Well, I never!! I can’t believe Duchess Kate didn’t repeat one of her two green coats (go here and here to see) for her annual St. Patrick’s Day outing to meet the Irish Guards. She didn’t wear green at all!! Shocking.
Kate ended up wearing something we’ve never seen before: a dark brown Catherine Walker coat and a Lock & Co hat. Walker isn’t a standard maternity designer, but this coat looks well-proportioned and I assume it was probably made for Kate. It’s very pretty. I envy her coat collection and this is probably one of the best maternity coats/coat-dresses I’ve seen on Kate. It’s a great length, the dark color flatters her as a brunette and I even like the way she’s styled her look. Her hair is back! And she’s wearing a gold Irish Guards brooch that once belonged to the Queen Mum (although you can barely see it because she’s also wearing real shamrocks). The brown suede shoes are by Emmy London.
Meanwhile, The Daily Beast ran a story/propaganda piece this week about how we need to stop calling her “Lazy Kate.” Apparently, Kate has been nothing short of a workhorse during her pregnancy, which the DB admits is a “carefully thought-out strategy” to “put an end to the ‘lazy Kate’ story that threatened to become a theme.” I don’t think Kate has suddenly become a workhorse, I just think Will and Kate’s new American PR guy is working his bum off and he’s actually convinced Kate in particular that if she wants to take a long maternity leave or month-long vacations, she needs to put in some work-time in between holidays. Apparently, Kate will also make a stop by a Children’s Centre tomorrow and she’ll do some events at the end of this month. So this isn’t her last engagement before her extended maternity leave.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She looks beautiful. I love brown and green together.
Yes, and event appropriate too!
One of her best looks, imo, preggers or not preggers – her clothes and her styling. Wish she’d wear her hair up more often.
Yes, I was thinking how much better she looks with her hair up. Much more elegant than the sausage curls.
The coat is really flattering and well-tailored. Her hair is an updo, which always makes her look more elegant and it is always a better look when wearing a hat. Don’t care for the hat though, neither the shape nor the weird bow-like thingy on top of it.
Finally, I’ll simply say: brooch deployment, brooch deployment, brooch deployment – it needs to improve. There’s no reason to wear a piece of heirloom jewellery if it is going to be obscured by something else, whether it is a big was of greenery or a lot of hair.
AH, +1. The coat is lovely and beautifully tailored. But the shoes and hat are the wrong shade of brown.
The beauty of the coat is diminished by the accessories.
Since Kate insists on overseeing her wardrobe without qualified help, she and Natasha should learn (or re-learn?) the core principles and elements of design.
The dog is amazing. I remember the Queen Mum at events like these, standing maybe only 10″ taller than the dog-hat included! They seem super sweet.
Oops meant to post below!
The QM would sometimes put the brooch on her hat!
AH, up until today, I liked that hat, but I think I’ve changed my mind. It looks better with her hair down, and I have to say I don’t like her long hairstyles anymore.
Maybe someday we’ll see her put that brooch on a good hat, that would be great. It was lost amongst the shamrocks today……………….
I want to see pictures of George instead. 🙁
I want more pictures of that gorgeous Irish Wolfhound!
I agree-love his coat as well!
I want to see George and the Irish Wolfhound play together.
Me, too!
I love him too. He’s beautiful! I think he’s got his own Facebook page, but I’ll probably spell his name wrong. It’s Dhiomnal or something like that?
it’s huge!
Ditto. I only scrolled down to the comments to see if anyone had info about the wolfhound, and lo and behold! Bluhare has already answered me 🙂
Domhnall is the name of the Irish wolfhound.
WOLFHOUND LOVE!!!
They are amazing dogs!
I love it when my neighbors wolfhound hops the fence (easily) and runs over. I’ll throw a ball around with him until he gets tired and I walk him home. They’re gentle giants and such sweethearts!
I love the dog most of all.
William lost his pretty some time ago, but my God, he looks incredibly hot in that black dress uniform. I wish he’d gotten married in it. So fine.
Kate’s hat doesn’t match her coat. I like the coat and hat, but not together.
I think he wanted to but the Queen said the red one so he’d stand out more.
I’ve always thought William looks great in uniform. He can even wear a bearskin hat.
Had to scroll back up for that. Yes, William is a uniform man. He should take his various uniform wearing roles more seriously and never appear in civilian dress again.
IMO, The only uniform he doesn’t do justice is the RAF one. I don’t know why he looks so pedestrian in it.
Love this one, the black No 1 dress of Blues and Royals and I love his wedding uniform, even with the bright red colour.
And of course he rocks a bearskin.
Yes, I was surprised Wills actually looks handsome here. So dashing in uniform.
Kate looks pretty with her hair up but the hat also makes her look like an air stewardess, especially in the third pic. Her outfit is dour.
This is one of William’s better looks, for sure.
More George and doggie!!
I have an Irish wolfhound and no way would I let George anywhere near her. She would not be impressed LOL. Of course not much impresses her, she is quite the diva!!
I had an Irish Wolfhound growing up. Children could climb all over her, pull her tail and generally go crazy around her. She was always sweet and calm with them. Their motto is “gentle when stroked, fierce when provoked”, but the only time I ever saw her being fierce was when she thought someone was being harsh toward my very sick mother. But with kids, old people, sick people etc. – a total gentle giant. (And she lived to be 13 – which was old by wolfhound standards)
justme
I think Tough cookie is refering to the times George has been near animals (zoo visit). Even his parents noted he can be rough. And to not let him pet the animal. Fearing he’d latch onto an ear. Tugging, gripping isn’t always handled well by animals. Even well behaved pets.
Yes, more George, please 🙁
Love the coat – it’s the perfect length.
I realize that there are rules about who actually reaches out… and grabs onto a Royal.
But for the love of all things holy and good… why does no one ever offer a hand.. or at least a forearm for Kate to use, when she is stepping down off these deep stairs? Not that I believe pregnant women are helpless.
But it just seems rude to not at least have a sturdy hand rail around, for a girl to use for balance. Even Prince Phillip had to help the Queen come down those stairs the other day. High heels and stairs are natural enemies. Those stairs will trip you when you least expect it!
My favorite Winter coat has the same style collar, as this coat. It was the reason I bought it. I like how it laid flat and did not rub against my face. And does not choke you when layering the coat on top of your outfit.
The rule about touching royals is limited to the monarch only. They’ve been anointed with holy oil thus their body is sacred. You can’t touch them without their express permission. Everybody else can be touched.
Kate isn’t a touchy, feely sort of a person even when pregnant. The few times William has offered to help her eg in NYC, she refused the help.
William doesn’t really touch Kate except to prod her along. He is touchy feely with everybody else, just not with Kate and that’s primarily from her.
LAK
But they’ve been seen touching before. And there were times when William walked ahead of Kate down the stairs and Kate was seen to be needing help, but he was too far ahead.
Imo William has always struck me as the one that doesn’t like touching and Kate adopted that to adapt to him.
I’m just thinking back to various times where Kate has been very touchy, but it ended with and around William. Dating years, honeymoon/vacations and early marriage she hung off of him while he didn’t seem to do the same.
Still, your opinion is almost always backed up with loads of references.
And that sacred bodies anointed business is terrible.
LAK
Is the first part of your response symbolic or literal? Yank here so really don’t know.
Both. It’s a tradition that comes to us from ye old times and remains only in circumstances where the monarch has been anointed with holy oil. Eg HM was anointed, but Felipe of Spain was not which makes HM’s person sacred, but not Felipe – that said, Spain might not have a tradition of anointing and thus the King’s person is sacred regardless.
In Britain, during the coronation, there is a section where the person to be anointed changes into plain dress and has their forehead, and breast (chest?) anointed with oil that has been blessed. That anointing is supposed to make them sacred.
In ye old times, touching the anointed monarch was a death sentence. That’s why Mary Queen of Scots never truly believed that Elizabeth would execute her due to being anointed and all. There are also lots of funny anecdotes about various Monarchs who found themselves in situations where they needed to be touched, but the court officials were torn between doing their duty and being on the wrong side of the ‘no touching’ rule.
In modern times, it’s not as cast iron a rule, but we still frown at touching HM though as we’ve seen on numerous occasions, she’s fine with it. However, if you watch videos of her interacting with people, everybody waits on her to extend her hand or cheek for a kiss, rather than do it first.
“anointed with holy oil so you mustn’t touch HRH” — so ludicrous I don’t even know where to start. She’s a person, just like all the rest of us. I also think it’s hilarious that she believes she was chosen by god…when she is only a queen because her uncle fell in love with an American divorcee. Please. The whole thing is ridiculous, IMO.
LAK, I knew about the hands-off the British sovereign rule and the coronation annointing, but I didn’t know the connection between the two. It calls the the Roman Catholic Pope to mind. So is the sovereign also considered infallible?
MinnFinn: We threw out the Sovereign’s infallibility when we executed Charles 1. That was the end of absolute monarchy.
Interesting backstory LAK, I had never heard about being annointed by holy oil etc. Remember when Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen? It really made the headlines, but the Queen didn’t seem to mind.
Florc: in the beginning, William might have initiated the no PDA rule so paps wouldn’t have pictures, but if you watch videos over a long period of time, you start to notice that outside of William’s usual discourteous self to Kate, when he touches her spontaneously ie not proding her to move along, she tends to push him away. Not in a repulsed way, just someone not comfortable with being touched, and the end result is always awkward.
Sharon Lea: when you watch the old recordings of HM’s coronation, the anointing and crowning bits were considered too sacred/holy/precious (can’t think of the right word) to show on TV, so the camera skips from just before to just after.
There is a wonderful doc on youtube about the coronation and the raging debate at the time about whether this moment should be shown.
I can imagine Charles wishing to be anointed as he has come to see the throne as his birthright. William on the otherhand can’t get through the garter ceremony without teleporting his embarrassment at proceedings, so I think he’ll do away with this ceremony and perhaps have a swearing in. Like Felipe.
Hey, LAK, the word you might be looking for is “sacrosanct.” 🙂
LAK
I’m just not seeing that interpretation. Though Kate does appear here and there to be uncomfortable with his presence is my take or his touching her. More like when my husband irks me i’m just not in the mood to hold his hand. We can continue on, but for those moments I need to not be touched. Maybe that’s what’s going on?
Canada there was loads of Kate hanging off William/catching up to him as well as the honeymoon beach walking shot where Kate is almost hanging off of a very tall william that has a purpose behind his step.
speaking of coats, i was just taking a gander at some royalcentric blog and saw my favorite little Swedish princess wore a purple
coat!
so few sightings of royal toddlers, i’ll take what i can get. where’s George? i need to see those cheeks!
Estelle was cute as a button in that purple coat and that white knitted cap – and her big smile!
Other royal news:
Maxima and Willem-Alexander has just arrived for their State Visit in Denmark. The whole DRF turned up at the airport to greet them, which is rather unusual but there is apparently a very warm relationship between them, which is supported by the video – lots of smiles and hugs. All the ladies were very smartly turned out. Both Mary and Maxima wore stylish pillbox hats but I’m really digging Marie’s dashing black fedora and Benedikte’s stylish wide-brimmed hat and fur-lined cape. Benedikte has a lot of flair and flash in her wardrobe. She’s also a very pleasant and gracious lady, which I learned first-hand last year when I met her.
http://www.billedbladet.dk/kongelige/holland/video-hollands-kongepar-landet-i-kastrup
There’ll be a televised State Banquet tonight and I can’t wait to see the tiaras. I’m especially looking forward to see which tiara Maxima is going to wear because she’s always hard to predict.
ArtHistorian, me too! I love how Maxima just goes all out with the jewels. She doesn’t always get it right but man, she owns it.
QMII also goes all out with her jewels at these types of events – and she has some gorgeous pieces. Personally, I hope for the Perle Poire Parure because those pearls are just all kinds of glorious.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660853252732/
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660851738095/
Mary will probably wear her ruby parure since it is the only big-gun tiara she has and the only major parure. I hope for her to wear some jewels in her hair as well since she has some extra pieces since she had the parure reconfigured. Mary’s wedding tiara is too small for this type of event and the Midnight is probably too modern though I love that piece.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660853875457/
Marie will wear the Princess Dagmar Floral Tiara. It is the only significant tiara she has. The modern silver Floral Danica Tiara is just not suitable for this event – and it is ugly to boot.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660851612031/
Maxima will be the real surprise – the Dutch RF has a lot of tiaras and Max likes to mix it up. Recently, she has also brought out tiaras that hasn’t been used for a long time, like the Wüttenberg Tiara she wore in Japan.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660854313304/
I have no idea what Benedikte will wear though I’m hoping for the Diamond Star and Pearl Spike Tiara.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660854312878/
Here’s a better pic of her daughter Alexandra wearing it:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660854065059/
I love it when links work!
That Diamond Floral Parure is stunning! All of it is, but that’s a standout for me. That it trails down the hair and doesn’t just end at the sides for photos makes it amazing.
@arthistorian, the tiara banquet is today? i hope to see pictures! i find Mary, Maxima, and Marie (lots of Ms!) are very interesting dressers. i wish Kate dress more like Mary actually–Mary is older than Kate but can be both youthful and event appropriate and very elegant and her work as Princess is very commendable! and in a foreign language! the Danish Royal Family lucked out with their daughters in law!
Maxima is also Maximum Amazing! her fashion is never boring.
Benedikte, in that picture at the airport looks Very Regal, dare i even say the most regal of everyone there?
tiaras!
i really hope Mary will wear Midnight Tiara, it
is my most favorite. the ruby is very wintry imho.
will QMII wear her favorite Aigrette? i hope she wears the Emerald Parure.
You know how to bring the bling, AH!
I really love Mary’s outfit at the airport! The neutral coat is lovely and I love pill-box hats. Her hair is really amazing styled today.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/458733912020553292/
She also has an interesting brooch deployment:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/458733912020553275/
Benedikte is very regal indeed! She was royal lady I spoke about on another thread who wore a light grey suit with fire-engine red shoes to an engagement.
The banquet is tonight.
bluehare,
You know me – I’m a serious jewellery nut 😉
FLORC,
Is that Marie’s tiara you’re referencing?
ArtHistorian,
I watched the video! Regarding all the curtseying – color me impressed! I’ve never really seen it done and it looked quite nice. I’m of the opinion that if you’re going to bother with the whole notion of royalty, just go all out 🙂 I liked it! Oh, and Mary was perfect.
Watching the banquet at this very moment.
QMII is wearing her gorgeous Pearle Poire Parure.
Maxima is wearing the Mellerio Sapphire Tiara, which she also wore at Willem-Alexander’s investiture as king. Her dress is in a bright blue colour.
Mary, disappointingly, is wearing her wedding tiara, which I really hadn’t foreseen. And a pair of lovely girandole earrings with aquamarines.
QMII is speaking at present – and she is speaking directly to W-A as his godmother – with a greeting to Beatrix, who has a close place in her heart.
W-A says in his speech that Denmark feels almost like home – and he mentions his relationships with QMII. He’s also referencing the Danish writer H.C. Andersen. His speech is very well-written with some very lovely personal touches. He’s speaking about happiness – and he also mentions last month’s attack and the Danish response, including the statement that QMII issued the day after the attack in Copenhagen. He also talks about the need to stand together and work together in the face of new threats.
Apparently, he’s also a fan of The Killing, just like Camilla. 😉
Re Mary’s outfit at the airport, that’s how you accessorize! Her pillbox, gloves and pin are all in purple which really lends interest to the neutral beige she’s wearing. She’s tying everything together by use of one accent color. I wonder if her shoes were in beige or purple as well.
AH
Yes Maria’s. And I 2nd Bluhare’s “Bring The Bling” comment.
Just stunning.
Ok, a very long post with links didn’t make it through so I’ll just give a link to the Order of Splendour where there are lots of photos and info:
http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.dk/2015/03/state-visit-and-tiara-watch-of-day.html
I did find a very funny pic of Mary and Max at the airport – Max is such a warm and expressive woman:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/279997301809395141/
Fee,
Her shoes were nude Louboutins. Max wore a pair of grey open-toe heels, possibly Louboutins as well.
Seems as if the European continental royals have much more fun than the British Royals.
I don’t really follow those royals, but the posts by AH here are fun to look at, for sure! Jewels, genuine excitement to see each other, fashion…………very nice!
Thanks, AH. I figured Mary’s shoes would either be beige/nude to match her coat or purple to match the accessories. I would then think if the color were the latter, the dress would be in purple or a color that purple shoes would complement. She’s that well-coordinated.
Is it just me or do the browns of her coat and hat not match? It’s making my eye twitch.
They don’t entirely. But I think if they were all perfectly dyed to match I would be the one with an eye twitch. I like the texture of the mismatched browns.
Agree. It would be a wall of brown!
Not just you. The hat and coat are different browns. Does read right to me either
I noticed first thing that her hat is a warm toned brown and her coat is a “cool” brown with gray undertones. For someone who studied art, she makes this mistake quite often.
Agree, Deedee. The coat is flat; the hat is rich.
I would have like to see her spicing up the outfit with a green hat to leaven all the brown. Granted, she wore the greenery but I still think that a green hat and/or perhaps shoes would have been nice. We know that she owns both.
I think a green hat would have been better as well. And different earrings.
Like the coat, dislike the hat especially together. I just saw a comment below that the coat could be an olive green. I think a deep hunter green hat would have contrasted beautifully. As it is now, the look is dull. Also, the brooch would have stood out much better if pinned to her hat.
I don’t think they are meant to match. She’s very literal in her dressing, so she was always going to wear something green.
The dress (Coat?) is a dirty green colour. I’d go as far as calling it sludge green or the colour of dark greeny brown olives. The hat and shoes pick up on the brown hue of the coat.
I think they work well together. Catherine Walker is a reknown couturier, they’d never make a dress to match a hat that didn’t match said hat. See all of Diana’s Catherine Walker dress/matching hat ensembles or Carole’s wedding dress/coat/hat ensemble.
My God I know I’m in style. I have a Sunday church hat just like the one Kate is wearing. Only mine is old as who knows what. Finally. I knew if I waited long enough, I’d be in style again. LOL!
My computer monitor (or maybe it’s my eyes!!) keeps seeing the coat as black. It really bothered me that she would wear brown accessories with a black coat LOL. I’m happier that the coat is a dark olive.
Hey, at least she’s actually listening to their new PR guy! Kate really is racking up the appearances, and so late in her pregnancy, too! I have to give her credit, she’s doing her job like never before. Granted the bar was set so low by her years of “adjusting to royal life” that any time we hear about an outing more than once or twice a month it’s a bfd. Let’s hope this lights a fire under the Cambridges and they start really dedicating themselves to their causes.
Honestly though, it seems more likely that Kate will continue to be the one to take things on because poor William is going to be working his little fingers off as a pilot soon. I hope once royal baby #2 is fully weaned she doesn’t just sit at Anmer waiting for him to come home and keeps up the good work.
Agreed.
I’m not sure about Kate ‘continuing’ to do take on more public appearances – Willy won’t like it if her profile is better than his. If she’s going to take the lead, she needs to do more visits to her ‘charities’, not just the glam ones to TV sets. If TQ can do it with a family of 4, then there is no excuse for Waity – its not as if she doesn’t have help and support.
But time will tell this maybe a turning point – i think they only way a fire of duty will be lit under these 2 is if Harry marries someone with an work ethic and sense of duty like his.
Her profile already is better than his this year. I think it’s great she’s been out more; we’ve all said we wanted it!
At this point I agree. She’s doing events. She’s dressing appropriately for the majority of them. And dressing well with hair up and more sensible shoes.
It’s pretty much out the window that she should do the events and care/want to do them. Take what you can get. She’s visible and appearing to embrace her role a bit more. It’s not great, but for Kate we know baby steps are the only way
Still, this is the pattern. She gives a flurry of work and then will vanish for months only seen vacationing and shopping. Hopes go up and then crash.
I wish she’d add a charity that higlights issues of infants and expecting mothers though. That would be a great move.
Betti
When Harry marries he and his wife can work their fingers to the bone and they will still be written up as somehow worse than WK. It won’t play out to make the spare and his wife better in any way than the heir and his wife.
Yeah, I feel like I’m crazy or something. I don’t know why people are surprised. Or more, why some are so eager to count the chickens when the eggs haven’t even been laid yet. I felt like she did the same when she was pregnant with PG. In fact, isn’t this how she and William operate in general? Concentrate the engagements and then vanish? Then when people start to notice you reappear and half of the “work” will be galas, award ceremonies, sporting events and such. Then when there’s a big snafu, then and only then, do you act like you give a sh*t and you know, try. Rinse, repeat. It’s like they accumulate currency just to spend it all, down to the last penny. If it’s the grace period/wedding goodwill. Well, people had already started counting the vacays and began seeing through the hype, PR and lies. So the honeymoon was officially over when they skipped out on the Paralympics and William had his tantrum over those topless photos. The next time people were getting tired of them here comes George. PG gave them some more time but then they pretty much spent all of it in less than a year with the renovation episodes, Will’s new job, Bumgate, etc., And they do it on a smaller, month to month level too. When they’re getting bad PR, they’ll leak a story (Harry bashing is a fav), or we’ll get an appearance from George, or they’ll throw in some work and try to spin and hype it. I doubt we’ll see her much for the rest of the year practically, with the reason being a maternity leave, then the kids (and her being a SAH mother of course) becoming the reason after that. WK’s new attitude just illustrates that there are problems. Every time they take these baby steps I think, “Oh, so you CAN do better.” For me it just proves that they, or at least their new PR guy, are very much aware of public opinion and aware of those “problems”. Between their workload and their performances while working, to Kate’s wardrobe. If things go back to the norm, it would just show that they REALLY don’t care. I need to see at least four years of this behavior before I’ll be convinced that it’s sincere and will last. That’s a lot of baby steps with no stepping back 😀
The coat is very flattering and cut exquisitely, but the matchy-matchy, all-brown, monochromatic look is very uniform-like. Maybe that was the intention — for her to blend into the military theme like a perfect camouflage, but it’s a bit much, IMO.
Agree, the coat is nice but the ensemble is so “one note”. She needs a splash of color.
Now, it looks like the coat may be olive and the hat and shoes may be brown. Didn’t see that, at first.
Agreed. I might be a bit snarky, but this looks almost exactly like the green one she’s worn the last two years. New color, same style, boring. I was looking through my mags from previous years and she has definentely gone down hill style-wise since she got pregnent the first time. Boring, twee, little girl, same-ness.
Okay everyone, I need your eagle eyes. Is it just me or does that coat look like it could be a *very* dark olive, military or hunter green? Certainly it’s not emerald, but there does seem to be a green base to it even if it is brown. We need pics with better lighting! Oh London, why are you so overcast?!
Not quite sure. But it bothers me that the hat’s colour doesn’t match the coat.
Yes, I see that now. Olive coat and brown hat and shoes.
I thought it looked a deep olive too.
It’s a very dark green with a brown tone to it. The tones have been picked up by the hat and shoes.
I see the green immediately. I’m thinking something must be wrong with *my* eyes since everyone else is seeing brown and nothing else.
I see dark green too. No way she’d go without green today. As you said in a previous post, she’s very literal with her dress choices.
Per What Kate Wore, Catherine Walker called the color “chestnut brown” and the fabric is double wool crepe.
She looks good, but as always: boring! How can two bland boring people create such an energetic, cheeky, animal-strangling, interesting person? #bringprincegeorge
Is she having a girl? Her face says Girl Baby. But I have not been paying attention.
No way you can tell like that. I’ve seen (at this point) hundred of women from the positive test results to delivery and how a woman will carry with physical changes has nothing to do with the gender of their child.
And the fullness of her face changes a lot. Bloat, photo angles, hair styles, and face edits all play a greater role than the gender she’s carrying.
She dresses so so crazy dowdy..jeez! Like I don’t think she understands that she can do Modest/covered up/pregnant and still not look 45? JUST LOOK AT THE OTHER ROYAL HOUSES LADIES IN THEIR 30s, Girl!!!
Good point QQ. I am 45+ (47 and holding) and I find a lot of her outfits to be rather matronly and wouldn’t wear them even in a professional or formal context. I wonder how many of the people admiring the clothes would actually wear them themselves? I mean it’s one thing to say it looks good on her or it’s appropriate for the occasion, but seriously….
YES! my very point Candice and i think i actually erred on too young , my ma is in her 60s and she wouldn’t wear half the stuff i see her wear for some events is like looking nice event appropriate etc and MODERN are not things she considers even in passing could be Mutually exclusive, and It can’t be the Queen’s fault/dress codes cause all I have to do is think of the other equally enveloped in pomp and social events royal houses Maxima doesn’t dress this bad, Victoria doesn’t dress this bad, Mathilde, Mary, Leticia… I mean I could go on … shit the Arab Royal Ladies HAVE to be covered up and look very very chic while doing so
My impression is that Catherine Walker designs are dowdy, but tailored well and certainly better made than say, Wickstead clothing. Walker designs remind me of the conservative clothing my 90 year old aunt favors. In an effort to say something positive about this coat, it is nicely tailored, seems to fit her pretty well, and the hem is straight for a change.
Generally, I very much like the Catherine Walker coats. I don’t think they are dowdy, rather timeless in a classic sense. It comes down to accesorizing and it is always easier to accessorize a classic piece of tailoring to give it a modern or sassy look than a more “fashion-plate” item, that very easily could overwhelm the wearer.
Maybe Kate will have this coat tailored to use after she is no longer pregnant. It could work for a great ensemble if she’d get into better accessories.
I think it’s another winner. That coat is gorgeous. Take the point about the different browns though. There probably wasn’t much she could do without getting another brown hat (although it does match the shoes nicely), but maybe a different ribbon in more the same tone of the dress would have tied it together a bit better.
But I think that’s just a small pick really. She looks really good, especially considering she’s about 8 months pregnant.
I agree bluhare – I love this coat so much. The box pleats (I think that is what they’re called) are so flattering. I’m wondering if, as someone else mentioned above, the coat might be a dark olive green rather than brown. Hard to tell in this lighting. Either way, I like the coat so much that I don’t mind if the had doesn’t match perfectly. I love her hair up as well.
Aside from what she’s wearing, she looks happy and like she’s having a great time (and not at all like she’s 8 months pregnant and would rather be home in her jammies, which I’m sure is how I would look if I was 8 months pregnant, haha!!).
Bluhare, The fix imo is that she should have worn shoes and hat with much more contrast.
She looks great, healthy and happy in these photos! Have wondered before if Carole is advising her on her wardrobe hence the sort of matronly look we see on her.
She looks really good here. Excellent color for her; the extra pregnancy weight works in her favor, the tailoring on the coat is impeccable, and when she wears her hair up on official engagements she ups her elegance factor exponentially.
I even like the hat.
Tailoring is good. Extra weight is also good for her. I hope in the coming year we see her come into her element. Chic hairstyles, better makeup, good BMI, and for the love of Vava = Different Shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How come no one has opined on the Daily Beast article Kaiser mentioned?? Is she lazy or a workhorse? Getting an “all access” pass to the set of Downton Abbey counts as work, right?
I have to go read that. Sounds like a good read although if it’s that Tom SomethingOrAnother who writes their royal articles, he’s usually quite adoring.
I bet Carole’s framed the Daily Mail headline today though. “Princess on parade!”
Well, she’s being seen more and to her i’m sure it’s considered work. Is counting a trip to a popular show’s set to meet the cast a work event? No. It’s a leisure trip somone does on their time off. It in no way should count.
This is ofcourse a true event and part of her duties.
For a while Kate was seen shopping daily and store workers were giving stories about how she was a thrifty bargain hunter. That was spun into thrifty Kate saving the monarchy money stories. What we read (pro or anti) will always have an angle. It cannot be taken at face value. Trick is to read between the lines. And for some that’s not too easy.
That shape of hat really suits her.
The outfit is ok, the tailored coats are nice and make her look slim in pregnancy which I suppose is the look she demands. Diana celebrated her pregnancies- didn’t try to camouflage.
To raise funds for charity, perhaps Kate should consider a Demi type pose for Vogue Magazine in her last month of pregnancy- no just kidding- even now with Royals in year 2015, that would go over like a lead balloon.
Nude, fully pregnant Kate spooning a 10 ft python. That would definitely be more scandalous than her France expose’.
I think given Kate’s propensity for going topless and without underwear on occasion, she would enjoy a nude nine month pregnancy photo shoot without really revealing anything except for belly like Demi Moore’s famous belly photos Vanity Fair.
I like the hat and the shamrocks, and the gold Cartier pin. Hairstyle is good.
The coat is fine, it’s matronly and just the right length. But I wouldn’t be caught dead in it.
The shoes have a 4.5 inch heel. I certainly hope she didn’t keep them on her feet very long…..and I do wonder about the condition of her feet. (bunions, hammertoes) Don’t pregnancy hormones effect your joints? But more interesting to me is why she is so obsessed with high heels. I don’t get that – she’s already a tall person.
Well, I’m a tall person (taller than Kate) and I love wearing high heels – it doesn’t necessarily mean I’m obsessed. Mostly because there are so many pretty shoes (though I also like flats because of comfort). When I went home after a year of studies in England the majority of my baggage (sent seperately) consisted of books and shoes. ; -)
Most of the other royal ladies: Mary, Maxima, Letizia, etc. also wear very high heels – and Leti is the only pint-sized lady among them. I really don’t understand the way so many on various royal boards/sites look down women on wearing heels. Some commenters even seem equal to wearing high heels with being sexually promiscuous! (all the references to “hooker heels”, which quite frankly is beyond offensive to me).
I’m taller than Kate as well, and have been known to wear high heels once in awhile. My point I guess is that at most every public appearance she wears high heels and seemingly likes to tower over people. What I’m wondering about is wearing them when pregnant – is that really a good idea???? Not only from a safety perspective, but what about her feet? I get that they look dressy. I understand that she really isn’t much of a shoe person, but these -and many of her other shoes- are the same thing, different color. She’s really not very creative when it comes to accessorizing. (You’ve mentioned that before and I completely agree with that.) Kate is so predictable.
Someone suggested somewhere that Carole is helping her with her outfits. I guess if getting the hair out of her face and wearing appropriate hems are part of that, fine. I think ‘classic with a twist’ would be advantageous for a 33 year old. Not mumsy.
The issue for me is that she wears them even in situations where it’s inappropriate or doesn’t take into account the situation and who she is meeting with. She wears them even when she would tower over children and shorter foreign dignitaries. IMO, that’s weird, obsessive, and rude. This isn’t even to mention that she’ll wear 5″ wedge heels to sporting “engagements” like volleyball, field hockey, jumping over cans with children (or whatever that engagement was). In what world is that appropriate?
IMO, she does use her high heels to look sexy, which is why she also usually pairs them with mini skirts/dresses, painted on jeggings, and flowy dresses on windy days. Looking sexy isn’t really her job. Her job is to represent QEII and bring attention to her charities. Instead, every article is about her “thin pins,” being a yummy mummy, her skin tight pants, how much thigh she’s showing, etc.
I’d also wonder – out of those other royals you mention – how many of them are wearing 4-5: heels with mini skirts…or with trousers? Probably lots of times they are wearing pants. Why can’t Kate wear trousers? IMO, her goal is to show off her body.
I don’t think any of the other royal leadies even wear miniskirts. However, Maxima wore very high heels when she visited Japan and the Imperial family who are all very short. She and Willem-Alexander looked like giants visiting Lilleputians. 😉
I’m just vary about assinging ulterior motives to the use of footwear. Sometimes it simply comes down to the desire to wear a pair of pretty shoes. I just sometimes think that Kate gets a lot of flack on small and rather insignificant details.
I actually like some of Kate’s shoes, not not always the colour. She seems to prefer round-nosed shoes, which I do as well because I like the aesthetics of a round-nose better than a spiked nose. The latter are murder on the toes as well.
Regarding trousers:
I have seen both Mary and Letizia rock a pair of well-tailored trousers on several occasions. It is a look I very much like and I really don’t understand why it isn’t embraced more in the BRF. It can be very smart and professional-looking, not to mention practical. Also, I will always love the image of QMII rocking an army-green jumpsuit accessorized with a scarf as belt on a visit to the Danish troops in Afghanistan.
I’m a shoe person, so perhaps I focus on her shoes too much.
If it had been me wearing this coat today at 8 months pregnant, I would have had on some chunky heeled ankle boots with dark tights. (no chance of the heel getting caught in the steel grate like last year, and said boots would have been more ‘hip and stylish’). I would have picked a much different hat. Worn the brooch in such a way that it could actually be seen!
I like the collar on the coat. The color could have been livened up a bit with different accessories. Brown really doesn’t look that great with grayish olive. She could have done something more stylish, but at least she was in attendance so that’s better than nothing.
Same. I’m tall, too, definitely taller than Kate, and I wear heels all the time. I’m wearing 4.5 inch heels today. I don’t think I’m obsessed, I just have always liked being tall and I don’t mind the extra height from heels. In fact, I like it.
2 things I feel I repeat a lot, but it’s true.
A woman with a cute butt and tall thin legs only looks better in well-tailored trousers. It accentuates those features while adding mystery. Once things are seen the mystery is removed. Kate would rock trousers and be able to bend down for children while showing off a bit, but not revealing herself.
And heels. Kate often wears high, high heels when meeting people much shorter than her. It thins out their ankles and shows off their calves, but looks odd when in a crowd and they tower over others.
Also, it highlights her horrible posture. Kate has an awful hunch. When she stands upright she’s lovely, but with hair up and backless-ish dress it’s highlighted with her neck always jetting forward. Imo that posture (on most people) highlights a weak upper body. (Not a slam as much as an observation I notice in many.)
P.S. When she throws her shoulders back and stands upright she looks a lot more pregnant.
AH – Describing very high heels and platform heels (higher than say about 3″) as hooker heels was common when I was beginning my work career just after university in the mid 1980’s. That’s b/c sex workers and disco queens at Studio 54 were pretty much the only ones wearing very high heels and gold lame’ platform sandals back then.
In Minneapolis well into the 1990’s, the dress code for professional women and aspiring managers was very very conservative. We were behind the coasts’ fashion trends but probably not by much. Daytime dress code included no sleeveless dresses or blouses, not a hint of cleavage, no daytime sparkle other than wedding/engagement rings i.e. no gemstone earrings/necklaces/bracelets or any kind of sparkle on clothing or shoes, no bare legs, always nude hosiery, always always tailored dresses or suits (no trousers) and no metallic finish leather anything.
Times change and I don’t follow the 1980’s rules for my work wardrobe these days. But if I was just out of uni I would. And if Kate wanted to repair her reputation, I would advise her to definitely choose lower heels, do whatever is necessary to her clothes to guarantee no more Marilyn moments, always wear granny style panties when doing an official appearance and overall dress much more conservatively than she does.
I’ve changed my mind on the hat. I don’t think it looks all that great with a chignon. She needs a different hat with this look.
She looks very nice, I want to hug that Wolfhound in that worst way!
Happy St Patricks day to all the Irish and Irish attached, like myself 🙂
My doggy is taking cheese crackers out of my snack bowl when she thinks I’m not looking. She’s hiding them under her throw blanket! And I really want Kate’s coat.
Sneaky Puppies! It’s cute how some will hoard and save for later when you’re not around to see they’re eating…
Solid look, appropriate – do more of this, Kate. Please and thanks.
A Lazy Kate is an actual thing. It holds the extra bobbins for a spinning wheel. It’s basically a rod that goes through the center of the bobbins, and the bobbins can rotate on it freely.
A Lazy Susan is a flat disk that rotates. You get the picture.
vava your comment makes me laugh! I think she looks absolutely beautiful. Love the whole ensemble! I’d hardly call her lazy either. We’ve seen pictures of her a different events almost every other day.
Where did I call her lazy? ANSWER: I didn’t.
Why laugh at comments you don’t agree with? Why not have a respectful back and forth? A comment carries better if you stick to the thread and not to assume things about a poster they haven’t said.
Overall that behavior imo lowers the quality of debates here.
We all don’t agree with eachother, but we are respectful and hear the other poster out.
@sunnydaze: Where did I suggest she wore high heels to be sexy? ANSWER: I didn’t.
I do think she consistently wears them when she appears with William in public, why, I don’t know for sure – but I do think she likes to tower over people. Once she got engaged, she wore much higher heels – maybe you can explain to me why that happened.
There is no need to call people names, either.
Vava, you didnt call her lazy. But there are numerous comments over the years saying she is. I dont think she is. As for the shoes, she’s in a formal situation so I think what she’s wearing is appropriate and sensible. I never called you a name. I said the comment came off as prudish. There’s a difference. My mistake it was inthekitchen who made the sexy comment. I laughed because as women we can be very catty. I think she does a great job overall.
Florc, I wasn’t replying to you. You arent part of this conversation.
Vava, it’s best to just ignore these types of comments. They’re often deliberately mean-spirited, rude or antagonistic–purposefully meant to elicit a defensive response or dominate a thread with a particular POV (which, BTW, are all open to anyone who wants to join in). I don’t know why, but some people get enjoyment out of this type of behavior as opposed to having civil, respective discourse. Maybe this recent flurry of nonsense marks the advent of astro-turfing on CB. Oh, well…
Anyone can be part of any conversation, sunnydaze.
I appreciate that Bluhare and Olenna.
It is worth noting while many of us are regulars we do differ in opinions, but do not resort to name calling, mocking anothers comments, or personal attacks.
Bluhare and I have disagreed about Cressida and Bea, but I never mocked her comments or openly laughed at them. I just tell her to drink this tea and let’s take a drive in the wiglet wagon… She thinks she hid the wet wiglet from me, but I found it!
No problem, Florc. I’m stealing a line from another Kate thread, but just yell “get thee behind me, Satan” if it happens again and drive on!
The coat is tailored well but I don’t like the color I think she looks better in bright colors.
Wow. She looks beautiful and polished. The neckline on the coat and the shoulder accentuation are perfection.
When I first saw the outfit, I didn’t think the hat went well with the neckline. And today I would’ve liked to see more green on Kate.
Is her hair braided? It looks like a loose French braid that’s tucked under. It looks nice, I like it. Is this coat the new “is it blue/is it white”? LOL! When I enlarged it on my computer monitor, it does look more green, but I can see where it’s hard to tell because the colors and lighting are all dark. She does look very good here and I say it’s a fashion win for her.
Agree. A loose french braid that is tucked under is an easy and lovely hair style.
That is one giant dog! Happy st Patrick’s day everyone!!!
Ok, read the Daily Beast puff piece. Kate’s such a trooper, showing up at the set of Downton Abbey. This is the result if the new PR guy being on the job.
She’s beautiful! I like how she smiles with her eyes, esp at William. Cute.