My God. At this point, I would be perfectly willing to offer my services to the Duchess of Cambridge, free of charge. I would gently explain to her that there’s a difference between dressing for day-time professional events and dressing for glitzy evening events. I would explain that she’s not fooling anyone with wiglets worn as hair-hats. I would tell her that the sausage curls simply need to go. I would threaten to take away her eyeliner until she grasped these simple concepts.
These photos are of Kate at last night’s Fostering Network’s Fostering Excellence Awards. It’s a real awards gala and it was held in the evening. So of course Kate wore an utterly simple day-frock. This dress is her first time (??) wearing an Indian designer – this piece was designed by Saloni, a London-based Indian designer named Saloni Lodha. Kate purposefully wore an Indian designer because it was recently announced that she and William would be doing a royal tour in India next year. The dress costs £555 (roughly $843) and she’s got several dresses that are very close to this color. This event would have been the perfect outing for one of those lacy Dolce & Gabbana dresses (that she has in at least two colors). Also: did she just throw on a cheap belt? I don’t think the belt was the designer’s choice.
As for the hair… it’s like she doesn’t want our help. It’s like she’s been blinded by wiglets. It’s like no one working with her will say, “Actually, this does not look good AT ALL.”
Not only did Kate do this Fostering Network event, she was also out with William during the day yesterday. They went to the French Embassy in London and signed the condolence book for victims of the Paris Attacks. I’m including @KensingtonRoyal’s tweet about it. Am I the only one obsessed with their signatures?
The Duke and Duchess signed a book of condolence @FranceintheUK for the victims of the #ParisAttacks this afternoon pic.twitter.com/jpqXLF2uiN
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 17, 2015
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.
I think she looks good.
I agree.
Me too. I’d wear the heck out of that dress, it’s really pretty.
Me too. It’s the best I’ve ever seen her in a while but I agree that the belt looks cheap.
Ugh… that belt! This is both the second time she’s worn it and the second time she should have left it at home.
I think everything looks great except the belt. Love this colour in her and it’s a good length. It fits with the way everyone else is dressed for the event, so I’m not sure where the comments about it being inappropriate for the event come from. I like the way the hair is styled – it isn’t too big or overpowering.
Based on the photos and other reports she also spent time going around the each table and talking to the attendees and I see a pic that looks like she gave a speech of some sort (she’s standing at a podium on stage).
I watched some video of the event and Kate really pressed the flesh. She made the effort. And her speech was much better than before.
She still has a long way to go to establish some gravitas instead of coming across as out of her depth and counting on enthusiasm to get her through, but as long as she makes the effort and really tries, that counts for something.
Hopefully she’ll actually be consistent in her efforts and not just throw it all away with months of holidays and avoiding engagements, but I’m not holding my breath.
Me three.
I’m not going to criticize when she clearly made an effort today and yesterday. She may be turning over a new leaf. She wrote a speech (which did not flow well – I would have reorganized and rewritten a few things, but nevertheless her effort was fine), delivered it in clothes that were decent, did not expose anything and not too short. Yesterday she wore a lovely dress which covered her knees. I still think that her hair is simply silly, but that’s just my taste.
If she keeps this up I think that many of us will have to sit up and take notice.
Also, the skin, the lines in her face, her very very rapid weightloss leads me to think that she is the one getting up nights and doing quite a bit of childcare. If she were sleeping 8 hours a night I doubt we would see her looking so rundown. She is aging very rapidly in front of us and for that I can’t help but feel a bit sorry. Everyone has their burden to carry .. who knows what hers is.
Yup! We agree yet again, Maia!
” Everyone has their burden to carry .. who knows what hers is.”
Amen. I have a feeling she’s been silently carrying burdens since childhood, and has had more thrust upon her than she is equipped to handle. She doesn’t seem like the most discerning and incisive intellect. I get the sense that a lot of shit was loaded on her plate throughout her life, long before William appeared, and she doesn’t really seem to have the resources to deal with it except by being quiet and keeping her business to herself. Setting aside the fun of criticizing her silly curls and eyeliner, I usually feel sorry for her. I don’t think she has the innate intelligence or insight to deal with the overwhelming roles she’s been pushed into. Her coping mechanism, at least the latest one, is to try to shrink herself into invisibility.
I think being married to William would be horrific and I wouldn’t mind hauling her awful mother to court for abuse of a helpless person for forcing Kate into this situation.
Maia
Kate has been touched up far less lately. Combined with weight loss and natural aging without late nights factoring her looks fit the bill of sorts. Any slight weight gain and slight edits to improve the image and she looks years younger.
I remember 2 publications after George was born showing the same photos of Kate at the same event. 1 ran the up all night with baby headline where she looked worn and rundown. The other how perky she was post labor able to do it al and look great. It was night and day.
I won’t criticise her for the effort. She’s doing well if this is her starting out to a better path. Just keep it up. Once she takes a break she appears to lose all steam and fully regress.
And does Kate know what her burden is? My best guess is she’s becoming aware it’s more than just handling William.
The hair and outfit are fine. As long as she doesn’t flash and shows up on time with some level of activity and being engaged.
I don’t know about childhood difficulties. I think that the Middletons coddle each other to be point of being silly. I think if anything she sailed through childhood and was a happy teenager. I tend to agree that getting together with William has taken a toll on her.
bluhare: nice to have our own little corner here on CB eh 😉
The ‘bar’ is pretty low really. As long as she doesn’t flash anyone I guess she’s doing OK. Seriously though, Kate has more work to do. This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, these past engagements. Her public persona is really in need of a rework, and it’s not going to happen just from statements from Poor Jason. Kate needs to fix that hair, practice public speaking, change that wardrobe and get away from the Barbie Doll thing she seems to be clinging to.
i like it too
The dress is pretty but yes, not the belt and of course not the hair!
ITA, I think the dress itself is fine but not with that belt. As for the hair…well, it’s nice and shiny, I guess? That’s the only nice thing I can say about it.
I like the dress, too. It’s blue, it’s long enough, it didn’t fly up.
The belt, no. The hair, awful. That fringe is the worst part; she’s constantly flicking it out of her face.
And yet another pair of black suede shoes.
I watched a video of her 4 or 5 sentence “speech” and she needs to keep practicing.
This is why their PR never works. After telling us that Kate and Will were “energized” about their future work and planned to ramp up their efforts, a 4-5 sentence speech doesn’t convey that. Perhaps she’s working her way up to more substantive work (as we’ve also been continually told), but they are putting the cart before the horse. And, unnecessarily, I might add. If both of the them just put the work in, people would notice. Will and Kate have dug the trench so deep that MONTHS of solid, substantial engagements are what’s needed. Not a ribbon cutting on Monday, movie premiere on Thursday kind of schedule
Agree too. The dress is nice, we’ve definitely seen her in that cobalt blue before and it’s a good color on her. That belt looks like something she just grabbed from her closet and threw on for some reason. But the hair is still dreadful.
Kate seems to be having the worst time knowing how to deal with her growing-out fringe. I particularly dislike this style with the sausage roll curls and the fringe hanging down. She needs a new stylist who can do something different with her hair — even if she wants it long, it could be much better styled.
The little rats nest/braid/twist is a new addition, no?
That is some Pinterest nonsense right there.
“Pinterest nonsense”
Ha! Phrase of the day. Love that. Although I actually kind of like the nonsensical Pinterest twist thing. I don’t think she looks bad at all, it would just make my eyes hurt to see all that damn royal blue in her closet.
Hahaha. “Pinterest nonsense” is perfect.
I love her hair. What’s wrong with her curls? They remind me of how Olivia PAlermo’s hair used to look in “The City” and that’s my dream hair!
It’s kind of old fashioned, reminds me of 90’s beauty pageant hair. I think a sleek, shoulder length style would suit her much better.
I didn’t think they still manufactured blue eyeshadow, not a good choice. Don’t like the hair either, looks very Duggarish. She does her job, made an heir to the throne, so it’s up to her to find a look that works. Can’t be easy to have a mother-in-law like she had that was the epitome of fashion. RIP Princess Diana.
She’s utterly hopeless.
Don’t give up hope, there is always hope……but it might not come around for a couple of DECADES.
This type of dress needs to be jazzed up with some heels that are not black pumps. Maybe some lace up heels? Ooh, maybe metallic. I like shiny.
I would use my fingers to pull out the curl a little and lessen the corkscrew effect, and uncomplicate the back of her hair, but other than that, I think she looks fine.
Agree on all counts.
I agree. I would totally wear that dress to Christmas dinner. Minus the shoes maybe. And judging from KP’s twitter account, this outfit was actually spot-on for the event. If you look at the pictures, people aren’t dressed to the nines.
It’s funny how the mere mention of a celebrity name can bring out a response from us.
I like Kate, so I am inclined to always cut her some slack. There is no earthly reason I like her, I just do. This site feels otherwise so no matter what, she’s raked over the coals.
I loathe anything Kardashian so am inclined to never see the bright side of any of them.
Just an observation for a Wednesday.
I think she looks fantastic actually. Love the hairdo. And I say that as someone who is not a fan at ALL.
Carey Mulligan wore this dress without a belt and it looks so much more youthful. Kate took a pretty dress and then messed up the styling.
I agree with this comment. There is nothing inherently wrong with the dress. The length is especially appropriate while still fashion conscious. It’s Kate’s go-to shade of blue, and a nice color on her.
The problematic element for me is the hair. Ironically, the hair is too girlish and immature and the result is aging the rest of Kate and giving her a very dowdy look. Imagine this same outfit with a perky bob cut -so much more lively and polished.
Agree, also. The dress is a good color, but I saw Carey’s photo and it certainly didn’t look matronly on her like it does on Katie. Katie’s accessories and hair pretty much set the Sister Wife tone for this ensemble and regardless of how much those earrings cost, I’ve always thought they looked cheap. She has nice drop-style earrings that would have looked much better and the belt was absolutely unnecessary.
Don’t know that it looked youthful without the belt but I liked it better beltless. But then I never really wanted to look like a youth either, so there’s that.
Kate has no inherent fashion style, that’s the problem.
I read that this was an evening tea event and she was presenting awards to children. I do not have the impression that it was a gala. From the pictures I saw, she actually looked like her dress fit in with the attire of the others.
I read that she took William’s place at an evening event or banquet or something at the last minute. I would love I know what she wore to that event.
Was just going to write this. It was a children’s event and everyone was dressed similar to Kate -for once she was appropriate.
I also think she actually took the wiglet out for this-her hair was looking super thin to me. Usually when she wears the wiglet there is crazy volume.
She’s definitely not wearing any wiglet here. You can see how thin her hair is. Not judging. Just pointing it out to people who can’t see the difference when she’s not wearing one.
If you visit the DM today, the pics that are posted there now clearly shows the wiglet slapped onto the back of her head. The article is about a speech she plans to give this morning/afternoon.
@Dena I’m looking at those photos, and I just see that her hair is slightly teased and combed back to give the appearance of fullness, a pretty normal trick for gals with long hair. It looks less heavy and curtain-like than in the (recent) past and is being blown in the wind, and I honestly doubt she’s wearing a hair piece or extensions today. And I take it for granted that KM often wears “hair enhancements.” I mean, she literally got caught with the seams of her hair extensions peaking out at one of her first solo engagements (and her PR people stupidly made up a phantom “scar” to explain it when they should have just stayed silent on the matter.)
Dena: i agree with@ Kate. Hair is teased. There is a tell tale line from the top of her head, BUT the hair doesn’t have the equivalent tale tell thickness/length/volume that goes with her wiglets/extensions. Further, the back isn’t a different texture/colour from the front.
ETA: @Dena: is this the photo you are talking about?
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/11/18/13/2E90D71C00000578-3323451-image-m-53_1447853544484.jpg
now i’m really confused because when you zoom in, that looks like weave line.
However, it also looks like her scar which rans from the front centre of her hairline in a half moon shape to end infront of her ear. most of the time, the part of the scar near her ear shows up in photos – usually photoshopped out since the disaster of the attached weave.
It’s looks too full on the top & sides to me. Haven’t yet put on my contact lenses so I am somewhat flying blind but it looks slapped up there to me.
I will go back to see what’s there and/or not being seen. I’ll reply later today. Got to get ready for work. Not feeling it but I got to go😒. However, unemployment is a far worse fate for me.
I don’t think a wiglet could survive that wind today. LOL. That hair (fringe) was completely out of control. I watched a video of her speech and her fringe clearly is a distraction, she was constantly moving her head to get the fringe out of her eyes. Keep practicing, Kate! (and deal with that hair next time!).
Can she not apply strong hair spray to hold her fringe in place? The hair spray brand I use offers multiple levels of hold, including one that (when properly applied) will withstand a good breeze. It will definitely prevent fringe from falling into one’s face while indoors.
@Dena: Here is a photo where her scar is clearly visible. i’m surprised it hasn’t been photoshopped out.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/11/18/14/2E910D5D00000578-3323451-image-a-42_1447856069188.jpg
and a tiny bit of it peeping out at her hairline at the front
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/11/18/14/2E910D2200000578-3323451-image-a-40_1447856052446.jpg
LAK–
Look at the 1st pic where Kate is bending downward and talking to the lil kids. There is a woman wearing a peach dress standing near / beside Kate. I swear to you that that looks like some sort of muskrat of a hair piece thrown on the back of her head to me.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3323451/Kate-Middleton-recycles-999-Matthew-Williamson-dress-arrives-make-rare-public-speech-Place2Be-Headteacher-Conference.html
Besides the hair and eyeliner issues, I’m always captivated by her little purses. What does she need to carry around? and why always held with two hands up against her lower abdomen?
Lipstick, tissues, breath mints? That’s what I carry in my little purses.
No Darling, Rebecca Deacon carries those items. The little purse is for posing, so one always has a place for one’s hands.
Well as least she’s attempting to make an effort for her causes but how long will it last? Not sure they will keep the ‘hectic’ momentum up – i suspect that they will disappear for a couple of months and only resurface when the ‘tour’ (read: free holiday) happens.
These 2 are only making an effort to save public face – if they were really serious about their causes then they would be public speeches/statements, having meetings/get together’s at the palace. Turning up in a pretty dress to a gala is NOT ‘serious engagement’ with their cause but i guess to Waity and Normal Bill that’s sufficient.
The way she is dressed suggests to me that this was last minute in that she hopped abroad after the train began moving.
She’s is usually more styled (or what passes for style by her team) but here she looks as if she picked out her own clothes & did her own hair.
I suspect this is an attempt to stop the snark about her appearance and hence why it looks like she left Wiglet at home keeping Normal Bill company.
And i don’t think she has a style team beyond her mother and sister.
I also think she FINALLY read the memo about behaving and dressing appropriately and not styling herself for max press attention that focuses what she’s wearing and not the event. Its only taken about 5 years to get a clue.
I agree with most of your assessment, Betti, although I won’t give her the appropriate award at this point as there are still many mistakes – but someone is listening…
I believe that the visit to India is for badly needed PR.
hiya betti, I agree with all you said! it’ s only for the bad reputation she had lately.
and her belt is hideous, as well as her ringlet ( she’ s no more 13) and her heavy make up. Definitely no sense of style ( and no work ethic either)
My initial thought was- ‘she looks nice enough’- and then I read the article and found out it was an evening event… I agree she should have swapped the lace dress from a few weeks ago with this one.
Call me crazy, but I don’t see the wiglet? A bump-it maybe? The one fat sausage curl is weird, I don’t know why they don’t make it into separate waves. I have curly hair, it never sits in a perfect sausage! I feel like she is just set in her ways, and there’s nothing we can do about it at this point. Would I like to see what she looks like without raccoon liner? Sure, but I don’t see it happening, look at her Mom and sister. They are creatures of beauty habit. It sounds like the dress was appropriate for the event to me.
She’s not wearing the wiglet. I’d say this is all her hair. It doesn’t have the thickness of the wiglet. At best a few side pieces, but I doubt it.
I think she looks nice. She really is beautiful, imo.
After browsing some pictures of the event, she dressed appropriately. You can see her chatting guests at tables, or on stage with the presenter and winners.The women are dressed in the same style. It was called a gala, but as someone said upthread, it had the vibe of an evening tea event. So OK outfit.
I said this above-but this wasn’t a gala or cocktail event. It had a evening tea party theme. It was honoring social workers and foster centers, and nearly all the people attending wore clothes like hers. Not evening gowns or cocktail dresses.
For once she actually dressed for the occasion and matched the people around her. a night event is not automatically a formal one.
I looked at some photos of Kate’s event on Twitter and it appears that every woman at the awards wore knee-length dresses? A full on gown would have looked silly. Also she actually gave a speech. Kate looks pretty good imo. Professional and not attention seeking. I think the hair looks less wiggy than usual too.
I think she looks great! The only thing I would change-she needs a nice necklace to add some sparkle. Or maybe a sparkly belt.
If she signs with a C, why is her name written by media with a K?
Because in the UK Kate is the standard abbreviation for Catherine or Katherine.
Not just the UK. It’s common in lots of places. We’ve discussed it here before and it’s just something that happens.
I think that Catherine does not give a flip about fashion and does not want to be trapped in the Diana “what is she wearing?” syndrome. Many other posters on here have noted that she prefers the sporty look and dressing up is a chore for her. I also think she is just what she wants to be – a wife, a mother, and a part-time Queen in waiting.
If she really isn’t into fashion, then the great mystery to me is why does she spend so much money on clothes.
Because good fabric costs a lot more than rayon and polyester.
Most of her clothes are made of synthetic materials, just like this blue dress which is polyester. In fact, she’s worn several designer dresses and coats that looked as if they were poorly tailored and made from run-of-the mill fabric. So, there must be some other motivation for her to dress in expensive designer clothes than just the fabric.
$300,000 worth of good fabric in four years? She is VERY into fashion and shopping. That seems to be the only thing she does to prepare for any of her few engagements; go shopping.
It’s amazing how many times she’s worn clothes reminiscent of Diana for similar occasions, then. And the theme dressing is just a coincidence? Oh, I’m in Canada, so I must have an maple leaf on my hat.
Seriously, I think she cares about fashion, but won’t take advice from anyone but her family.
Diana wore more tailored suits, especially if she gave a speech. Kate, by comparison, looks more casual in these simple dresses.
If you see it as a workplace, Kate looks like she’s dressed to work as a bank teller and Diana was dressed like a loan officer.
I would like to see Kate in tailored suits. I think it’ll help in terms of the public taking her more seriously. I thought Kate looked quite nice in the outfit she wore for Charlotte’s Christening.
Kate was excited to talk to Jenna Lyons in NYC. She likes clothes and dressing up -she’s just not high fashion which is an entirely different thing.
What in the world is a part-time Queen in waiting? It sounds terribly grand but I can’t figure out what that means.
No, she’s a full-time Queen in waiting. She only works part time.
Absolutely an important distinction.
You don’t wear bespoke Alexander McQueen if you are not seriously into fashion.
Kate must be working on her public speaking. Feedback from the event was she appeared much more confident than previous occasions.
The dress looks nice however since it was an evening event, I think a darker hose would’ve looked better especially since she’s wearing black shoes. Also, accessories such as a scarf would’ve completed the look.
She made a 5 sentence “speech”. Those who got to see the Wonder kids are trying to float the story that it was a full-on speech, when it was an introduction to the actual speaker. I saw the video. 5 sentences and she repeatedly looked down at her paper to get through it. She wasn’t confident. She just got through it.
5 sentences? granted she delivered in her usual stilted manner, the transcript was 2 sentences.
Yes, it really wasn’t a speech in my opinion. Today’s podium performance was a little longer, but still her mannerisms and distracting hair flicking did not make for a very compelling or notable “speech”.
@LAK, 2 sentences? Gah, it was worse than I thought.
Oh, I didn’t see the video. I read the positive feedback from a UK website. That’s too bad. I was hoping Kate had turned a corner.
Her hairstyle? I see sausage curls made a return attempting to blend in with a wiglet and the gringe. It adds up to a busy look. Jazzy Kate!
Here are links to the videotaped speech she made at the fostering event. The speech starts at the 4:40 mark.
The direct video:
https://source-news.s3.amazonaws.com/2121IS_KATEFOSTER2_17_H264_640x360_StreamingMP4.mp4?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJUU26KHSVQJ54SIA&Expires=1463518253&Signature=zYkwsN603UYR%2Byw33awnq5LKpXA%3D
which is from the ITN site. Scroll down and click preview: http://itnsourcenews.com/?SearchTerm=DUCHESS%20OF%20CAMBRIDGE%20ATTENDS%20FOSTERING%20AWARDS
……………
It’s a very short introductory ‘speech.’
It’s basically a formulaic “Good evening. Delighted to be here. Wonderful to meet you. Here’s so and so. Congratulations to them.”
anne_000
Thanks very much for those links. I previously tried to find a video clip of the actual speech.
I noted the vehicle which carried the Duchess to the event looked quite sturdy (heightened security) and it remained beside the entrance. I also noted at least four protection officers with Kate.
THAT was a speech??? A few sentences which she obviously didn’t prepare for??? And she even had to look down to read the names of the three kids being honored??
Wow. The bar is low for the Duchess of Mediocrity.
Lol. Did the writer actually see pictures from this event? All the other women were dressed like this, basically. Kate would have looked out of place in a gown or fancy cocktail dress. She hasn’t worn curls in a while, so I guess I’ll give her a pass on this time. In fact, I give her a pass on her style entirely when she’s actually working. If the real gripe with Kate is her “work ethic,” then when she’s doing the right thing by actually working I’m not going to pick apart her outfit like she’s some celebrity being paid to look pretty. She’s just not a fashion icon, and she doesn’t need to be. Princess Anne usually looks like a dated weirdo, but she’s a workhorse with a great sense of duty, so who cares? The media is trying to make KM a fashion girl, and it’s not true, nor even appropriate. But again, based on how EVERYONE ELSE was dressed there, Kate’s day dress was totally fine and consistent with the dress code.
I disagree with your comment about the press trying to make her a ‘fashion girl’ – that’s all her own doing as she hasn’t given the press anything else to write about. She’s never been particularly involved in her ’causes’ with the odd visit/speech/press release here and there – the only time she (and Willy) are ever seen in public are at glam events rubbing shoulders with celebs or at family events where their attendance is mandatory. Its only in the past few months that they have been making an effort with the causes they are patrons of and that’s because they’ve been getting a lot of shade from the British press about it; these recent events are image damage control.
As for getting shade for what she wears – she often turns up in designer outfits worth a few thousand pounds. I personally don’t think its appropriate to turn up to visit people in a prison or charity center wearing an outfit that costs more than these people could ever hope to have to live on (particularly in these current economic conditions where people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and feed their families). If she’s attending a gala whatever that’s fine but considering her clothes are being expensed by her FIL (who pays for her public wardrobe), the British taxpayer at the end of the day are the ones footing the bill for her £3k badly tailored Alexander McQueen dress coats – so we have every right to call her out on it. She cares very much about her appearance and it shows every time she steps out wearing a brand new designer dress that she will likely only wear once.
further to Betti, i personally find Holly Willoughby inane, BUT she is a celebrity. there is Kate’s motivation…….
This is what a serious professional does when wanting to make it all about the charity instead of herself:
1. Stop showing off by wearing brand new outfits costing hundreds to a few thousand dollars, including shoes that cost about a month’s rent and belts that cost as much too.
2. Stop making one’s hair very showy. Serious people make it about what they’re saying and doing, not what body parts they’re showing of themselves.
3. Give a speech that actually informs the public about the charity. Her few sentences that she spoke did nothing to educate anybody.
4. Attend these events more than once a year or once in a lifetime. Do more than the single PSA she’s done. Write an article or do an interview to bring publicity to these causes.
5. When all she brings to the table are her clothes, her shoes, her belts, her hair, then that’s all the public will know of the event. She’s the one that needs to step up her game of being the serious, intellectual, concerned, ‘keen’ and ‘energized’ social activist.
The dress is fine. It’s that cheap belt that looks out of place. I hate her hair, as usual, but at least we aren’t being bombarded with Cousin It on top of her head.
To me, her hair looks like it’s all her own. It doesn’t appear very thick at all and I don’t see signs of any false attachments so I doubt it’s a wiglet. Either way, I agree that enough is enough with the sausage curls!
Somehow reminds me of Liesl from Sound of Music–
I am sixteen going on seventeen…etc
It’s the girlish hair
I think the look is appropriate minus the hair which has been overwhelming her lately. The blue dress is a fit and flare and that look easily translates to night. She doesn’t always have to wear floor length dresses to galas. Don’t mind the belt either.
And I’m glad they took time to go to the French embassy. William attended the England-France friendly soccer match that night and the stadium was lit up by the French flag with Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. The French team looked very emotional singing La Marseillaise, it was really beautiful.
I saw that! I may have choked up a little when the crowd held up their placards to form the Tricolore – I’m not French but La Marseillaise has always had a special place in my heart.
William’s signature looks like a fly died a gory death. Is he too careless to even write a recognizable “W”?
The dress is very nice, and as for the sausage curls, at least she’s wearing her hair back off her face. And she has a little braid at the back, so she’s trying something new. ☺
Kate is an unintended farceuse in her own farce of a royal life. The aesthetic is right for this event but I find everything else about the dress objectional. A FT public servant who spends easily 100K per year on work clothes who has only worked about 50 hours year-to-date should not wear a new and expensive dress to meet foster kids or for that matter anyone who has had a hard knock life. It was an insensitive display of wealth and a mistake she has already made at least twice. Remember the McQueen brass band outfit she wore in 2011 to visit riot neighborhoods? And earlier this year she was ridiculously overdressed for her prison tour.
On a personal note, the only thing worse than an insensitive display of wealth is said act wearing a hideously overpriced, unlined 100% polyester dress.
Oh, and I hate the belt.
Most of her dresses appear off-the-rack and inexpensive. It is interesting how so many are ‘bespoke’ and cost several times more than one would guess.
They appear off the rack and inexpensive because the are quite plain in design, the look like dresses you see on the high street. You don’t realize the cost until the Fail prints the designer and price tag in their little plug/click bait ‘what they wore’ section that appears under the photo’s.
THAT BELT, WHY?!?! I think that this dress can go from day to night easily, but not with that belt. That belt should never be paired with this dress anyway, but given the event she should have at least paired it with a jeweled belt or a nice Kate Spade belt with a bow at the very least. Since we KNOW she has all those lace cocktail dresses, this feels off mark to me. Also, those ringlets are a crime against humanity. You’re not, Cindy Brady, there is NEVER a reason for ringlets after high school prom.
Oh, something nice: I think her signature is beautiful (though it weirdly reminds me of Diana’s, I think her makeup looks nice, and the bangs aren’t looking rough either.)
From the Mirror (any confirmation in another source?)
The Duchess asked (the Ambassador): “Do you know anyone who was affected?”
The ambassador replied “No” before talking to the Cambridges about the various memorials taking place in France.
***
IMO at least 66 million people have been affected, Kate.
I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt here, and say that she meant if the Ambassador personally knew anyone who had been at one of the locations that was targeted, or knew a family member of one of the victims. She is frequently out of touch regarding world and local events, but in this specific instance I don’t think she said anything to be criticized about. We can save that for the next time, as there’s certain to be one!
Nitpicking, but on the topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewFnLegRTY0
While walking towards the condolence book, Kate asked the lady, “Sign our names?” (0:14)
As William sat down to make an entry, Kate asked the lady, “Are we allowed to use the chair?” (0:17)
In the longer version of the signing (via a DM video), Kate awkwardly pretends to be interested in reading the previous entries, like William did.
I guess she’s better at reading scientific journals than she is at doing real-life stuff.
…………….
Another thing, William offered condolences to the dead, when he should have offered it to their loved ones. And it’s People “OF” France, not “IN” France.
I like her sausage curls!
I like sausage.
I’m dieting.
Oh God, I’m so hungry.
BACON! 😉
I like her sausage curls also ….because i can’t have them for more then 5 minutes. I have flat hair.
I like sausage toooo, dieting here. Hungry like a dog. And i’m laughing now
CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE!
Switch to Atkins and enjoy a steak.
I think those sausage curls are ridiculous for someone who is 33 years old. She looks like Shirley Temple on the Good Ship Lollipop.
And the belt – I think she just likes to emphasize how thin she is and constantly points out how slim her waist is after having had 2 children. At this point, I think everyone has gotten the message.
I have walked around with curls but I’ll explain why. Even though I’m 50 I have very long hair. I always wear it at least halfway up unless it’s a holiday or something but even then I cannot stand it down for more than an hour or so. My hair is not pin straight nor is it wavy so it looks much smoother when I style it. Now, at this length, straightening it is a nightmare. So if it’s a special occasion, I will throw it in hot rollers. This smooths it beautifully but unfortunately leaves the ends with a little of that sausage curl. I do attempt to separate those ringlets though. But alas, I do not have a professional to style my hair unfortunately. If I did, I’m sure I would wear some beautiful updoes or have them straighten it. So maybe she styled her own hair here as she has stated she applies her own makeup. I kind of doubt it though hence my confusion as to why she would choose this style.
Why Catherine w a C but Kate w a K?
I don’t know. The actress Cate Blanchett uses C. I guess the family and the press prefer the K spelling.
In the UK, Kate with a K is the short form version of Catherine with a C as well as Katherine with a K.
Citresse: Until i started reading American websites, i never realised Cate with a C had anything to do with Catherine with a C. i’d always taken it to be a stand alone name that had same pronunciation as Kate with a K.
LAK
I just hope when (if) William becomes POW someday, the British press don’t call Kate, Princess Kate. But it seems likely, (unfortunately).
Like the dress, appropriate look for the occasion, but really hate the sausage curls. She’s really pushing the ingénue look and she nearly into her mid-thirties and has two kids. And while I do think the dress is nice, I wish she’d dump her preference for elbow length sleeves. Just a pet peeve – they can make almost anything dowdy.
I know. The return of the sausages. Kate fell off the (sausage) wagon. Her hair is a recovering sausage-holic.
I’m so bad at identifying when she is or isn’t wearing a wiglet. How can you tell?? (I never knew that she wore them until I read it on this site, and now I am fascinated!)
i have worked with A LOT of sausage curled painfully thin white girls and their go to makeup seems to be smudged eyeliner (tooo damn much) and or spider leg mascara…. and black, creme or jewel color (a lot of blue, green, red) attire and it just SCREAMS basic bland vanilla boringness….. lol so celebitchy nail hit-th on headth
I wore my hair like that when I was 6 yrs old for school pictures. For the love of God, why won’t she cut it??? Hate the dress too; something my mother (who’s 79) might wear to a funeral.
More nitpicking:
Here’s Kate giving a speech on children’s mental health at today’s (?) the Place2Be headteacher conference in London:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UXY1YEnXH8s
It’s a little over 3 minutes long. She spent the entire time sharply jerking her head multiple times during each and every sentence in order to get her hair out of her face.
Of course, it’s not a happy speech, but she looked completely miserable and uncomfortable all throughout it.
A comment I had read on other site stated that she looked like an inexperienced pony trying to get its blinders off.
It wasn’t bad, decent enough effort – her voice was clear thou she did pause in odd places. I think she’s also been working on her speaking, doesn’t sound so forced/fake as it used to. It looked like she was getting annoyed with the fringe and they way she kept flicking it off her face was distracting from what she was saying.
I personally get bored with people who give speeches off the cards – when you are looking at/facing people when talking you hold their attention. She needs to work on that as well as modulating her voice – it was the same tone all the way throughout. Hopefully she’s getting training/help from a actor/drama coach – thats the best sort of training she can get for her public role/persona.
@ Betti
It was bad.
She made her hair the focal point. On purpose. No doubt about that.
If she wanted the focus to be on her message and educating the public, then she would have made sure nothing got in the way of that, because, as her PR team said, she’s really smart and focused and knows what she’s doing.
I guess I’m trying to give her some benefit of the doubt. She tried – she wrote the speech and then tried to make us believe in what she was saying. God loves a tryer. She tried very hard to come across as smart and focused but couldn’t quite pull it off yet – she needs more practice at giving speeches before she starts writing them.
She has a long way to go but sometimes you have to do badly to get better and i have seen worse speeches.
@ Betti
I understand your viewpoint. I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. 🙂
I don’t think she wrote the speech though. I know she’s ultra-smart and reads scientific papers and whatnot, but this is someone who had to have somebody else type out a letter in her name to a terminally-ill child.
I agree with you that God loves a tryer, so I wonder how she practiced giving this speech. Since after the Nth time in public of having the distraction of her hair in her eyes/face, one would have hoped she had developed an ability to use foresight to realize that because she’d be reading the speech, she’d need an unobstructed view of her papers and to her audience.
Or could it be that showing off her hair was more important than reading that speech like a pro?
It was actually way better than previous speeches I’ve heard in terms of diction and not too much awkward pauses. She does need to work on tone and not sound so flat–there was some but not enough emphasis on key points. But yes the most distracting element was her hair and she kept shaking her head like a horse shaking away flies every 5 seconds. I was rather impressed she kept up with her speech with all the hair shaking. It is not hard to clip a few bobby pins to keep the bangs out of her eyes or to pull it back with a pretty hair clip!
I agree. It was light years better than earlier efforts. And since they were her own words, it didn’t sound as forced as she has in the past.
She may never be a dynamic, natural speaker, but she is improving. So I give her credit.
Now she just need to get a team member who organizes her clothes and hair for these events. When you are looking down at a speech, wear your hair off your face!
@ Amy M.
I guess I compare her more recent speeches to the ones she did at St. Andrews and Malaysia.
SA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyylEImvpmQ
M: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM521uPwjM8
Even though both were done outside (a patio for the Malaysia one), her hair wasn’t all over her face, she read her speeches better and with more emotions, especially the St. Andrews one.
So why did she get worse?
I think she looks quite lovely. I see the old gang is still trying to convince others she’s wearing a wig. Let it go already. It’s her hair and it’s gorgeous, thick and shiny. if everyone were so lucky!!!
I dunno. I think wigs and wiglets are legitimate. People in all walks of life spend a fortune to enhance their thinning hair. Most attempts at enhancement look silly if they are detectable, whether it is a simple “comb-over” or expensive wigs or extensions. But the vulnerability that makes people anxious about thinning hair is nothing to laugh about.
I’ve been in that situation, and I was given the gift of a good wig + a good stylist. I didn’t take up the offer. I just gritted my teeth through the worst of it, and then learned to accept that my hair will never again be the crowning glory it was when I was young, and healthy. I made peace with a new hairstyle that “works” with a thinning hairline. I may very well re-assess in the future and decide to enhance with a wig, or a wiglet.
I think it’s unfortunate that she clings to a style not suited to her age or position. But I don’t like the mockery about her choice to use a hairpiece.
And that dress is so … meh …I don’t understand why they’d even mention a “desig ner.” There’s nothing noteworthy about the “design” other than it covers nakedness.
Yes..pretty traumatic to watch one’s hair thin (though I don’t think Kate has such problems that she needs to add the helmet-like amount she’s been sporting lately).
Just wanted to say that about 5 years ago…I noticed some rapid thinning of my hair…cried in the shower watching great clumps go off my head!…was in my mid-40’s and healthy. But when I got a check-up my doctor said that my thyroid levels were a bit low, and I needed to get on a mild’ish level of synthetic thyroid hormone. The hair loss was definitely a symptom. Thyroid levels been checked every year since…and it’s normal (tho the meds are for life); and amazingly, my hair has regenerated! Not as thick as it used to be in my youth, but the hairline is back to teenage times. I just wanted to mention that it’s worth checking the thyroid if you haven’t already.
It takes a while for it to grow back, but it did. I also treated my scalp with a homemade remedy (onion juice!) that is not for everyone…but it really helped. I’m happy to share the details if you want to try it out. Doesn’t take long, but is eye-watering…needless to say!
A cousin did the same (not thyroid related) and it helped grow back her hairline too. Apparently, it unblocks the hair follicles which are not replacing hair the way it used to, leading to thin hair.
Google it…interesting. (I used a vinegar rinse to try to neutralise some of the smell…but you end up feeling like a salad!)
Uh..at first glance I thought it said kate wears salami & sausage curls..
Funny. I can’t think of her as “Duchess.” When I see her, I always think “Kate Middleton” and anything more feels forced to me. Is it only me?
Not only you.
I scanned through the comments today they were so boring.
It seems like you criticize her in every article you post. However, St. Angie can do no wrong.
Her dresses have been really old looking lately, like matronly, like they would be nice on Camilla. I am quite a bit older than Kate. I don’t try to dress overly young or too twee for my age or anything and I would pass up some of these dresses as too “old lady” for me. I agree with Kate working to keep the classiness and taste levels up, not donning designer frocks that make her look like a try-hard, but she could steer herself into things a bit more fashion forward, and more luxe. Her outfits have been a little cheap looking. I hate the ring curls. That hair and that dress do not go together. Who is her stylist? I’m just a schlub from middle America but I think I could do a better job.
Love Lola blogged on recently, Kate Middleton went in to Westminster Cathedral to wed Prince William and came out still Kate Middleton, I reckon because of her lackluster enthusiasm for the job, she will always be Kate Middleton!!!!!!
Well, if you read my comment above, I disagree with you.
The names “Lady Di” “Fergie” “Sarah Ferguson” “Sophie Rhys-Jones” are still used by some today.