Many royal critics have been scratching their heads over Duchess Kate and Prince William’s insistence on doing visual “throwbacks” to William’s childhood, especially with Prince George. It’s like next-level Single White Female-ing, basically. Kate has assiduously “copied” certain looks from Princess Diana for big moments, and George has been dressed in William’s baby clothes – or eerily similar looks – on and off since he was born. I don’t really get why this is a thing for anyone. Like, I don’t understand why Kate (in particular, since she seems to be the one insisting on it) SWFs William’s childhood and his mother for inspiration. It seems like a well you would only dip into every so often, for very special moments, otherwise it just gets sort of creepy. I also don’t understand why the Cambridges’ critics are so offended by it – yes, it bugs me that Kate apes Diana’s looks, but there is no question in my mind that Kate will ever be like Diana, so who cares?
Anyway, People Magazine is running a story about the Cambridges’ SWF Act and how the old-guard royalists really love it. There are so many sycophantic quotes in this piece, my eyes almost rolled out of their sockets.
Nobody throws it back like Princess Kate. The royal mom’s affection for classic style and tradition was fully showcased during the Sunday christening of her 2-month-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, from the historic Millson carriage to Prince George’s outfit, which was an echo of the one worn by his father, Prince William, in 1984.
“It was choreographed like a movie,” Ingrid Seward, author of A Cenutury of Royal Children, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “Because Kate has a photographer’s eye, she likes to paint a picture and likes to recreate.”
The stroller, which Kate pushed to the historic St. Mary Magdalene Church, was previously used in the 1960s by Queen Elizabeth for her younger sons, Princes Andrew and Edward. (Though its appearance wasn’t just for show: PEOPLE understands that Kate has been using it occasionally, as it is such a “lovely pram,” according to one royal source.)
“I love the fact that she used the traditional pram that the Queen used for her children,” says Seward. “It’s lovely. If you are part of a traditional family, then it’s very nice to have that heritage.”
As for George’s Rachel Riley outfit – an echo of a similar throwback look at Trooping the Colour in June – it reaffirms Kate’s ongoing theme of deliberately drawing on the past. Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, adds of Kate, a University of St Andrews art history grad who took Charlotte’s baby portraits herself, “I love what she is doing, setting up little vignettes.”
Says Emma Baxter-Wright, author of Vintage Fashion: “It looked a little like they had traveled back in time.”
The “traveled back in time” thing was a theme with the Cambridges’ critics too – The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes complained about the whole vibe of the christening too, writing “…Prince George toddling along beside her in his replica clothes from the 1940s, Kate and William looked like a family from 50 years ago, and an unfashionable one at that.” He also calls out the Cambridges upper-crust dilemma: “rich but dowdy, expensive but clunky.” While I thought Kate looked lovely on Sunday – seriously, it was so refreshing to see her in a longer skirt – the problem is that she (and her family) will never look “modern” if they insist on doing these weird “recreations” from William’s childhood.
Prince George's first appearance on the balcony wearing the same outfit his father wore at HM's Birthday Parade 1984 pic.twitter.com/ffhrDleGmT
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 13, 2015
Who wore it better? Prince George channels his dad's style. http://t.co/X9rJ1GOGF5 pic.twitter.com/G14BVMSZMO
— Mashable (@mashable) July 5, 2015
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Having lost his mother, these recreations might be extremely comforting to William. It’s a touchstone back to a point in time where all was good, before Diania’s unhappiness, the divorce and her death.
@Susan1 – we can’t possibly be the only ones who see this..
My thoughts too. I don’t think it’s creepy at all, I love nostalgia but obviously not everyone does. I never take any thing written in the Daily Fail seriously.
You are not.
And who says Kate is to “blame”? Maybe Will loves this. Maybe he supports it
But George is his own person and can’t serve as a proxy for William’s childhood. It’s sweet they used Diana as a middle name, the same church and similar hymns etc., even reusing some of the same clothes but sourcing clothes to near exactly recreate an outfit is odd.
I don’t think dressing George in similar clothes to baby William is strange on special occasions – it would be weird if they were dressed alike in present day clothes like those mother and daughter outfits…..now they’re creepy! Also the Royals are all about tradition and this ties in.
I actually feel the opposite way. I think it would be adorable if George were running around in tiny Lacoste polos. That’s more personal than the heavily photographed moments. Using iconic moments seems more about public reaction than personal memories.
This isn’t at all strange, especially for royalty. Tradition, tradition, tradition. The christening gown was so worn out from use they had to have a new one made.
The thought is that some of the outfits were Williams. If so, what’s wrong with reusing them?
There’s a huge difference between a christening gown used by every member of the family and an outfit from the 1980s that doesn’t exist anymore.
They’re not even William’s old clothes or just a similar style but a deliberate near replica. They looked at the old photos, took the time to search for a duplicate and then dressed George up to look like William. That’s weird.
Sounds legit to me. Even if that’s not the reason, I have saved a few smocked outfits that my kids’ kids might wear someday. So what? This again elicits an eye roll from me on some people’s ridiculous criticism of Kate. Gmab
+1
Yes, precisely.
Also, many people have mementos and special things that are handed down through the generations. My mother and I both played with my grandmother’s pink Depression glass tea set, and my mom is saving 2 or 3 special dresses from my childhood in the event that I ever have any daughters. It’s family heritage and legacy. Nothing wrong or odd about it at all.
Agreed. I think these ‘throwbacks’ are lovely, a way of making new traditions and keeping a sense of structure and family for her husband whose world was shattered when he was so young.
I can pick at kate for not working and for wearing sometimes dumb clothes, but not for trying to include throwbacks that will not only reflect and respect the past but offer continuity and promise for the future.
I like how you phrase it and I agree.
I have a daughter of my own and for her christening and first birthday she wore my dresses. I’ll put them away now for if I have another daughter or granddaughter one day. My mother saved a lot of my baby clothes so day-to-day she wore a lot my stuff too. My family adored seeing her in my old stuff and it made me really happy.
Exactly. It’s just a way of bringing Diana into their presentday life, as she would be if she had lived. It’s got to make William happy, the idea that although his mother lost her life at a tragically young age, her influence, at least, is alive and visible in their life and in the lives of their children. What’s so wrong with that? It honestly baffles me that anyone should find this yet another cause for bashing the Cambridges.
I like this comment as a wonderful explanation and I think its cute that they dress him up like Poppa.
Our family does it too! It’s nice to see a child in a parent’s special outfit. What’s the problem? My cousin even wore her mother’s wedding gown!
As someone who can relate to losing a parent at a young age, I still find this strange. Sure the odd little outfit replica might be cute but they’re doing it so much! It’s not just George being dressed like William but Kate as Diana. I have sons of my own and I have never once thought to dress them like my late father. If my husband started to try to dress like my late father my reaction would be WTF!
The pram I can see, the outfits are getting a little odd, like George is always going to a fancy 80s party.
You made my morning with this!!!!!
I would like to know if Brits — especially upper crust ones — do still put their boys in those shoes which most would find fitting for girls.
I had the same thought regarding that pretty red/white ensemble.
There are people in New Orleans, LA who dress their boys like this EVERY Sunday for mass. Down to the buckled shoes. (Shrug)
I put my son in those exact shoes. They’re very comfy and extremely good for their little feet. Startrite aren’t actually that expensive, either, compared with a lot of Euro brands.
I didn’t put him in the Spanish style smocked suits, though. But as Rachel Riley have been selling them for years a lot of other people must do.
My son is wearing sparkly purple shoes like the ones Prince George is wearing. He loves them.
I don’t see it as an improvement that children’s clothing has become even more gendered such that people now side-eye a toddler’s shoes for not being masculine enough. I’m all for PG’s androgynous throwback outfits.
Honest to god I don’t get the hate this girl gets she is such a non entity. I don’t get why people that she bothers don’t just ignore her. I’m sure there is some sort of protocol for these events.
I feel the same way. I don’t understand the hate either. And, i for one, think it is kind of cute to see the similar outfits!
Yes, I’m bewildered by all the hate too. My Mom saved a lot of our best baby/toddler clothes for when we all have kids for reminiscent reasons so I see nothing wrong with reusing Will’s clothes on George. And using old family heirlooms is a nice touch. Some people only like new, unused modern items while others love throwbacks, either way is great.
This really feels like grasping at gossip straws. By all means, call them out on their excessive laziness, but let’s knock off the pearl clutching over how she dresses her kids.
Same here, I don’t understand it at all. So she’s not the most fashion-forward, big deal. So she likes to dress up her son in outfits that are reminiscent of those her husband wore? Again, big deal. It’s not like she’s tossing George out into the street naked.
People are getting way too worked up over a toddler’s clothes.
Debbie, while I do see plenty of (deserved) criticism, I can’t say I’ve ever read anything that could be construed as “hate”. If people find her self-involved and superficial and lazy, that’s their prerogative. Not everyone likes her style, people well-versed on the royals find she doesn’t pull her weight relative to other royals and they call her out on it. People come here for fun and it is a gossip site after all. Lighten up!!
@canidice
Oh, I could not disagree more. She gets hate on here, no question. If she has morning sickness, she’s faking it. If she goes shopping, she has no brain. If William goes out of town without her, he’s cheating on her, and who could blame him? She wears too much eyeliner, she looks twenty years older than she is, she’s too attached to her mother, she’s jealous of anyone Harry dates, she faked her pregnancy and used a surrogate because she didn’t want to lose her figure, she’s a terrible mother who leaves the child-rearing to the nannies, she uses her children as props and doesn’t really love them, I could go on and on. While there are some very legitimate criticisms of her, many posters on here are just ridiculous. And if I were her, and read those posts, I would definitely feel hated. I don’t think Debbie is exaggerating at all, and she’s not one of the people who need to lighten up. I rarely even read the the royal posts anymore because the level of animosity is just stupid to me. As Debbie said, she has so little impact on the world, who cares if she uses her grandmother-in-law’s stroller? It’s cute.
Agree, Candice. This is a gossip site. Gossip is snark, rumor and chit chat. I’m sure if readers posted only compliments, the royal threads wouldn’t get enough hits and would cease to exist here. And, the rumors and criticisms aren’t originated here. People can read the very same “news” on other gossip sites, but we like Kaiser’s spin on the topic
Just to be clear, I was not talking about Kaiser or any of the other site writers. I think they are fair and hilarious. I was talking about the posters.
Well, I’m one of those posters who is critical of Kate, but I don’t HATE her.
I don’t think that’s quite fair, GoodNames. Yes, there’s people who come here who will never have anything good to say about her no matter what she does, but I don’t think they’re in the majority are they? They may be more vocal; I’ll give you that, but I don’t think they’re the majority. They do get called on it sometimes too.
I don’t know; I guess I think this site is pretty fair overall. I do not like the blogs that are relentlessly negative because it doesn’t matter what happens — if she does something they say they want her to do, there’s a reason that’s not good enough either. But on the other hand, I post on a site where she’s practically sainted and god forbid you say anything that someone might even feel a whisper of criticism! I wish there was somewhere that isn’t slanted one way or another, but I suppose they can’t really survive as no one really cares that much.
And here I was hoping we could talk about smocking. 😉
Preach, GoodNames. Kaiser writes super-funny, even-handed posts and then the comments proceed to rip Kate to shreds. That anyone could think the comment section on Kate posts is not full of almost comical negativity is pretty surprising.
GNAT
I very much disagree. You’re (imo) generalizing too much. It’s a very small percentage of those who comment like that. And the majority of us these posters have called hateful (indirectly like this) are also the same telling those their comments are over the top and not rational. We don’t agree. We call them out. And still I wouldn’t even call that behavior “hate”. Poorly managed/indirect aggression? Yes. Hate? Well, i’ve got a looong list of other threads those calling out “hate” can visit and share this message on.
That word (imo) is incorrectly used as a way to exaggerate a point.
Although… Whoopi? Cosby? I outright despise them and Hate their actions. Hardly the same of my opinions on Kate.
Bluhare
Yes to it all and let’s discuss this “smocking”(?), but you’ll have to tell me what it is. Clothing?
I think she does wear too much eyeliner. I don’t hate her for it — I just find it weird in the sense that she has access to the best of everything and puts her eyeliner on …like that.
Just to clarify, again, I was talking about a small but very vocal minority of the posters here. I love you guys. But there are some posters who only post on certain threads, and this is one of them, and they hate her. I was just responding to Candice’s remark that she doesn’t get hate on here. She does. Not by everybody, and everybody who criticizes her, including me, doesn’t hate her. But there are people on here who criticize her for breathing.
Bluhare, we can discuss smocking any time you like.
GNAT
Noted!
I took issue with the wording used. It felt too broad. And some would take that and run like it’s not a small minority. How you meant it and how others interpret it are vastly different imo.
I think we all know the extremes. A handful of handles that come to state opinion as fact and not humor another frame of thought. Some repeat their handles from other blogs and they’re worse at censoring.
Agree, GoodNames. Although I only post on certain threads to for the most part. These. 🙂
Wasn’t a fan of this particular outfit on George but very much looking forward to seeing Charlotte in some little smocked dresses, if we get any photos. George’s birthday or Christmas maybe.
FLORC, smocking is the embroidery, usually on the chest (like George’s shirt here) that is usually done in an X pattern and puckers the fabric a bit. You see it quite a bit on the bodice of baby girl dresses. It’s considered old fashioned, but I love it on a baby.
Bluhare
That’s cute. I stopped wearing those around age 8 I think.
Adorable on babies and kids!
Um…because she is the future Queen of England maybe?
Just seems like a nice way to mix the past and present to me
It’s actually royal tradition re: the outfits, not something that Kate just executively decided.
The christening outfit had to be remade since it was so worn and old by others in the family. It’s a royal tradition.
The christening gown is tradition. Everybody understands that bit because the royals aren’t unique on that point.
Everything else in this tableau is not tradition. That is on the cambridges – even the BBC, those stalwart supporters of the BRF, made that point.
What’s worrying is that this creepy SWF’ing is being taken by the public to be ‘tradition’. So if the next generation refuses to SWF their dead grandmother, it will be narrated as a ‘break from tradition’ when there was no such tradition to begin with.
Plenty of the other royal houses do the same thing. Victoria from Sweden has worn her mother’s dresses. Her daughter Estelle has worn clothes passed down from her or her sister at weddings and other big christening events. The young royals from Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, and Norway have all dressed the kids in pieces from the archives that their parents or grandparents wore. Not all the time-but at big events for sure.
Kate didn’t come up with this tradition-this is such a non story that the only people confused are those that don’t follow what the other royal houses are doing.
L: they aren’t dressing him in hand me downs. They are sourcing clothing from modern designers to replicate.
And BTW, the BRF holds itself separately from the European royal families. They never copy anything those families do.
Maybe they don’t have those pieces anymore and would still like to to reflect that history-hence the similar pieces (even if they aren’t the exact ones). The European families have done the same thing as well.
All of this hand wringing from some folks and ‘oh it’s so creepy’ just feels weird. I just don’t get why it is a big deal at ALL. Plenty of people do it, royals in particular. I don’t think it’s SWF-it’s W&K once again following a general royal trend and getting all of the credit for it. Both from the positive and negative views.
And yea, they don’t normally copy the other royal families-but Victoria/Daniel got a great deal of positive press when Estelle wore some of her old dresses-and I think W&K both want the same positive media.
Very good points, L. Calling it SWF-ing sounds a little, I don’t know, hysterical? Can’t think of the right word. It’s obviously just a sweet, sentimental gesture. So count me in with all the other who don’t understand why she gets so much hate here.
And I use “hate” in the pop culture way, as in “haters to the left” 🙂
It just means someone who likes to get pissy about other people’s happiness or successes.
Well the dress is a “thing” but the rest of the stuff is of their own volition.
The christening gown is royal tradition, Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is a tribute, & the rest(i.e.half of DK’s looks) is borderline creepy. It’s not a handful of looks, it’s quite a lot of looks(some bespoke) that highly resemble Diana’s outfits. I’d love G’s parents to introduce 21st century clothes to his closet.
But if Kate wears jeans in a modern cut, it’s OH GOD THE HORROR JEGGINGS HOW DARE SHE. Even when they’re clearly just tight tapered jeans, like everyone else wears these days.
Uh, he’s been pictured wearing all sorts of more contemporary clothes. Remember the little “George” sweater? His crocs at the polo event? Cute little sweaters in Australia? Puffy zip-up suit at the petting zoo? Not sure what you mean by “they need to introduce 21st-century clothes.” He’s not wearing a toga or something 😉
I think it’s the outfit that George is wearing that people are wondering about. The outfit looks like an exact replica, not simply a similar design that all royal children wear. I don’t have an issue with Kate’s outfits as I don’t see that much of a similarity between her and Diana’s dressing (Diana was more…glamorous looking? and her hats were better; maybe Diana simply had more presence?), but I don’t get the point of copying William’s shorts outfits on George. I don’t know how that is supposed to help William remember his mother – the choosing of George’s outfits seem more designed to help us remember why the public liked Diana and, therefore, William and Kate benefit from the association.
Perplexed: exactly.
And they didn’t stop there. The commemorative coin issued to mark Charlotte’s birth has Diana’s name prominently displayed together with her favourite flowers on the edges.
The songs sang at the church here (and the wedding too) were Diana’s favourite hymns.
I understand wanting to keep a person alive, but this borders on creepy obsession. And i’m not talking Kate.
“the choosing of George’s outfits seem more designed to help us remember why the public liked Diana and by extension, William and Kate benefit from the association.”
Bingo! Everything from flashing Diana’s ring constantly to Will getting on the press’ back about privacy to dressing George as Diana did with Will is designed to trigger the publics love of Diana and by association Wills new family. However I think it’s coming from Will. Will ignores the important substantial charitable contributions associate with Diana and uses the superficial to avoid criticism and responsibility.
His little brother on the other hand took the teachings of his Mom about social responsibility to heart and applies it. Harry has done a lot of douchey things in the past but one thing I give him credit for is not throwing his mother’s superficial memory at those times as a get out of jail card as Will does. And when he signs up for a job, he actually works. Will is like the typical trust fund baby who contributes nothing to society and lives off his parent’s money and legacy.
Yes ITA, it is an attempt to access Diana’s popularity. For all her faults (and there were many, she was no saint) Diana appeared to genuinely care about people, whilst the public remember that aspect of her personality maybe they will forget they Cambridge’s do not appear to care at all?
I agree so much with the comments above. Diana had a certain charisma that is non-existent with Will or Kate.
Yet for her faults, the one thing I think was completely genuine was her concern for those less fortunate. Harry hits that mark fairly well, and that is how to best replicate her legacy.
LAK, I didn’t realize that about the hymns. It was even more of a creepy PR exercise than I thought previously.
The hymns are the least creepy thing about this (for the record, I don’t think any of it is creepy). My grandmother had favourite hymns and I’m not even religious but hearing them still gives me great comfort and happiness 10 years after her death. Not creepy.
That someone could in all seriousness use the word creepy to describe this event or the details surrounding it is a great reminder that internet commentary is just sooooooooooo subjective.
I can see actual tradition or sentimentality like the pram. I just don’t get the rest of it. It’s strange and honestly for some reason uncomfortable to look at sometimes.
But damn did she look good – loved that dress.
I can see using past heirloom outfits, but why all on the same exact occasion? maybe mix it up a bit.
Seriously…who cares? I’m Canadian…this is our monarchy and I don’t think we care on the same level as you Americans do about it (neither, I suspect, do the British)….Mind you, we also don’t criticize what our Prime Minister or his wife wear (we stay in the political criticism zone).
They’re a thousand odd year monarchy…no wonder they’ll probably want to reassert that knowledge somewhere along the way (i.e. remember us, we’ve been here for a while…) And, it’s good PR for them to link the William to George – it also might be that they want to link George to Diana and clothes are one the most obvious ways of doing that.
Exactly right. It’s continuity, it’s theatre. And theatre is why we care about the British monarchy and not the Dutch monarchy.
Many of us care more about the Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Belgian, Japanese, Jordanian monarchies than the BRF. I keep hoping Kaiser will expand her royal coverage to the more interesting monarchies.
While the Dutch monarchy is considerably less-dramatic politically, Queen Max is the epitome of sartorial theatre! Hats! Giant jewels! Capes!
Hats with foot wide brims! Neon yellow pants! Red culottes! Spider brooches! Necklaces so big and pointy they are weapons! Antenna hats! One earring because she lost the other one – again! The hair, oh the hair!
Max is a sartorial show. And she is a mother of three young girls, an accomplished investment banker, a polyglot who speaks 5 languages, and a UN advisor on microfinance.
This is why it is difficult to find things to admire in Kate Middleton, when you look at what some other married-ins accomplish. Most married their royal mates in their early thirties after dating for a few years. They didn’t have a decade to prepare. And most of them wipe the floor with KM and have from early on.
The thing is that no one likes bad theater and their show gets really bad & in the instance of Copy Cat Kate & now George it’s cheesy & creepy.
Gotta admit; I really like Maxima. SHe’s an original.
There’s a bank officer at my local bank who is a dead ringer for Maxima. Every time I look at her, I want to call her Your Majesty and ask to see the contents of her jewel vault in the back.
whatevs. i just really want to know who did kate’s simple, elegant dress- i think it is lovely & would be something to wear to get married in a civil ceremony or something like that.
It was McQueen!
It was Sarah Burton’s version of McQueen. McQueen would be gagging at the bland she’s done to his brand.
We should just call them Burtons or McB’s from now on.
Actually Sarah Burton was Lee McQueen’s darling. He adored her & taught her everything she knows. He came up cutting suits on Saville Row & NO ONE could ever cut a suit or dress like McQueen. Sarah Burton is close. I do not believe for a second he would be upset w/her helmsman ship of his house. She does it with care & great deference to his ideal.
No one will ever do the drama or pure art that was McQueen’s runway nor should anyone try. Burton knows she is no McQueen but I believe she does him proud.
My opinion
McQueen was an avid Republican. Unless Burton is secretly sewing “William is a w@nker” into everything she makes for Middleton, he would be displeased.
McQueen’s first job was making suits for The Prince of Wales & he dressed Diana. I doubt he would have animosity for their child. He may not have been a fan of the monarchy, he had no such qualms having them wear his designs. He was v v proud of being a British designer.
He sewed ‘I am a c*nt’ into the lining of a handmade jacket for Prince Charles. He may have been proud of being a British designer but he was not a fan of the royals.
McQueen never dressed Diana. His first collection was in 1996, his enfant terrible era. Nothing in that collection would be royal appropriate. He was barely established before she died.
Further, he made Charles’s suits because he was an apprentice at Charles’s tailors, not by choice and he took the opportunity to write rude messages in the lining of Charles’s suits.
In later years, he said he loved HM, but he had no love for many establishment figures and especially bland sloaney types.
Sarah Burton was his star pupil, but she didn’t have the creative vision. She’s made the label so bland you have sloaney types attending the sample sales.
Everything she makes is a very bland re-tread of his original ideas. Nothing that marks it out as McQueen.
The last time she presented anything remotely McQueen was Kate’s wedding dress which had all the McQueen markers even though it was conservative, and Pippa’s dress which was a reworking of a dress from the pre-Fall 2009 collections which incidentally was worn by Cameroon Diaz for 2010 Golden Globes, a full year+ before Kate’s wedding.
The “McQueen” that Diana wore was also when he apprenticed. (At the request of Issy Blow)Most of the Versace she wore was made for her & not part of any collection. I happen to own as one of my pride & joy pieces a beautiful McQueen top that has ‘I am a c-word sewn’ in the lining. I adore it.
As I stated before this is my opinion that Lee would be proud of Sarah. He has been gone awhile now & the house would certainly need to move in another direction but I think her pieces are lovely, well made & beautifully cut and I believe that would make him proud.
This ends my McQueen comments. Except to say the fashion world is a far lesser place without his tremendously original vision
Snappyfish
There are several bespoke dresses Burton made for Kate. They have horrible draping, uneven hem lines, frayed hems, and poor stitching/cuts.
They were just horrible as finished pieces.
That is not something he could be proud of imo.
And her designs are quite bland next to his.
Snappfish: so basically you are saying Diana wore an item of clothing by a tailor who happened to employ mcQueen as an apprentice where he was learning how to become a tailor.
There was no such thing as a ‘McQueen’ label that could be sold to anybody before his graduation collection ‘Jack the rippper stalks his victims’ of 1992, and that was bought in it’s entirety by Isabella Blow. Even so, there was no cache to his name such that Diana could wear his clothes even as a private capacity. She was a well dressed royal, but she had no fashion eye to appreciate an avant garde designer.
After her separation, she wore mostly Italians and only established British like Catherine Walker and Bruce Oldfield. She had to be persuaded to wear John Galiano for Dior to a ball in NYC and that look was considered avant garde, for her.
McQueen was very underground until 1996 when he was appointed to Givenchy. That’s when his designs became more main stream whilst still retaining his signature ticks. They were not considered mainstream until his deal with Gucci in 2001. That’s also when he started showing in NYC and made some adjustments to make his clothing much more commercial.
Private clients or not, his vision was at it’s most extreme and uncompromising during those early years.
I’ve been a McQueen fan since his early days and I try to buy one item from his various collections. And if my memory is faulty, there is always the excellent savage beauty exhibition at the V and A to remind/prompt memories or 1st dibs.com where people sell examples of his early work.
The clothes are classic. They aren’t 80’s clothes either. Little boys in the 1920’s sported similar outfits.
I love it… All of it! Beautiful family!
Exactly. It’s not like what William wore in 1984 was cutting edge boys’ fashion. Diana was criticized then for dressing him like a child from a 1920s picture book, as I recall.
I think it’s the fact that George’s outfit is a replica of what William wore that’s making people a little curious. It’s virtually the same red shorts and top William wore — they didn’t even choose a different color. But yet the outfit didn’t come from William’s closet — it seems to have come from another store.
Yep, I was making the point just the other day: Will’s outfits were not fashionable in the 80-s, Diana was also copying someone’s style, so I am not at all convinced that Kate’s copying Diana, they could just have a similar inspiration, and it’s not Kate’s fault she came later.
This. I dressed my son like this when he was small and I’m only in my mid-30s! It’s just classic children’s clothing. It doesn’t bother me that they’re similar to Will’s at all.
I love you, Tessa, thank you. I adore classic baby clothes. What should he wear, a tacky t-shit that says “hunk” on it or one of those revolting mini tuxedoes? Hand-smocking will never go out of style to people who love tradition and fine craftsmanship. They’re only babies and toddlers for a short time. I love mothers who dress them like babies, not short adults.
I hate t-shits too.
LOL Zombie. Those t-shirts are the worst. 😀
Well my comment was corrected so it does not read exactly the way I intended it!
Or you know, maybe William’s in on it? Maybe it makes him happy? Maybe it’s a tradition he wants to keep alive.
I know that Kate gets a lot of heat, and some well deserved, but he’s not a Ken doll sitting around waiting for her to tell him what to do. He’s clearly on board with it, or could even be the one suggesting it.
It’s kind of weird. I know mothers are often more involved with those kinds of details, but I don’t even have kids yet, and my husband every once in a while will say something like “When I was a kid I ____” or “I wore ____” followed by “I’d like to get/do something like that for our kids”. It’s not impossible to think that William wants to be involved in those things.
It’s not as if Kate had William’s old clothes in HER closet. It’s fair game to question this strategy, but to lay it on Kate and some sort of SWF scenario strikes me as zebra hunting. Of the two people in that marriage, which one has demonstrated some serious Issues around Diana and his childhood? WILLIAM. Kate isn’t making these choices all by herself.
I also don’t think Kate would have come up with these “tributes” or “vignettes” on her own. They seem like way too much planning for her to pull off without a team of people.
I’m sure Carole’s fine hand was behind the majority of this production, if not all.
Isn’t this a big thing with many of the royal-types? I’ve seen ‘normal people’ do it as well. Is it a big deal, one way or the other? I don’t think so. It’s like wearing the same piece of jewelry your grandmother wore or using the same cake knife on your wedding day or on other important days/events in your life. Eh?
Kate looked great in that ivory dress, though. Minus that hideous hat.
She looks amazing in those pictures and they seem like such a happy little clan. This throwback image suits them. What’s the problem?
As discussed here and in other threads, this level of theatre for the second born is questionable. The Heir was hidden away in a private event. The public was not welcome. His christening coin only had his first name.
The second born? The GIRL with her late grandmother’s name? Public parade. Thousands spent crating up priceless church property and shipping it to the country, when her parents show up in London a few days later for tennis. They could easily have had this event in London but chose to have it in the same church where her late grandmother was christened. Using the late grandmother’s favorite photographer for the pictures. A christening coin with all three names and her late grandmother’s favorite flowers.
It is not a stretch to see this as PR theatre trading on the love for the late grandmother.
Nota, fair enough, but this is the first time I’ve ever looked at them and thought both “happy” and “elegant.” I get the criticism of using it as a PR move, but I truly don’t get what’s wrong with “throwback” fashions, which seem so appropriate to their image.
@bettyrose: I think people just feel it’s overdone. Too many throwback details and it starts to feel a bit odd. I agree with you that, in moderation, it can be classic and lovely, but the cynic in me agrees with posters above who speculate that it’s an attempt to trade on Diana’s popularity.
ITA – I think it is adorable. He is a toddler. I don’t think it will be as cute as he get older. Since Diana did not have a girl. She will do original clothes for the sister.
Let’s hope. There are probably not as many pictures of what Diana wore as a child for Kate to copy.
I agree. I said I thought they were going for a vintage tableau thing elsewhere and got slammed for it, but no one ever asked if I meant it negatively. 🙂
If I do have something negative to say about it, it’s not because that’s the picture they want to present. It’s more than there’s nothing ELSE to present. Neither of them do much royal work, although I understand she’s got a couple coming up.
I am curious if it’s Kate, traditions or whatever else? Did Diana follow a Charles blueprint?
Yes. And Diana was criticized for it by the popular press at the time, and adored for it by the Majesty Magazine set. Nothing changes.
That little blue outfit which Prince George wore on the balcony? Prince William also wore it on the balcony, but who did it belong to first? Yes – Prince Charles wore it in the 1950s.
The traditional clothes that Prince George wears are not created just for him. They are for sale in upscale boutiques in London and are worn by other little boys of the same class. So they are modern clothing, just in a traditional (and I think very cute!) style. Those little shorts button onto the shirt so that George does not have that untucked shirt tail look that little boys tend to sport on special occasions. So it is practical as well! I like that he is not in a mini-suit, which looks ridiculous on toddlers. As for his shoes, once again, very practical – straps do not come untied the way laces do.
Weird. Why is she so obsessed with being compared to Diana? Why doesn’t she do her best to be iconic in her own right? Sigh. I just don’t like her.
The thing is by setting herself up to be compared to Diana Kate will only ever be seen as a pale imitation in comparison, she has not got the natural charisma or work ethic that Diana had in spades.
So true. Not even worth trying. But she can emulate other (living) royals that put forth a solid effort and are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do something. Sophie, Anne, Harry come to mind.
Never thought I would say this, but she’s more a Fergie than a Diana.
There’s a lot of room in between.
LOL; I’m with RobN on this one. Kate’s no Fergie either. Maybe she’ll blossom like Sophie has.
I don’t like her either.
I don’t care that they dress George like his dad. I think lots of families do that for tradition. What was odd was the dress she wore out of the hospital when George was born: just like Diana’s in color. And what I really don’t like about her is that she finds time to go to Wimbledom, but can’t get her selfish, self-centered butt to any 7/7 memorials.
And if there is a problem with my disapproval of that, perhaps it’s time to check priorities.
I’m sure there is a protocol to what he has to wear, and I think it’s adorable!
I think it’s sweet and a nice tribute to Diana. I don’t see it as SWF at all. If Kate went completely modern people would have a problem with that too.
I agree, I don’t think this is on Kate. I think it’s Will. However the argument that people will complain it’s modern is a straw man argument. Will is wearing a very nice and proper MODERN suit. Kate can also wear nice looking modern pants for major events without showing up in jeggings. Look at European royal women who go to day time events wearing modern pants. I also wear nice semi-casual modern pants without wearing jeggings like a 20 year old co-Ed. There is a huge middle ground between 1950’s social wife and Jeggings! LOL.
Carole Middleton and Diana both became first-time mothers in 1982. We know Carole had a degree of fixation with Diana. Could it be that it is CAROLE who wants to re-create and reinforce an exact image of William in George?
Maybe as she watched Diana going through the various stages of motherhood with William (as everyone else who followed the media did) she fantasized about being in Diana’s position, especially as she herself also had a child so close in age.
Fast forward to the present when she is now in such an “exalted” postion: the only grandmother to a future monarch, being the kind of mother that still exerts A LOT of control over her grown daughter who is, literally, in bed with another future king, maybe having the opportunity to re-create that fantasy would be irresistible.
Perhaps it is Carole who is living out her fantasies vicariously through her daughter. Although in this instance, I don’t believe she’d have to twist Kate’s arms.
Another thing, the red shorts outfit that George wore for the Christening is NOT from William (they are very similar but clearly a different outfit). That means Kate and Carole would have gone online to first look at what Diana put on William, and then had to hunt for something to evoke that image.
Agree.
Me too.
Nice theory. And perhaps this is also the continued and relentless brainwashing of William within the Middashian/Diana cult. He seemed very happy and quite content within his little Diana driven, much lauded (by the cult) bubble. All his dreams come true thanks to the Midd cabal. It’s a bit like Tom Cruise’s manupulation by the CO$. Carole should work for the CIA.
Hmm…okay, I get it now. I don’t really think of the RF as living in the present, but this is a good explanation of how this imagery from the past is more than harmless fashion choices.
That’s what I’m thinking.
it could also be that the references are being used on the advice of someone in their press office. they have a fairly young team around them, if my understanding is correct. it could be a young upstart who thinks this is a great idea.
They still have a monarchy and complain about “throwback style” ??
When Prince George wore that victorian dress (?) gown (?) for his Christening nobody talked about “thorowback”, but for me (I am not British) was absolutely crazy.
There was nothing throwback about his christening. The royals aren’t unique in having a christening gown. A christening gown is as traditional as a white wedding dress.
It’s everything else that they did (do) to invoke a bygone era.
Where are their traditions that can be carried on?
Prince George gown was a replica of christening gown made in 1841 for Queen Victoria’s first daughter,it is not that modern 😀
Eleanor: i’m aware of that. However, the point remains. A christening gown is as traditional as a wedding dress. If you went shopping (or googled) for a ‘christening gown’, that style is what you’d be presented with. Granted the royal version is more ornate (and an heirloom) than modern christening gowns, but the style is more or less the same.
Having a family christening gown is not unique to the royal family.
Most old families have a traditional gown which is treasured and passed down through the generations. No one is shading her for that, and why would they.
Also, I don’t see any hate coming from any of the commenters here or on other threads. Exasperation, yes, impatience, yes, but there is a huge difference. If Kate would make a genuine effort to step up to the role she chose to marry into, I have no doubt that her popularity would soar. The majority of her critics have expressed disappointment with her lack of work ethic and her insensitivity to the sacrifices and hardships of others less fortunate. She is in a tremendous position to effect change and yet seems to be oblivious to the opportunity her position affords.
If she really wishes to emulate Diana, all she has to do is roll up her sleeves and work her way into the people’s hearts with grace , compassion and a genuine dedication to her causes. She would receive a huge outpouring of love and no-one would begrudge her any of the perks. She has the keys to the kingdom if only she would understand that with great privilege comes great responsibility.
@LadyoftheLoch
I love your comment. I agree with you. Unfortunately, I think it’s Kate’s ambition to lead a quiet family life and to revel in being famous and privileged. I don’t see her demonstrating much sense of social responsibility or desire for constructive social impact.
Anne: I agree, her main priorities appear to be William, her mother, her children, and continual polishing of outer appearances. Very little else. She could do so much more, and is PAID to do so much more, but doesn’t extend herself beyond the bare minimum. Sometimes not even that far.
Disclaimer: Not a Kate h8er here
The nanny users a modern pram everyday with the kids, but obviously this was a SHOW.
Nothing about the christening for this family was about Charlotte or God.
Must use the pram that looks classic. George must be in shorts bc in the 50s upper class boys never wore pants (shorts and high socks only ); but in candids he’s in pants. Its all SHOW. Modernizing the monarchy by pretending is 1950/80.
It was all about the angelic/”aristocratic” Middleton women in white (finally lunching with QEII @ Sandringham), little George being Diana’s reincarnated son, and parading around to the commoners locked in a paddock (aka where you lock horses) and making sure The Help was dressed as such. Kate looked so smug (laughing her her julia roberts laugh while unsupporting her daughters head) it was nauseating.
What we saw was W and K’s ideal monarchy. Everything staged to the nines and tightly controlled. It would have been lifeless if not for George’s innocent, natural way of behaving.
And someday, he’s going to look back on those pictures and say, “You made me wear that!” and have his revenge.
Lol, I wouldn’t doubt it. George the Bold will always have his revenge.
Karen- if by “the help” you mean the nanny- she was wearing her official uniform from the school where she trained. She doesn’t wear it for everyday, but this was a special occasion. I’m sure she wore it because she’s a professional and proud of her professional credentials. They didn’t force her into a maid’s outfit….
I think Norland nannies only wear those awful outfits at the request of their employers. Maria was part of the Trooping the Colors and the Australia trip in regular and professional looking clothes so I wonder what changed here besides the very likely possibility she was going to be in the same frame for pictures.
Employer’s choice according to Norland’s website.
Karen, the minister tried. An excerpt from the homily.
In the reading from Matthew 18, Jesus is trying to turn one kind of ambition – an ambition for place and prestige – into an ambition for a beautiful life. To be great in the Kingdom of Heaven, he tells his very pushy disciples, is not about position but about beauty of life, a life that looks like his; and his example is someone unimportant in those days: a child.
Oh, my. I’m sure that message went right over the Middletons’ heads.
Exactly, Karen! It was nothing more than Kate’s coming out party. None of that was to honor Charlotte.
Oh, I like that! It WAS her coming out party, with a vengeance!
That is a powerful and accurate summary.
Yes, the nanny uses a modern stroller when she’s taking the baby out. But on those occasions, the baby isn’t wearing yards of silk and lace. They used this pram because it was big enough for the christening gown.
The thing I find weird about it is that Will and Kate seem to hate Royal traditions, but use the outfits for George for photo ops when it suits them.
They fight against Christmas with the Royals and other traditional Royal behaviour, but dress George in old-timey clothes – I think they’re just trying to pull the Diana comparisons to create more goodwill from the public without actually having to do anything
This is so true. They create their own new traditions a lot (how to celebrate holidays, how to run their royal household, how to visibly do as little work as possible), but resort to “let’s do the time warp again!” with costumes and props because they think the public consciousness is that of a gnat.
Oh, and they are happy to burn through multiple millions of pounds to ‘update’/modernize their historic homes and properties.
I don’t see the big deal, I know quite a few people who dress their kids in clothes that have been passed down for generations, especially for big occasions like a christening. I think it’s nice, and probably a way for Kate to feel connected to Diana in some way and show respect to her, and perhaps William has a say so in these outfits as well, I’m sure he enjoys it.
I agree. Its not a big deal at all. This just seems like another story to just hate on them. I think its kind of cute and adorable. Maybe its their way of keeping Diana a part of things for William or so the grandkids can one day know her influence. Or maybe its for the public to think of her. Either way, who cares. I don’t see an issue at all.
The Swedish family does it all the time, and not just updates: actual dresses that the previous generation wore, so some really interesting early 1980s baby fashion.
Yes, William and Kate went all-out Throwback Thursday with the Christening, but for goodness sake, it’s one of the most traditional things that people can do these days. How many babies in the UK are even christened these days? (I know weekly church attendance is really really low.) “Create some new traditions”? For future Christenings? Why?
I do agree that William could benefit from some therapy because of his childhood/mother issues. I do not agree that they are trying to play on Diana’s memory for PUBLIC reasons with this baby. If they’re more over the top with the girl, well, Charles was as eager for a princess as anyone else, and this is twice now that the queen has chosen to wear pink to celebrate her great-granddaughter. That’s practically putting on a balloon hat and waving a flag for HM. (To the point where I’m glad I know she spends lots of time with Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, because it would be easy to think they are being slighted without their HRHs and all this talk about “highest born princess in a generation.”)
Isn’t it enough to criticize these folks’ spending and work habits?
Actually the Swedish family recently (at the wedding) had Princess Leonore wear a dress which belonged to her great, great grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf around 1884. It was just lovely and nobody that I read criticized them in the least. Sometimes I think it is because George is a boy and some people think boys must dress in a manly style (even when they are toddlers and babies). I heard someone criticize them for putting George in a Christening gown, rather than a little white suit complete with mini tie such as is used in some modern Baptisms.
@justme, no one is talking about the Christening dress. Heirloom christening gowns are meant to be reused. We’re talking about replicating or using the same clothes/style of dress that Diana dressed William in. That’s what we’re talking about. Recreating William in George. He’s not William or Diana reincarnated.
I know that – I meant that many people seemed upset that George was wearing a “girly” shirt with smocking on it, rather than – what? I’m not sure what they want the child to wear – he is wearing what upper class toddler boys in Britain (and the U.S. for that matter) wear for formal dress. Do they want him in a mini suit and tie? Or is he to wear a polo shirt, khaki trousers and a blue blazer? He’s a baby – he won’t be for long, let him dress as one.
I just used the Christening gown as another example of people complaining that the clothes used for George were not manly enough.
And you could argue that Diana (the sainted Diana!) dressed William and Harry as recreations of Charles. Because she dressed them in the same sort of formal little boys clothes as their father wore.
The fact is, not much has changed in the circles of the British nobility when it comes to how you dress little heirs and show up at events like this. It’s not harking back to William’s childhood, it’s sticking with tradition. They dressed Harry the same way. As an “arriviste”, Kate is sticking to tradition so she can look like the real deal.
Blunt answer: they’re using their children as pr props and distractions, the same way Kate wore the same outfit as her mother when she gave her first speech. It gave the press a ready made story instead if the press creating their own story.
Reason for thinking it’s a good idea: Kate copies Diana, Angelina, Jackie O, Grace Kelly, Jecca, she also plagarized one of her speeches -she seems to have issues with revealing her own preferences and instead turns to examples that have already been accepted.
All of this!
I can’t give Kate credit or derision for this. I assume some PR person came up with this styling. Also the Swedish royal family does fashion flashbacks all the time, with the little princesses re-wearing CPV’s clothes for, childhood.
But George was not simply wearing William’s old outfit. The two outfits are eerily similar but it’s clearly a different one.
Someone had to research the outfits Diana put on William, and then shop for something near identical, right down to the red smocking.
Whether you like it or not, it’s clear that the Middletons are trying very, very hard to make you think of Diana. I agree with those who say the motivation is likely to draft off the good sentiments she still stirs in the hearts Of the British public.
Well they’ve been doing it from the beginning – starting with the engagement ring, which I felt was a very creepy move.
I think these throwback touches work best when they are small details that go uncommented upon. For instance, the dresses worn by the young flower girls at W&K’s wedding were modern takes on the ones worn in 1981 at St. Paul’s Cathedral by the attendants to Lady Diana. No one wrote about it because the focus was on the bride, as it should be. It was just there in the background for people who would notice. I thought that was an elegant and touching gesture.
But dressing George in William’s old outfit and TWEETING about it – that’s weird.
I agree this isn’t Kate’s brainchild (seriously, does anyone imagine her having a brainchild?), but the palace’s. They are happy to exploit public affection for Diana in a vain effort to keep the monarchy relevant/popular. This is well paid PR/marketing all the way.
I”m not convinced it’s all Kate, all the way.
We have no idea of what goes on behind closed doors in any family, let alone one as steeped in tradition as the British Royal family
They’re all about heritage and tradition.
It’s a way to bridge the past and present.
It must be somewhat comforting to have a Queen who is so consistent in her life and duties. Balmoral in the summer, Sandringham in the winter, always shows up and does her job. The annual ceremonies and celebrations. Guess the way I look at it is if they just go completely modern and ditch the rest….what do they have? Nothing memorable, or grand
or hearkening back to all their wonderful history.
.
I believe that the royal’s have all sort of scary things in their closet – like colonialism and human bondage – call in their decisions for the Middle East and Africa during the last four centuries. Structurally, they represent the 1%, and the House of Corporations.
Every monarch remakes the monarchy according to their own wants.
HM didn’t do this. She’s copying what her past 4 predessesors did. Which is funny because each of those 4 predessesors radically changed the monarch to appear as modern as possible in their own lifetime. Some of these ‘traditions’ we see were co-opted or revived by the monarch for the specific purpose of creating mystic or to appear one of the people or to appear less remote etc, but ultimately for self preservation.
HM is completely stuck in the past which is why Diana was such a hurricane. She dragged the institution into a semblance of modernity. Since her death, there have been changes, but for the most part, it’s reverted to old habits. The crisis surrounding Diana’s death showed starkly how much HM is stuck in the past.
Charles has shown every indication that he will be a different monarch than his mother.
William doesn’t have a clue as far as we see and simply follows what is already there, including what his mother did. I won’t be surprised if his monarchy is a complete throwback to Victorian times.
I suspect the monarchy will be a transformed institution when William inherits it. It won’t have the same feeling or grandeur that it has today. HM carries tradition with her. She is from a different time and it is that sense of history that gives her resonance as Head of State. Charles & Camilla won’t be able to replicate that. And modernizing forces will have their way. I don’t think it will disappear, but I do think it will be viewed in a very different way.
Yes, there is strength in tradition. It has the power to unify people. And, it’s true, we don’t know this is Kate’s doing or what, exactly, the motivation is.
It is illuminating, though, how people (myself included) speculate about it, assigning responsibility and motive. It gives you a real sense of how people are perceived. That’s the interesting bit, from my perspective.
The target audience is the older people like that hand-clasped-to-the-heart purple shirt royal loonie from the christening stroll. They eat this stuff up and I guess it makes the ridiculous spending worth it to them.
Ah, yes. The ones who travel far and wide and stare with gleeful faces at the parade of history before them. I’m not sure how to feel about them. Is their attentiveness endearing, or is it just gullible and strange?
Umm Diana was her MOTHER IN LAW….a woman who was adored by the world let alone her own son. Of course William is not going to mind replicating and I wouldn’t doubt him being the one behind it. This isn’t some fan doing this. Its Kate’s husbands mother who he loved dearly and tragically lost. Why are people surprised or “up in arms”??
If only they upheld Diana’s tradition of working hard to help their patronages and charities. These two are spending more time in Mustique than doing that. WillNot is busy putting off being a working royal while his elderly grandparents keep on trucking.
Of all the things to emulate about Diana, they choose the old fashioned dressing of children? Care, hard-work, dedication to charities – they’re not interested.
two wonderful replies.
it’s just that the throwback touches are a bit overdone, in my opinion.
notasugarhere, don’t you know that it takes a LOT of hard work and dedication to look at old photos of William, and then shop for or find the clothes he wore to put on George? There just isn’t enough time left in the day after all of that exhaustive research, to do anything like charity work.
It is a bit weird and eye rolling. Its obvs that Carole and Kate have an obsession with Diana (Kate has copied her look more than once) and i think its a conscious attempt to use the kids to cash in on the love/goodwill for Diana to help with the terrible image the Cambridges have. I don’t think they quite get that boat sailed long ago.
As i’ve said on other threads – history is repeating itself with the Cambridges. They are repeating the mistakes his father made – using the children as PR tool’s to make themselves look better and throwing family members under the bus. Call me a negative nelly but this marriage will go the same way regardless of TQ and the rest of the family’s attempts to help them make it work. They can’t have the marriage of another senior Royal go wrong – at least not when TQ is still alive. People in the family are not known for making the best spousal choices – Eddie is the only one who managed to pick a good one who is able to cope with what is expected of them (could be why Sophie is TQ’s fave).
I agree, despite being Diana’s son people don’t really like William, so he’s using his kids for sympathy.
It was widely speculated that William had quite a difficult time when he became aware that his father’s press office was using him to improve public sentiment towards Camilla.
It’s interesting now, seeing him play the media game with his own children. I don’t mean that to sound too cynical, but it’s obvious that public sentiment is being considered in some of these touches W&K are employing. I wonder if he reflects on that.
It must be truly strange to grow up in the public eye.
Only Kanye West thinks a toddler has to be fashion forward. The kid looks comfortable and fine. Let him be fashionable on his own terms when it matters to him, it certainly doesn’t right now.
Boy, we’ll find anything with these people, won’t we?
I think it’s lovely. They do a nice blend of catering to the public interest and behaving like any other young, growing family out there. They aren’t distorted public images like other famous and easily recognised, actively followed by the press people/families.
I just wish they would work more. It isn’t a lot to ask for all their privilege.
I am not a big royal fan by any means, but I think these little nods to the past are just a nice thing they like to do. End of. Not everything they do is a nasty conspiracy or PR move. My own kids have worn things from my childhood, and I have saved things from their childhood for them to do the same. My friend’s daughters wore the same onesie she and her sister wore when they came home from the hospital. Maybe Kate thought that outfit was cute on William and looked for another one like it. Who knows? But the criticism seems a tad redonk.
If they were more active as working royals, I suspect the criticism would die down.
Whatever, tonnes of families do this. I have baby clothes of my grandmother’s that my mum, myself, my sisters and now my daughters have worn for photo ‘ops’. I’m not SWFing my grandma, but I can’t help and enjoy the similarities, the ‘genetic succession’.
Not her money, it tracks to the taxpayers.
Why are so many Kate Middleton defenders so personally abusive and always on the attack?
nota – I’m convinced they viciously defend Kate because they have a bizarre attachment-idol-worship connection to her. They view criticism of Kate no different than criticism of their own priest or mother.
I also think the same cray-cray attachment is behind why certain women buy Kate (and Pippa’s) clothes. I posted about that today in a different story. Those women who buy Kate’s clothes have an infantile attachment to her that they want to be just like her similar to a young child wants to be just like mommy so they dress up in her clothes.
I think she’s their fantasy. To criticize their fantasy is to criticize them. That’s why they take it so personally. Also, maybe in their minds if they defend their idol, it will force some type of “bond” between them and the idol. They know the idol will never notice them or realize they exist, but in their minds, there is still a connection.
Yeah you are right, they are, which is unusual to see on this site. Not many posters resort to personal attacks on people they have never met nor are ever likely to just because they disagree with their opinion. It’s one of the reason’s I keep coming back, along with the witty, and – usually – intelligent comments.
Or perhaps, too, MinnFinn, they see criticism of Kate as criticism of themselves.
hmmm, That’s brilliant. That did not occur to me.
It goes both ways for those not discussing facts.
People “hate” criticize because they wish they were her and are jealous.
People praise and defend because they envy her and are jealous.
At the root of it I think we expect more from a position she holds. And are in pure shock the lack of understanding/caring displayed. Factor in the press, PR, abuse of perks/power and complete apathy of things outside that world. Well, we’ve read how this unfolds in history. Now we’re watching it. The impact as it happens before it’s whitewashed.
I couldn’t care less about her eyeliner levels. If she started working and showing some respect to the power she holds I think many here would sit down and stay quiet. And if she wants to live a private life she still can. She just has to be aware she’s taking perks and spending money she’s not earning. The funds come from somewhere and people are literally suffering with a declining quality of life so she can have a tennis court shifted a few yards over.
Majority of my shade goes to her PR spin and William.
FLORC, I’m not jealous of her. I don’t hate her. I don’t want to be her. I am critical because of the other things you stated. Being a royal watcher that watches many other families, I see what other people did when they married in at a similar age. There is so much more she is supposed to be doing, and she clearly doesn’t care. That’s why she gets the criticism from me.
Nota
Agree. And to some it appears like we “royaloonies” focus on Kate and the BRF, but that’s not so. When other royal threads appear here it’s only the handful of us commenting. And not every royal related thread is about the Cambridges or have them mentioned. And again. Just mostly us on there having balanced and interesting yet snarky discussions.
Well, not her money and she counted it as a work engagement so Charles is going to get a tax writeoff and the taxpayers will cover the bill including those who shop at the UK equivalent of Walmart. So, really everyone’s business.
Except it’s not her money, it’s the taxpayers.
Oi you f***ker! I know you’re Gary Goldsmith. You stumbled onto the wrong blog. Be a good boy and go back to polishing your pyramids.
If my post confuses you, here is an article that gives the back story. I am totally in L O V E with Uncle Gary. His tackiness, lifestyle at Maison de Bang-Bang and that he’s the perfect nemesis to the BRF’s cultivated image is to my mind gossip nirvana.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/kate-middletons-ibizadwelling-uncle-gary-goldsmith-plans-book-8493957.html
@Stanhope. Ooh, someone woke up today feeling very cranky, but I’m sure the Cambridges appreciate you policing the internet for them.
I don’t get the issue with this. I like the nastolgia factor, and they are classic looks. I love it when my daughter wears a few of the outfits my mom saved from when I was younger.
I think it’s sweet and kind of fun. And for all we know maybe it means a lot to William that she’s doing it. It’s not hurting anybody so lets not make a big deal out of it.
I like the pram. Georgie was cute, even though the match was rather obvious. The things I thought were weird were the Middleton women in their white/cream coats and dorky fascinators. And Kate walking in those high heels that are about as mundane as they can get. With all the great shoe designers in the UK, that is the best she can come up with? Same goes for her jewelry – the set she wore that day couldn’t be more underwhelming!
Mary Poppins was out, for sure. I guess if she wanted to be wearing that uniform, more power to her. I personally wouldn’t be caught dead in it.
I think they don’t know how to be perfect parents before the public. I don’t think they HAVE to be perfect parents, but I think they WANT to be perceived as being perfect parents. And Diana was viewed favorable by the public for her parenting skills. So, easy answer to appearing perfect in the eyes of the public: ape whatever Diana did.
Cos shes a lazy oik with the wit brains and personality of a dishrag. Shes hoping these subliminal dianaisms will warm the hearts of the masses
I love it! Absolutely LOVE the throw-backs!!!
I’m pretty sure that it’s not Kate who’s doing this, but their PR people. They’re trying really hard to create a nostalgic positive brand for the young royals to help them as well as the royal family, in general and improve public opinion. It’s just clothes, people.
Yeah, me too and, from that perspective, i think it’s a smart tactic. The funny thing is, though, Kate fundamentally changed the way I, for one, see William and, by extension, the rest of the royal family. I use to be one of those people who put them – especially Diana – on a kind of pedestal. But Kate – forgive me – strikes me as a rather unexceptional woman – unmotivated and uninteresting – and, without the haze of beauty or titles or vast wealth to trick me into feeling inadequate when I compare my friends or even myself to her, I just see someone who is . . . very average. And all the subtle Diana references in the world don’t seem to change that. They don’t elevate my perception of her. I still look at her and see that girl stumbling out of nightclubs looking a bit smug.
Perhaps I should be grateful – she broke the spell for me. Royalty are people, too, as flawed and disappointing (and good) as the rest of us.
The thing is part of me liked being a little girl and looking up to Princess Diana and feeling – really feeling – like she was a real, fairytale princess: graceful, kind, compassionate. I know she suffered in her isolation, but she played the role so well. It was a kind of lovely dream. I sort of miss believing in it.
That’s lovely and sad, Anne. I too feel that way. I guess it is just growing up, but I kind of miss looking at gossip rags and taking what they said to be the truth. The lies are so much prettier, right?
Like I used to be able to crush on actors, but now… nothing. I just see them as extremely contrived public images.
I have read a lot about Diana -her faults, her deep issues with her family and marriage, her tragic mistakes. She will always be a fairytale princess to me, though. Remembering her special brand of magic seems to have heightened my disapproval of W&K instead of abated it.
Anne that was a lovely way to put it. I was a girl when Diana hit as well. Now, with media and social media, we have a much closer window into the reality. We can see facts ourselves instead of what the Palace wants hidden.
Diana, for all her faults, fit the mold of a beautiful princess who cared for the people. She showed up, did her job, and did it beautifully. Comparing that magic to W&K, who act like they care only for themselves, shows them to be lacking every time.
It isn’t uncommon. There are many examples, especially in entertainment, where the children do not have the talent or charisma of their parents. Instead of gracefully accepting it, they trade on the memories all they can, eventually making a mockery of their famous parent.
My siblings, my children and I all wore the same gown for our Baptisms. I always thought it was normal for families to do that. My daughter wore a few of my dresses that my mother had saved, and my grandson has worn some of my son’s baby clothes that I saved. Isn’t that the reason why we save special pieces of clothing, to be worn again by future generations?
Oh brother, do you people who are saying you see “nothing wrong with wearing the same baptismal gown that’s been passed down through generations” , ever read what the actual topic of discussion is?
I think using that old old pram is ridiculous. It surely cost a lot of money to fix the wheels and all things turning. I bet they did a new layer of laquer on that pram thing and I doubt that such stuff is a healthy smell for babies. Laquered prams like those are highly unpractical because you have to clean it often to keep it shiny. So Katie I-belong-to-the-Royals-now still behaves very much as if she had to prove she married the prince. How social-climber. And she sure isn’t even going to use a modern sporty pram as in I-won’t-modernize-the-monarchy-ever Katie.
Also the handle is too low for sky-high-heels-Kate.
Nope, I don’t like it. It looks ridiculous. Williams and Kate’s clothes are rather modern and this old-fashioned pram is like something they wheeled out to prove they are traditional royals or what?
Since this was the Queen’s pram, I doubt that it was just rusting away in the closet. 🙂
I too thought it was ridiculous, along with the nanny’s outfit.
Look on the pram as the equivalent of HM’s carriage of state…….it’s a prop used for a special occasion.
It does instill a feeling of nostalgia……and perhaps nostalgia for a time which pre-dates the advent of Diana. If I’m going to travel back to Pleasantville, I won’t be hanging around in the 80’s.
That’s one thing that bugs me. She’s trying so hard to be Diana… Not going to happen. Be your own person. So try hard.
I find it adorable. George is just small and I’m sure he hardly cares what he’s wearing. And if it’s of some comfort to William than that’s even better.
Besides, should he be dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt with a monster truck on it? He’s royalty for crying out loud.
The English live-and-breath tradition and ritual. They’ve been doing it for a thousand years, so this is the norm for the Cambridges. They’re still using the same 1000 year-old wooden coronation chair from 1066. It’s just a raggedy, crude piece but every monarch since then has used it during ceremony. They hang on to everything 🙂
I thought the christening was absolutely chic and stunning. What a radiant family. Princess Charlotte arriving in the Queen’s pram was a fairytale moment.
They can copy whatever they want from William’s childhood. I don’t really have an issue with that. But I think the complaints that we fail to see Kate as her own person and compare her to Diana too much seem somewhat unwarranted now, because Will and Kate seem to want to invite the comparisons.
I am kind of appalled at the entire SWF-ing accusation, or copying Diana, etc! I thought George was absolutely adorable and dressed suitably, and if it recalled his dad’s outfit, a nice nod to family tradition. No creepy vibe at all!
who wrote this?
way to straddle the fence
sloppy
bottom line – they are creepy and there is no way around it
yikes
weird
i read that most of the commenters here are those freakish British royalists who camp outside maternity wards
dear lord
It’s not William’s idea. Its Karole who is the Single White Female to Diana. She probably had replicas made of what william wore as a child and put Tzar Nicolas James in them too. Same time Ma was sporting bleached blonde hair in a dianna cut in the 1980’s.
I saw a photo of Di on their honeymoon back in the day, onboard Britannia, wearing a mid blue crepe dress with white dots on it. I almost fell over when Waity comes out of the Lindo Wing with PG wearing a dress made of the same fabric! Diana syndrome anyone? Somehow I think its Single White Femail Karole’s choice. She prpbably had scrap books if Di.
People are asking what else PG should wear. Well I guess what all other European Royals manage to dress their chidren in without looking like they are stuck on a time warp or single white females.
I think they look great! And I love the throwback outfits. I thought George’s outfit was so cute! I would totally do stuff like this. Especially when they look so good.
I don’t think it’s a big deal, I’ve seen my friends dress their kids in weird stuff they would never normally wear for photo shoots and holidays/ whatnot, this is just the Royal equivalent of marking the occasion. And it’s not like she’s going to be able to do it with the Princess (not in a direct throwback anyway), so if she wants to dress George like Little Lord Faunterloy for the big crowds let her, I think it’s adorable personally and it goes down a treat in Britain – this is the first place I’ve read anything negative about it. She’s only going to be able to do it for so long, something tells me George will have strong opinions on everything before long!