giggle and I agree that a little matronly better than a little hookerish.
In previous discussions about Kate not having a proper stylist, I maintain that she likes clothes and shopping for them thus the reason for not hiring someone to take care of all of it for her.
Her mum is her style guru.
We were discussing Kate’s height a few days ago, I think these photos prove definitively that she is no where near the 5’10” or 5′ 11″ she is purported to be.
The type of shoes she was wearing are being reported all over the internet ….Jimmy Choo’s Cosmic platforms with 125cm heels (5inches).
William is 6’3″ she is at least 2″ shorter than him in these photos minus the 5″ heels she would no more than 5’6″ if you assume Williams shoes might give him an an extra inch in height she would be only 5’7″ at most.
She’s 5’10” or 5′ 11″ only when she has high heels on.
Both Michelle Obama, Nicole Kidman and princess Charlene were all talller than Kate ..when Kate was wearing HUGE heels.
Look at photos of Kate and Chelsy Davy during the dating years and Kate was not much taller than Chelsy who is said to be 5’6 or maybe 5’7″
Yep, I know black is an appropriate colour for an evening.
Nevertheless I think “FUNERAL” when I see Kate dressed like that.