Kate Middleton shows how dressing down like a Duchess requires pushing up the price tags https://t.co/yaHGIOh5CI pic.twitter.com/5Ts5UWYrD2
— Daily Mail Femail (@Femail) February 21, 2016
Last Wednesday, Duchess Kate became a ROYAL BLOGGER. She “guest edited” Huffington Post UK for a day to focus on children’s mental health. She invited HuffPo editors and writers to Kensington Palace, she posed with children from some of her charities and she posted an essay that she “wrote” about kids’ mental health. And then she was done for the day by lunch. She changed out of her Reiss top and Dolce & Gabbana skirt and had to recover from her grueling morning with some retail therapy. And that’s how Kate got pap’d shopping at Lululemon in an outfit costing £3,028.
The Daily Mail broke down Kate’s outfit: her jacket and t-neck are Alice Temperley – the jacket cost £1,250 and the sweater costs £395. She paired those items with leggings (no ID) and a Tod’s leather purse which costs £1,013. Earrings? £295 pearl drops by Annoushka. Her look was complete with a pair of £75 Asics sneakers. Kate’s Just Like Us! She wears Asics! I WEAR ASICS. I actually love Asics more than every other sneaker brand. The one thing I will say in fairness to Kate about the cost of her “casual” ensemble: I always feel a bit bad for including the price of a luxury purse in the total. I have a thing about purses, and purses can last a really long time, and I consider them “investment pieces.” I’m just saying, Kate will use this Tod’s purse for years… probably.
Now, in not-so-fairness to Kate, I think it’s hilarious that the second she does a little bit of “work,” she immediately finds it so stressful that she has to head out for some retail therapy. I also think it’s funny that Kate couldn’t even keep up the pretense of “guest-editing” HuffPo UK for a full day. What did she do, leave all of the editors and children at Kensington Palace while she ran out to the shops? Also, in case you didn’t know: Lululemon is, historically, a terrible company. They’ve used Chinese sweatshops, their former CEO was a racist, sexist douchebag and they make shoddy, overpriced products.
Here are some photos of Kate “working” at Kensington Palace earlier the same day.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
No words.
I don’t care about the value of her clothes – after all, if a duchess can’t wear expensive stuff, who will? But not even spending ONE day at “work”, which would include a lunch with her guests… The woman is beyond any salvation.
This. Some will say she has a right to enjoy herself and dress cute…she’s royal! Sure, okay.
But when you can’t even put in a full day’s work, effort — when your natural curiosity about a subject can’t even last past lunch, even though you profess publically to be enamored of the cause???
…then I call no hope. I need a more intense word for shallow here. She works for perhaps 4 hours, and requires retail therapy RIGHT NOW? This is a cool customer; personally I can’t imagine hearing about kids struggling with issues, then being all “yah yah yah okay, gotta go buy some stuff! Things! Sparkles!”
No way was she there for 4 hours. I think it was an hour tops.
Last week, someone here posted that she worked 45 minutes that day.
She worked for 45mins.
A day = 45mins in KateMiddleton land.
too, TOO stressful for words. Off to the shops!!
…..BUT this is her pattern.
45 minutes. The editorial staff was there between 6-7am, she showed up after 10 for 45 minutes, posed, then went shopping.
Media said that the conference meeting lasted only 20 minutes. The rest of the time was just photo-ops.
Imagine if she had been there to greet the Huffpo crew at 6 AM. Or at least stayed from 10 AM until 12:30 PM. It would’ve been such a (mediocre, common sense and courtesy) coup and her PR would’ve made us well informed of either scenario. Instead you have to do detective work to figure any of this out. (Sign #1 that she didn’t do much or stay long.) So we just get vagueness and articles that know she only stayed for an hour saying “after a day’s work” or something similar.
I stand corrected. 45 minutes. Wow. And I thought 4 hours sounded mingy.
Sorry but the monarchy is a dated thing. They stuck in some parallel universe. I don’t get the hype. I don’t understand why people are so obsessed with them. They are nothing more than a bunch of spoiled and entitled ignorants.
That’s sort of why I’m obsessed with them – know your enemy and all that.
If they were just unapologetic frivolous nitwits I could hate on them without caring too much because I’m not a Brit and I find celebutants entertaining, but they give up so many opportunities to do meaningful work. While also taking up spots in patronages or guest editorships that someone else could do good things with. It’s insulting to people who actually GAF about these issues.
I’m going to play devil’s advocate here…how do we know she only worked 45 minutes? Did a person who was present confirm that or just some random blog commenter? I don’t mind criticizing if it’s true, but I also don’t want to assume.
Also, I really hate her “outfit”. Is her lower body working out while her upper body is shopping? If you’re going to wear workout leggings and sneakers, commit to the entire look.
Live twitter updates.
That’s how people know when she arrives, and when she leaves.
Also, when people are live tweeting her engagements, they aren’t trying to catch her out or even to present it as something negative.
It’s usually simple matter of fact reporting on the day’s events that happen to include her entry/exit.
In this specific case, live updates also told us that Huffpo staffers arrived between 6am-7am and Kate arrived at 10am, held a 20min editorial meeting, followed by quick walkabout the room and photo ops with the children for another 25mins before leaving them to it.
Baby swans: agree about the outfit. It’s incongruous. Why the sweater and dressy vest? A sweatshirt, hoodie, workout top half would look better and perhaps lessen the “expense” criticism. After all, the leggings and shoes look worn, to me.
LAK, thank you for the additional information. This just underscores how W&K just don’t get it. Just pause for a moment and consider what would happen if you decided to “work” for about an hour a day.
Has anyone mentioned in any article how long HP staff was there? I might have missed it, but isn’t it even *remotely* possible that they were only SCHEDULED to be there until noon?? Or is that giving Kate too much credit? It says spends the “day” with HP, but in journalism isn’t the majority of the day spent researching, writing, editing, and then ultimately publishing? Unlike TMZ, or FoxNews, or any online publication that deals with on going, up-to-the-minute, “breaking” news, could these article deadlines be by 11 or 12? The Childrens Mental Health and #ChildrensMindsMatter or other pieces that are ultimately carried on daily, could have different deadline times than print news or other types of media. I’m not a journalist, so I’m just asking here.
Leaving our plebeian grocery shopping out of it, who goes shopping every day like that? That’s pathetic. She needs to get serious about finding something constructive to do with her time besides filling her closet and abode with STUFF.
I guess she’s someone with no hobbies, no interests, no intellectual curiosity and lots of time on her hands. You’d think that she’s spend that time with her kids since she so proudly claims to be a hands-on mother. Something is seriously wrong in her head if this is her default setting – spending other people’s money on a seemingly daily basis and not feeling ashamed for doing to. What a waste of her position and an arrogant misuse of hard-earned taxpayer money. It’s really disgusting. If I were a Brit I’d be livid. SMH
i think we all need a spot of retail therapy in our lives. i usually go window-shopping therapy and then food therapy. funnily, usually afterwards i feel i also need to go on financial therapy even though i didn’t think i actually spent a lot of money. some time soon i should investigate whether money is actually printed on air-soluble materials (where it keeps its form in the vacuum of a wallet inside a purse or a back pocket but instantly vaporize upon contact with air conditioned mall air).
This has got to be a pisstake.
She’s either so unbelievably out-of-touch that she doesn’t realise this isn’t normal behaviour, or, she just doesn’t care and thinks she can get away with whatever she wants – like skipping out of a cushy guest-editing job without writing a single original word.
I don’t know which is worse.
I can’t stand that my tax pounds are fuelling the Buckets’ escapades.
The biggest welfare family of all time……………
This is a woman/girl who has never worked. Not in her 20s, when she had a degree and good connections. Mommy made it possible for her to sit by the phone and wait for NormalBill to call at any hour or day.
Seriously, think about this. Kate and her mother basically stalked William and the press never even made a thing of seriously abnormal behavior. So Kate thinks this is acceptable, I guess.
I’d love to see one of those “get this look for less” comparisons with clothes from Target (or wherever). But the truly rich cannot be fooled! They can spot the real deal from 500 yards away.
Ha! I just thought of the juxtaposition of the Kate what she wore to Lululemon vs. the story they did on Adele puttering about in Target and CVS with no make up on and her hair in a messy bun.
The knives are out for her. Big time.
And she and Willy have no one to blame but themselves.
The vapid twit brought in on herself.
For her, and her equally useless husband. And I say, it’s about time.
Good. Something has to be done.
I think most of blame falls to her loser husband. If he had half a brain, he’d ‘buck up’ and start being functional, and ask her to do the same. She could do it, but she’s just following his so-called “lead”.
That’s a good hair length for her.
+1
I just can’t get over how much her face has aged. What is going on there?
Kaiser…you love purses?!? That just made my day. I have a few luxury purses. So many people think these purses are ridiculous. But I plan on having them for decades…some are already 5+ years and still going strong.
Lack of Photoshop. The editors are doing less and less.
Yeah I can’t get over the difference in the pics from Kensington Palace to the one of her shopping. They were the same day?! She looks years older. For someone whose life so far has been by most standards a breeze she looks so much older then her age, I don’t understand.
Isn’t she a smoker? And yes they were the same day but this one is photoshopped and the other isn’t. They always photopshop her.
I don’t even think it’s that nice of a “luxury” purse. I’m kind of disappointed when I see these high-end designer bags that are so… blah looking. I have a Michael Kors handbag that’s very similar in appearance, size, color that cost less than $400.
ITA. The purse is unimpressive. She constantly struggles to get a “look” right, though. This one is contrived and off balance from the huge cowl neck with high water (tacky) leggings to the scruffy shoes. It’s Katie trying to look chic and well-heeled, but missing the mark again.
She’s had that Tods bag for a while. A few years I think. Same with the sweater and vest.
I have to do a shout out for Tod’s bags. I’ve got a tote of theirs that I’ve had for 10 years. I take that thing to work every day, and there isn’t a mark on it other than a bit on the corners from scuffing. It was well worth the money. Same with the shoes. I have a pair of heeled loafers for lack of a better term and they’ve worn like a champion. Still look good. Best $400 I ever spent and I’d buy them again.
+ 1
I still receive positive comments on some of my handbags from a decade ago.
The Duchess running around shopping in leggings seems like it ought to be considered poor taste. Much like yoga pants, there is a proper way to wear leggings and they ARE NOT pants. That said, at least her shoes were reasonable?
I just don’t get the newspaper headlines ‘she like one of us’ People who have to work for a living without the means she has don’t get pricey leggings, bags and other stuff for casual wear that cost allot of money to go out and BUY more stuff . And we have to work for a living and can get fired if we do a poor job. Evidently she can do what she wants (or almost anything). Having nannies help…. all the stuff we regular folks don’t have. We can’t just leave our jobs to go shopping either . Rich people live by a different set of rules and they’re not ordinary folk ways at all. Ok finished mini rant lol.
The headline is intentionally sarcastic. By saying “she’s like us” it just highlights in stark contrast how completely unlike us she really is.
The British papers have excellent snark skills when they decide to let them loose.
I agree. A great look for the gym, but for the street, they look like body painting. She’s done her extreme skinny jeans one better (worse).
Am I wrong to expect an ambassor for the U.K , Duchess and future Queen consort to dress in something better than scruffy running shoes and leggings. I know she is just going shopping but she is never offically off the clock. It just reeks of immaturity and a lack of breeding. Hell I wouldn’t even go out shopping in London dressed like that.
And yes she still smokes. Remember the weekend she got caught out sunbathing in the nuddy? She was photographed by a air side employee fagging away on the tarmac in between flights.
+ 1
I think Kate has gotten used to the media blackout of her shopping trips. Hence, the scruffy look. She didn’t think photos would make it to the mainstream press.
My mom would kill me if I walked out in public looking so scruffy. She wouldn’t care that I’m in my forties. she is one of the few people who tells me the truth without sugarcoating anything.
I think the whole point of this piece is not the cost of her clothes, but the fact that she was out shopping in full casual fancy drag the afternoon of her guest edit gig.
I just read the other comments. It appears that everyone is on to her. And, yes, the knives are out.
Between the pointed totting up the cost of the clothing and the pointed cost of her recent helo ride, DM is pointing out that our dear darling duchess isn’t thrifty at all – in case people still bought that PR.
I don’t think it’s a big deal she wears expensive clothes she’s a duchess but I do think it’s a big deal they’re starting to point it out. Thrifty Kate no more
Yeah I think lunch would’ve been nice.
A) but then a room full of people would watch her eat.
B) she’d have to eat.
😀
+ 😉
I agree. A catered lunch for the kids and the staff.
Did anyone catch Princess Madeline’s princess tea party for kids? I wish Celebitchy would cover other royals.
Jejeune coquette college coed is the image she is projecting in the guest editor photos. It makes me cringe and makes me so thankful I do not have to manage someone like her.
You’re right. She constantly comes off as someone trying to look and act like an early 20-something.
I don’t think it’s an act though. I think she did not mature past 19 year old coed. Her life experience is so limited and she is not introspective, therefore she does not realize how her behavior is so ridiculous in comparison to a normal adult woman.
great description! but needs just a hint of… FAFF .. lol
Jejeune coquette college coed faffing about with her pre-written editorial pieces.
Revised opinion – two companies where I wouldn’t mind having her as a direct report. Hostess at a Ruth’s Chris steakhouse or receptionist at the corporate office of Augusta National Golf Club. That’s where her professional comportment and that D&G outfit would be appropriate.
So true. She seems locked in time at the college coed era she was circa early 2000’s when she hooked up with William.
Since she never had a job outside of her parent’s party goods packing shed (except a handful of days “working for her parents’ Mustique buddies at Jigsaw”), the idea of professional behavior and dressing is kind of an abstraction to the dear old girl.
Or be the likely lowly paid person who has to write for her, as she takes credit before running off to shop.
She has a multitude of people around her. Will no one take the reigns and just tell her what to do? I’m not British but good Lord she makes me mad on yalls behalf.
Did you spell “reigns” that way on purpose, as a snark?
Of course!
No, it was my brain glitching out lol works though!
It sure does!😁
Thus isn’t even shocking. To shock me, the headline should read “Duchess goes out with group of friends” or “Duchess goes on an all girls vacation” or ” Duchess works all day at adiction center” ETC. Kate randomly shopping by her lonesome and having pitifully short work days are sadly par for thé course
I have always wondered why Kate doesn’t seem to have girlfriends. What in god’s name does she do all day. Even when she was in Wales all those years ago – what was she doing all day? She’s young , seemingly healthy and yet has no life beyond her husband and family.
Maybe she just hides that part of her life. IDK, even Diana, with all her issues, had a circle of friends that she would be snapped with pretty regularly. Where are Kate’s friends?
Kate had friends but she dropped them or they fell away during her single minded stalking of William.
What Betti said.
Also, she never lived in Wales per se.
The official story was that they lived together in Wales, which they did after a fashion.
The reality was that she spent more time in London or Bucklebury (her parents’ home) than in Wales.
Yes, I’m going to echo Betti’s point. During her early years she had friends but she either a) dropped them or b) they got sick of being second fiddle. Kate very much created her life around William, his needs, and schedule. This seems exaggerated, but there are two stories that have always stood out to me: her part-time job as an accessories buyer at Jigsaw; and, her planned participation in a charity rowing event.
At Jigsaw – This was job she was pressured to get because she was looking lazy and workshy in the press. However, her boss is on record stating Kate would only take the job if she had flexible schedule and could take off when needed so she could be with William any time he requested.
Rowing – During their 2007 breakup, Kate was scheduled to take part in an all girls rowing event. At the last minute, however, William decided he wanted to work things out and Kate dropped out of the race (leaving her team scrambling to find a replacement). They say it was for security issues, but she and William were papped on a vacation or something.
There seem to only be one-two friends that weren’t William’s first. She ditched one’s wedding because William called last minute for a getaway weekend.
HH et al–this was what Belle Robinson the CEO of Jigsaw and Mustique denizen said about Kate’s job at Jigsaw:
“She genuinely wanted a job but she needed an element of flexibility to continue the relationship with a very high-profile man and a life that she can’t dictate. She’s going to be dictated to when she’s needed and not needed.”
It sounds even more pathetic now than it did then! Yep William sure did dictate when she was needed and not needed. WTH.
“She’s going to be dictated to when she’s needed and not needed.”
*vomits*
Honestly, Kate was probably never going to be one of those “Ovaries before brovaries” types, but you’d think she’d still have some friends from college or high school. I actually feel kind of bad for her if she doesn’t have any true friends of her own (meaning, those who are not Will’s friends first, or aren’t wives of his friends).
She’s got her mother. Who needs friends?
@Tourmaline – It does seem so much more pathetic now, especially given that neither of them lead particularly “high profile” lives (in terms of scheduling). They are not a President/PM/Head of State or even FT working royals now, let alone then. Their schedules have always been –and continue to be– incredibly light.
If she is introverted then it makes it harder to make friends
Why assume it is William’s fault? She knew his roving eye and how easily he would have dropped her for someone else. She choose to make her world revolve around a man who only cared she was a female who made herself available. That paints a bad picture of William – but a worse picture of a woman who did everything she could to be the last choice standing.
NOTA…..all this: “… a woman who did everything she could to be the last choice standing.”
What a life.
Asics used to my all-time favorite sneaker brand, until I tried Karhu ,seriously the best shoes I have ever worn. Especially if you have any kind of issues with your feet, high arches, low arches, etc.
That photo-shop really makes a difference if that shot is the same day as the Huff Post gig. I guess if the press are going to attack them, they aren’t going to spend the time doctoring the photos like they have done for the past 5 years to sell them as perfection and flawless and toeing the Cambridge PR line.
Why did anyone expect her to spend more than the absolutely minimum there? When she turned up late and walked in without a thing in her hands – no papers or notes, no folders, no research, no articles she had been editing, no computer – then we knew it was going to fail like all she has done before. She did not even try and sell the idea hat she was genuinely working at this.
Also, doesn’t she have an obligation to wear British designers especially at official events- why does she keep wearing Italian and American designers?? I mean, if you are going to fail at your duties, at least wear an outfit to promote the nation that pays your way.
I agree. She usually seems to show up to ‘work’ unprepared and then her PR states that she’s still in the learning process as if to excuse her lack of interest and preparedness ahead of the visits including her bad performances giving speeches.
It’s like every day a reset button is pushed so she has no clue. Yet she keeps saying she’s knowledgeable based on years of work.
your thought about the daily reset button is perfect. That’s exactly what it seems like.
Lululemon is Canadian, a British Commonwealth.
I think the reference was to the Dolce & Gabbana and Michael Kors pieces she’s worn for recent engagements.
D&G is an odd choice for going outside the Commonwealth, that’s for sure.
For someone who strives to be apolitical and uninvolved in controversy, it seems rather obtuse to choose D&G and I don’t understand why the press gives her a pass for this. Those idiotic comments and the ensuing boycott occurred less than a year ago…
oops – just saw Amber’s comment below, copy that
Completely boneheaded move, but typically tone deaf of the Cambridges.
I grew up like she did, with parents who paid for my education and every opportunity sent my way. I even majored in Art History. But there are major differences. I had my first job ‘working’ for my dad at six, and my first real job at 14. I’ve always been employed, in some capacity, and my dad fielded the after college gap again, paying me a beginning editor’s pittance so I could live in a basement in Toronto and apply a corporate position to my resume. Eventually, though, I enrolled myself into culinary school and learned I really like to work with my hands for my living, and leave my writing for me. Paid for it, too. My parents would also plead with me *not* to look for a husband. I think Kate was pushed to get a specific husband, raised to do so even, and so she’s missing some major understanding of what she even wants out of life. She has never worked for her own enjoyment, or felt camaraderie. She is what she is.
Interesting!
Inaka Trump has said her parents paid for her basics like food and education but if she wanted anything extra their response was “What are you going to do to make the money to buy it?” Your story reminds me of her. Kate could’ve used more of this parenting style in her life.
I called this when it was announced, that she would be caught out shopping when this was happening. She’s predictable if nothing else. I know the fail highlighted the price of her outfit but judging by the size of the Lulu Lemon bag and and how kinda full it looks, she dropped at least several hundred pounds. I’ve just baught a new pair of running pants and they were a few pounds short of £100.
I have no words but am not in least bit surprised, she truly is the most clueless airhead that ever lived. U’d think that she would have at least stayed in doors for the day as it was pitched she would be editing it for the WHOLE day. Maybe someone needs to explain to her the hours working a whole day are.
Good call, Betti. The Duchess is completely predictable, that’s for sure. I’m surprised she changed into this ratty looking ensemble to go shopping, and my god, her face looks so different. She had to have known she’d be papped.
The look on her face in the two photos taken of this moment is a mixture of surprise and frustration. I dunno why though…
I agree with you that she should have known she’d be papped.
If this is the day she took the heli home then she may have worked out and not bothered to change before she went shopping. She may have done HuffPo, exercised, shopped and then changed again before she flew home. She had on a light blue coat when she got on the heli.
I think the day she was photographed taking the helicopter from KP to Anmer wearing the light blue coat was the day of the RAF event where she wore a different light blue coat and that giant RAF brooch.
For the Lululemon shopping pap photos, it was the day of the HuffPo event and you can see she’s wearing the same pearl earrings she was at the HuffPo event.
I think there is something wrong with kaity bucket. Sociopaths and people with the Personality Discorder of Narsicisim are 100% prediactable. I have a sister who has Narsicisstic Personaity Discorder. You can set your watch by then they are soooo predicatble with their antics.
nice call Betti. Can i just say, I thought lululemon was a states thing? I hate that it is popular in the UK too, as, like Kaiser said, the CEO admitted his brand is meant for rich white people, and he also refuses to sell clothes to men and women above certain dimensions (bigger than a US size 10/UK size 14).
They do sell to bigger sizes. They go up to a size UK 16 now. They r still overpriced but I have had a pair of yoga pants from the. For years that r still like new even thou they are washed ever few days as I do bikram yoga. Didn’t they get rid of that douch CEO a few years ago?
Apologies for the typos above 🙁 Was using my iPad without my glasses.
The guys a jerk, but really they are an athletic company and its not so crazy that they focus on smaller sizes… I have always seen a US 12 since I started shopping there.
The guy’s a jerk, but he was also ousted a while back, and they’ve been working to fix their quality control ever since as well.
As for the rest, Lululemon charges a lot, but about on-par for high end yoga gear, and on the higher end of the price range of running-specific brands (the biggest difference being the lack of sales and markdowns), and the clothing is intended to hold up to abuse (obviously not in the case of those quality control issues). Their items go up to size 12 US. i don’t agree with the choice not to go up higher, personally, and hope that they remedy that. Personally, I think their items can be hit or miss, but when they’re a ‘hit’ they’re excellent running clothing that wears well and doesn’t budge or chafe when you run.
Nope, it’s Canadian company, started by that douchebag in Vancouver. Apparently the board liked him as much as the rest of us did because he was pushed out a couple of years ago haha. Not sure about the US, but the largest size they have in Canada is 12, which I agree is totally hypocritical of a company that says it values fitness and health. I don’t like their tops or bras (big-chested = nothing fits me), but their pants are awesome. They look great and last forever.
I live in Canada and love my lulus. I am usually a 10/12 elsewhere (like jeans, etc) and I find that I fit a much smaller size in lulus (sometimes a 6 or 8) so maybe that is part of the sizing thing? Who knows. I know that they are great for squats and deadlifts as they don’t go sheer in the butt when I am moving. I know there were some quality control issues in the past but they seem to be back on track!
I do have some lulu, mostly from their clearance rack, and I actually don’t prefer the brand. I like it, but there are better brands out there that are not as expensive. It’s ultimately a status thing, and half the people who wear it wouldn’t know downward dog from an actual dog.
I feel bad for the queen, any royal image that she had created is being undone by these two morons. If this is the future of Britain I pray for salvation. Hopefully Harry marries some one who can save this.
I love that People is being so specific about it. “Midday”, “Afternoon”. They’re confirming the few reports about the guest editing gig and how Kate couldn’t have been there even 3 hrs. Not even close. (And I just can’t… *sigh*. Why would you go out shopping? That oblivious? That arrogant? That self-destructive? Poor Jason.) The Huffpo crew arrived at K.P. around 6 AM. Kate’s article went up first thing that morning. The Duchess of Hair herself crossed the courtyard, arriving at 10 AM*. They had a 20-30 minute group meeting. Then there was about 30-45 minutes of photo ops with kids and computers. That was pretty much it. An hour, maybe two, (if I’m being generous), of mostly mugging for cameras. All the tweets and updates from the select, blessed few allowed to cover it stopped before 1 PM as well. Now People magazine is unwittingly–Most of their readers/commenters aren’t detecting any shade–Giving me more ammo. Kate probably took longer getting ready that morning and then spent more time shopping than she did even appearing to “guest edit”, (and I have no doubt that Huffpo did everything. At most getting input from Kate’s secretary or Jason to match up their content with children’s mental health’s hardest working advocate’s “message”.)
Btw, about Lululemon, I find it odd that she continuously wears D&G for similar reasons. I know a lot of people were them and don’t care. But I’d think there’d be a “No No” memo for DoLittle about it. Like of all foreign brands for you to wear you’re rolling with these guys https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolce_%26_Gabbana#Controversies? (I don’t think that even includes the Mammy inspired collection.)
*Might I also wonder where poor George and Charlotte were (at Amner, K.P., school near Amner) and who they were with since Mummy was hard at work and sadly could not be with them that morning and was then in no rush to get back in the afternoon. They’re probably traumatized.
It was an hour max – the editorial meeting and photo op with the kids and people at desk were all done in the same room. The photo op outside would have been 10 mins max. Have worked in their area of PR and photos ops are short. Show up, take photos and then off.
@Betti, I’ve seen some places put it at 30-45 minutes. I was being nice 😀
You know I’ve heard the idea that it’s better for royals to float or do drive-by engagements, so they can get more done in a day. (I don’t necessarily agree and I think that’s VERY convenient for them and their work totals.) I’ve also seen security cited as a reason for the brief appearances. Neither one would apply to Kate here! She strolled in and out of an office literally across a courtyard from her apartment. Then she was out of there in time to change and go shopping in the afternoon, clearly having nothing else to do that day. I’m just… yeah…
Amber, I think I’m on the same page as you regarding drive-by engagements. I think this whenever people talk about Harry’s numbers because I feel he puts in a lot of time with just one appearance. I know other royals schedule back-to-back-to-back-to-back engagements each day, but I don’t know how that’s considered more meaningful if you’re only there, literally, 30 minutes max and spending almost as much time changing and driving to your next engagement.
@ Amber
Thanks for the timeline.
I feel sorry for the actual workers who probably had to wake up at about 4:30 am/5 am to get to KP on time and through the security checks for the 6 am/7 am start time and then have to wait another 3 to 4 hours for the Duchess to show up and spend about 20 minutes at the meeting, then do some quick photo-ops and then leave right away. Seems like she devoted more time that day to shopping and the gym.
I wonder if the reason for coming in at 10 am was because time-wise, the end of her engagement would be right before 11 am and *toot* *toot* lunch time! If she had come to ‘work’ earlier, she’d have to stay longer and couldn’t excuse herself when it wasn’t lunch time yet.
Also, why the 6 am/7 am start time when the Duchess wasn’t going to show up until 10 am? Because it was just a show and she was just a figurehead with no real work involved on her part?
She’s an empty-headed parvenu who derives no pleasure out of anything but doing the minimum amount of work and the maximum of shopping/travel. She’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime to make a difference and she chooses to live the life of a rich wastrel. As a Canadian I really resent the money us Commonwealth tax-payers fork out to keep the likes of her in a lavish lifestyle, even though it only amounts to a couple of bucks a year. I want my money back b*tch.
Had to look up parvenu, I’ve never heard of the word. Sure suits her.
+1
This post is awesome. B*tch better have your money! 🙂
@Jaded – you nailed it. She is a parvenu extraordinaire.
All I can think after reading this and the CB comments are the following: 1) Does Poor Jason have any control over the Cambridges at all? Surely a semi-functional PR person would advise her to at least STAY INSIDE at KP until after regular business hours while HuffPo is there so it APPEARS she is working all day long. We know she does not have a problem being a homebody, so the fact that she was papped out shopping in casual clothes mere hours into her “work day” strongly suggests to me that she is either much dumber than we realize or she has some bizarre need to rebel against any attempts by her staff to control her activities/limit her fun. What part of CYA does she not understand? 2) Since it seems the Cambridges do not and/or will not listen to Poor Jason, do they have even a scintilla of a clue how bad they come across? Do they understand how ridiculous it looks that his soon-to-be-90 years old grandmother and 95 year old grandfather (not to mention his great-grandmother when she was alive and various other older royal relatives) work harder, appear thriftier, and advocate better for their causes than they do? Or, more likely, do they just not care because they think the UK will never overthrow the Royal Family?
I don’t think Jason is there to guide them. He is there to clean up the messes and try to make what little they do look good. He cannot make silk purses out of sow’s ears.
+1 awesome post. Parvenu!!
That face is ~haggard. Yikes. She looks 10 years older than her age.
Wanna take bets on the kids turning up on the tour to India!
They may not go to India, but you know there will be some photos forthcoming…..
I doubt the kids will go to India. Security would be much more challenging than their NZ trip.
Quick as a wink, kids in an Australian magazine and three new engagements announced for KM (Edinburgh on the 24th). Hmm. Stop in Scotland before flying out on vacation? They’ve used that ruse before.
Ooh the Aussie mag shots will piss the UK press off even more and it’s not the first time they’ve ‘allowed’ Aussie tabloids to print pap shots.
He’s starting flinging her under the bus now, allow the apps to rip into her for her spending habits to take the heat off him.
The two previous sets of photos in Woman’s Day Australia that included their daughter? Those were removed from the online edition in hours. He doesn’t do that when they were only pictures of their son. We’ll see if William gets his way a third time.
I’m seriously starting to wonder if there is something really wrong with her. She has got to realize that people will talk if you show up for only an hour or two and your blogging “work” is a copy/paste statement?
Seriously, that HuffPo blog was nearly a copy of her speech from several weeks ago (the hair flipping one) as well as her video…. Someone can easily call her out on that. A robot can read /write the same statement over and over again!
Recall the funeral of Queen Fabiola of Belgium. The BRF said no one was available to attend. Others were working. KM was papped shopping and taking their son to a play park the day of the funeral. She also missed the annual meeting of their joint foundation a year or two ago – papped shopping during the meeting.
Either these things don’t occur to her or she doesn’t care.
came late and left early for proper work with journos.
but was so eager to actually wait in front of the door and then extend an hour’s meeting time to a few more hours with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
lovely priorities.
This struck me in the last post, too. Her “work” outfit cracks me up. It’s like she’s playing dress up, wearing what she thinks a career woman should wear.
Well, 75 pounds ($150?). is reasonable for a good pair of running shoes. That’s all I have to add.
I paid $110 for mine, on sale! That’s not an unreasonable amount for a good pair of running shoes, if, of course, you actually use them for running.
Lukulemon doesn’t make “shoddy” clothing thanks. It is now a very large publicly traded company, with hundreds of stores around North America, and one in London! American majority share owned, and built from nothing, from a guy in my hometown of Vancouver. Mock it if you want, but it is a huge success story. Everyone here wears head to toe lulu for working out bc it is the best. The best for high tech material, comfort, and yes the best for stylish and flattering workout clothes too. They are pricey, but unless you have owned any of their products you have no idea. I have stuff from 10 years ago and aside from the styles changing, I could still wear them today.
Lululemon had a huge problem with the sheer fabric used in their products in 2013. Perhaps you missed that.
DeeDee, according to the former CEO it was the fault of women’s bodies not the product itself. Chip Wilson, what a peach.
“Frankly, some women’s bodies just don’t actually work [for the yoga pants]. It’s more really about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there over a period of time, how much they use it.”
“Breast cancer also came into prominence in the 1990’s. I suggest this was due to the number of cigarette-smoking Power Women who were on the pill and taking on the stress previously left to men in the working world.”
“The reason the Japanese liked Homeless (skateboard brand) was because it had an L in it and a Japanese marketing firm wouldn’t come up with a brand name with an L in it. L is not in their vocabulary. It’s a tough pronunciation for them. So I thought, next time I have a company, I’ll make a name with three Ls and see if I can get three times the money. It’s kind of exotic for them. I was playing with Ls and I came up with Lululemon. It’s funny to watch them try to say it.”
Wilson was ousted specifically for all of that stuff, though. And they at least tried to address the quality issues. The clothing isn’t perfect, but you can also walk into the store and say that you utterly hate what you bought and they’ll do their best to make it right.
Perhaps the sheerness of the yoga pants is what is appealing to the WAG Duchess, she does love to flash!
@LBLISS, some of that may be true, but Lululemon has been plagued with scandals and recalls even after Chip Wilson’s departure. There are lots of links in this article, and I remember an outcry after many of their leggings were found to be see-through:
http://jezebel.com/lululemon-increases-markdowns-sees-stocks-slip-1745857960
About Kate- UNF*CKINGBELIEVABLE. I’m with whoever said above that there is something wrong with her. Does she not read any of her own press coverage? I’ve seen it stated all over the place that she spent 45 minutes with the HuffPo group, just enough time for photos, and I believe it. I really wanted to like her when she first came on the scene, but she makes it impossible.
Is she that arrogant and just doesn’t care? Or is she truly oblivious to how horrible this looks??
– Sheer pants debacle
– Poor customer service in-store and on website
– Lots of competition from lower-priced, higher quality lines
– Excess inventory
– Lulu’s founder, Chip Wilson, quoted as saying “quite frankly some women’s bodies just actually don’t work for our clothes.” Way to go Chip, nice fat shaming.
I hate Lululemon’s crap….anytime I see anyone wearing their stuff I just want to smack the $hit out of them.
@mellie. It’s workout/athliesure gear. Perhaps not something people should be smacked for wearing.
I LOVE Lululemon!! Ugh, now I have something in common with Waity.
KM needs to some time in a locked room with the Princess Royal. Anne would straighten her out !
I suspect that might result in murder.
But I also suspect a judge would be sympathetic and let Anne off with a fine and a bit of community service.
LOL!
If I were the Crown Prosecution Service, I would refuse to charge the Princess Royal for saving the taxpayers a bloody fortune and ending the DoC’s reign of terrible hair extensions and wedges of doom.
I would pay to be a fly on the wall during that encounter.
No I didn’t miss that. Generally the stock has been going strong holding around the 50-60 usd per share. None of the manufacturing issues from 2013 or Chip’s quotes have damaged the brand. The stock prices are holding high. I haven’t looked at their earnings yet. Currently today they are trading one usd dollar above Nike. So I would say they are doing enormously well.
And while some people might continue to support a brand with that type of history, the rest of us can choose to shop our ethics elsewhere.
I’m with you, @NOTA. Quality issues aside, Chip Wilson’s comments were vile and I had no interest in spending any of my money at his stores after that. (And I didn’t even know about the breast cancer statement until today- good grief, what an insufferable d-bag.)
The brand’s entire philosophy is total BS and it grates on me that they are “above” producing clothing larger than a US 12. I personally would fit into their clothes, but would rather spend my money elsewhere, someplace more inclusive that doesn’t make women feel like garbage about themselves if they’re not stick-thin.
I’ll admit I am neither rich nor a fashionista, but I don’t understand paying thousands of dollars for a purse. I get one for $20, it lasts me a couple of years and I get a new one.
I especially wouldn’t pay that much for the one in this pic. It looks like a bowling ball bag.
I live in Lululemon clothing! It’s a great store. Excellent customer service and a really nice product. Some of my tights are ten years old and are washed repeatedly. It’s always busy in their stores.
As for Kate, did anyone consider they were done for the day? Don’t you think there were meetings prior to this? I’m sure there was preparation ahead of time which Kate would have been a part of. Just because we don’t see or hear about it doesn’t mean she isn’t working.
Slag away ladies!
Re: Lululemon. I’ve had the same pair of their yoga pants for about 5 years, i do Bikram Yoga so they are washed regularly and they’ve never lost their shape, elasticity or colour. And most brands will at some point have the indignity of recalling products.
Re: Kate. Press reports state that the HuffPo team were there at 6/7am and were still blogging from KP later in the day so they at least did a full working day. Am sure she had a few short meetings here and there with her PR team in the lead up but am sure you’ll agree most of the work was done for her – all she needed to do was show up and look pretty, which she did with aplomb. The issue is that it was sold that she would be guest editing it for the DAY, not 45mins on the day. She/they over promised and under delivered – if it was never her intention to do one day’s work then it should have been a ‘guest contributing editor’ role. Having the team based at KP was to support the idea that she was ‘editor for the day’. As i said before their mantra is: over promise, under deliver.
Big deal! It’s an important issue and she’s bringing attention to it. It was all over the Canadian media the same day. Whether she was there for thirty minutes or five hours I don’t care. We don’t know how much she worked on it prior to the actual event. Just another article to slag her and side track the importance of mental health imo.
She is pretending to work, it is the others who did all the work. 45 minutes work in one month, she deserves the raking over the coals she’s getting. At least her retread “column” was slightly less offensive and inaccurate than her first speech on the issue.
re: Lululemon, I’ve heard their older stuff (pre-2012) holds up really well, but that the newer yogawear isn’t nearly as good quality :/
teacakes, actually it’s really nice clothing but did suffer a bit when sold to a multinational company. It’s redeemed itself since and is very popular. I throw mine in the washer and dryer. It comes out looking like new every time.
@maggie, when she leads off with the statement that most addiction and behavior issues stem from unresolved childhood issues, that does more harm than good. She should have just gone shopping all day. She has no interest in finding out the latest research, obviously.
The lulu store by my house has really nice people that work there, but that is not the norm. They actually gave me an outfit when I went in after my transplant. It isn’t my favorite brand, but because of the people who work there, I go back all the time, usually for the clearance rack!
There is a Lululemon in Auckland New Zealand and their sales are legendary. I clean up every year. I don’t have much to add about Kate other than $50 says that Australia and New Zealand become republics after the Queen dies.
Canada is likely to so the same as well. If not a republic than a more obvious disassociation from the royal family. They were complaining about Trudeau having the official PM residence upgraded to get rid of asbestos and other issues and he is the elected leader. No one can afford to support a family who isn’t Canadian and doesn’t provide us with any benefits.
Canada: It would be great to not have an non-elected figurehead like the Governor General make constitutional decisions regarding the fate of the democracy, as happened when the GG allowed former PM Harper to shut down Parliament for political reasons. So many Loyalists here but what good do the Royals actually do them?
Part of me feels terribly for her, as she’s clearly a means to an end for her mother and for Prince William and likely was not allowed to have her own identity. What would she do if William had chosen another woman? However, then stories like this come out and … she comes across as an posh, upper-class version of a D-list WAG.
SUCH a cute jacket.
How long was she supposed to blog for? I mean, was this a normal amount of time for this kind of thing?
The advance PR sold it as a day. As in she was going to spend day guest editing/blogging.
This was the primary reason given for Huffpo spending day at KP rather than her going to them.
The way this unfolded ie she only stayed for 45mins, it would have been better for her to go to them at their offices. It wouldn’t have inconvenienced anyone, including Kate.
Good God this woman is hopeless. I wonder if someone hasn’t given her a good shake and shown her just how tone-deaf this is, or that they have but she won’t listen. Either way, #poorjason
She has the weirdest hand gestures, I guess to show off Big Blue. I’m surprised she hasn’t dislocated her wrist.
I think the dysfunctional William is at the root of Kate’s ongoing rot.
She has the means, so I dont find the price tags surprising. I also wouldn’t begrudge a hardworking lady who goes to the gym during lunch in expensive gear that she has earned herself. The problem is she and Will are not hard workers who justify their allowances so these are the kind of articles and photos we get of them.
Something nice… at least she got rid of the “gringe”?
OT:
Does anyone reading this remember the name of the book that QEII’s butler or assistant, I don’t remember which, was writing about the royal family?
I know it was mentioned on this site but had not been published, yet, and this was maybe a year ago??
Any help is appreciated.
Not sure but there was a book published last fall, Backstairs Billy, about the Queen Mum’s butler who worked for her for 50 years. It wasn’t by him (he died in 2007) but about him.
Thank you, that’s not it.
It was written by a long time person in service who was going to finally spill the beans on the royal family.
On Duty With The Queen by Dickie Arbiter ?
Yes; that is it! Thank you, so much 🙂
I have read it Fue, and there is nothing really shocking in it, I am afraid.
Hm.mm… sounds like she had really pissed someone in the media. She is not NOT doing anything she was not doing before, why the outcry now?
I don’t believe in “the public had enough”. They would have abolished the monarchy a long time ago. They love their royals and aristos
I don’t care about her clothes, and I respect their keeping the kids private while young… but 45 minutes of work, when this is supposedly her biggest area of charitable interest? When they cost the taxpayer millions to renovate their homes, plural, and their close protection bill is also enormous? It’s downright insulting, quite frankly.
They really are starting to seem the Republic’s biggest asset. Cheap at the price, in fact, if you want an end to the monarchy.
It’s not like anyone at the Huffpo actually EDITS things, anyway.
And as for LuluLemon, I have no issue with rich housewives or rich wannabe housewives who have part time jobs at blogging aggregators spending far too much money on yoga clothes they won’t wear for yoga, but their connection with Landmark Forum skeeves me out entirely. I was also thisclose to a business deal with Chip Wilson back about ten years ago, and he has, as far as I can see, never changed. When he got cancer and recovered, he did start a fun run for kids and parents to raise money for cancer research, yes. But he named it after himself, held it in his own (super expensive and not that easy to get to) neighborhood, had to pay the city a TON of money to close down West 12th avenue, a major thoroughfare for it, and killed it after a couple of years when it didn’t break even.
I’m just thrilled they finally published a picture of her out shopping. They need to do this every time they see it.
People, you are such haters!
Can’t you all tell that now that she’s all energized she’s getting reading to hit the ground running?
For goodness sake- she has on her running shoes ! and she’s buying her running tights!
Any second people, it’s coming..,.(poor Jason explains)
I don’t care how long she worked or what she spent….she is a Princess….let her be a Princess! The only thing that disturbed me is that she was working for that Bias lying racist Huff-post!
She looks so old and haggard. I don’t understand why someone who has had such an easy privileged life looks so rough.
She is stuck out at Amner in the middle of nowhere the urge to get some retail shopping in must have been overwhelming whilst on this fleeting trip to the City. I suppose when all those involved have made the effort for the charity she should have stayed in KP, it would have shown respect, it just seems a bit flippant to attend then shoot out in expensive gear to buy more gear.