The Duchess of Cambridge has truly made some style changes over the past year, mostly in 2019. I think the answer to why and how she made some changes is simply that her old makeshift “stylist” Natasha Archer has been on maternity leave for months, and Kate hired someone who actually knew something about fashion. According to People Magazine, Archer is back at work though. Which… explains a lot, actually. It explains the doilies and buttons and ribbons and 1940s cosplay and Edwardian cosplay. But to hear some “source” tell it, Kate suddenly looks fresh and youthful now that Archer is back. ORLY.
Kate Middleton is upping her fashion game. The royal mom made two very stylish appearances in the past week — sporting the perfect summer dress to Wimbledon and a daring (yet sophisticated!) red and pink combination for Archie’s royal christening.
“Kate felt like she was in a bit of a style rut and thought she needed a little edge,” a source tells PEOPLE. “She’s consciously worked on getting her look to be a bit younger and more modern, and it’s worked!” The insider adds, “She looks amazing, and she is getting lots of compliments about it.”
Kate has had a helping hand in her bold new look. Natasha Archer, the royal’s longtime assistant and stylist, recently returned to work following her maternity leave. Kate has also brightened her look by recently adding some soft caramel highlights to her dark locks, which has added more dimension to her hair.
“She’s consciously worked on getting her look to be a bit younger and more modern, and it’s worked!” It’s worked! Mission Accomplished, peeps! Kate is convinced that she’s youthing it up with all of the yummy mummies at William’s favorite gym, I suppose. To be fair, I have noticed a subtle difference in vibe from Kate – more willingness to wear trousers and fewer wiglets, that kind of thing. But let’s be completely clear: if Kate had her way, she would absolutely step out to every event in a gigantic button-covered doily with Edwardian vibes.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid and Avalon Red.
I don’t care for the caramel highlights at all. She looks better with darker hair.
i think they’re too brassy looking
They’re horrid.
I have to admit I do love her hair color, those highlights are on point.
I like the hair colour too.
I’m glad she’s now testing other hairstyles than the very large voluminous curls (with lots of artificial hair) she used to prefer. It was a pretty hairstyle but at the same time, it was very childish, something I used to dream of when I was 5 years old and wanted to be a Disney princess. She looks better with more age appropriate hair imo.
I like them too, they make her look more glowing. I wish I could give up my blonde highlights as I pay an arm and a leg for them but they’re worth it, I get so many compliments on them, it’s addictive lol!
I like them, too, but I would like to see both Kate and Meghan go shorter. They would look more chic.
I like her hair this color (I really liked how light it was around the time of George’s birth), and I like it when it is darker than her “typical” shade. basically I think she either should embrace this more caramel look, or go several shades darker.
People magazine, do better.
There will be nonstop fluff pieces like this until Epstein is out of the news.
Yes! I wonder if the “grey men” at the palace will continue to obsess over Meghan leaving a door open, walking ahead of someone, picking up a fork too slowly when they have other bigger problems on their agendas.
Right now, at Epstein press conference, when asked if the charges involved Prince Andrew the answer is “No comment.” Wonder when that will change to “Absolutely not!”
I know I shouldn’t like it… but I kind of loved that blue white and yellow floral dress. I don’t know why. I think I liked the neckline on her or something – the skirt could have been changed and it would have looked better – but I don’t know why I’m drawn to it so much because it’s the exact opposite of something I’d choose for myself.
It’s Erdem and I really liked it on her too.
Yes very cool dress
I feel the same way about her pink christening outfit. I’m puzzled over why she looked so good in something I would normally seriously dislike.
I really loved that christening outfit. I thought she looked amazing.
Maybe she wears what she likes
I really do think she does, because otherwise we wouldn’t see so many repeating themes. I actually quite like a lot of her looks – even though I don’t share the same kind of personal style.
While her style doesnt necessarily suit everyone and it is dated, it’s her style. If that’s what she likes then, fine. I would like to see her take more risks fashion wise and play around with it but, ultimately it’s not that bad.
I’m about 50/50 on her wardrobe. Half the time I like it, half the time I don’t.
I agree, she’s often just slightly off. She would look great in shorter hair and very modern look since she has a model-slim body.
This drives me nuts! Kate is tall and slender, she could literally wear *anything* and make it look great, but she insists on dressing like a 1980s marm. If I could just run the world for a day, I would make her get a lob, ditch the black eyeliner (it’s way too harsh and aging, and makes her eyes look small), and wear a chic tailored suit or wide-legged trousers and a knit top. She could rock modern Hepburn style and she just refuses.
I don’t understand why a lot of people here say that her style is dated and all, because I live in Paris and here the kind of dress she wears is really on-trend. Just look at hight street designers (like Maje, Sandro, The Kooples, Comptoir des cotonniers, to name a few) or even fast fashion companies (H&M, Zara, Mango, etc), they’re all offering that kind of clothes.
I don’t agree with all of her choices (like the blue dress for royal Ascot), but pussy bows, and 60’s and 80’s inspiration clothes are on-trend, and London is not that far away from Paris.
I agree! It’s time to cut her hair. She has had the same hairstyle for over 10 years i think. If she truly wanted a little edge to her look, start with her hair. In regards to her wardrobe, I agree it’s 50/50. She seems to repeat the same styles of clothing for each year that passes.
@K – we get that her general style is fairly on trend (I mean, kate didn’t wear pussy bows 5 years ago, and now wears them frequently), but its more the particular outfits she chooses and how she styles them.
Her dresses are, for the most part, pretty new and from top designers, so I expect them to be fairly stylish. It has more to do with her overall style than her particular dresses when people say she looks dated.
Yeah it’s not the outfits, it’s just that they are sometimes not the best for her and some of those long dresses for example seem costumey.
I think she’s really pretty. She would suit Alexa Chung’s style.
@K, I think about that garden party look. On the model, it had shorter sleeves and was styled with a straw hat. It looked gorgeous, very 70s Diane Keaton in the Godfather. On Kate, it looked positively Edwardian because of the styling.
For some events that are life changing, she seems to copy Lady Di, on purpose. I think she is hoping to increase her appeal to the public. And those god awful boots she has had for 15+ years with the tassels, they need to go. Extremely outdated.
Not sure whether to thank kaiser or not for that pictorial of ugly dresses that I now cannot unsee… 😳🤣
She’s tall and model slim, that’s all I got.
She could be wearing the funnest clothes! Instead she looks matronly and hopelessly out of fashion. I’m astonished daily by the horrible stuff this person wears.
Woman has three children, is edging closer to 40, decided to change her look up a bit….sounds like a couple of phases I’ve gone through and many of my lady friends.
I picked the wrong profession, water is wet says a source.
It’s quite wild isn’t it? I like stories like “The queen has decided her grandchildren are sort of fine” and “The Royal Children may attend one of these 500 schools”. Easiest job in the world.
Just ‘cause something is flowy =/= youthful. I feel like there’s two-three things Kate does, the structured coat dresses and then the super long style dresses like in the pictures here, sometimes the occasional jegging when she’s “casual”—but then she styles that with a high neck victorian looking blouse under a cargo jacket. Like nothing she does ever seems age-appropriate youthful in any way.
What about her short dresses that would fly up? She was trying to be youthful then! 😉
Who is going to break it to her that her hard work has been in vain?
Chaine…you’re not suppose to say that, she’s the future Queen Consort and everything is on point now. Lol
LMAO.
“She’s consciously worked on getting her look to be a bit younger and more modern” LMAO her look is a granma look
^^^me too, her style is terrible! If that really is the fashion over there, it’s the opposite of what is on trend for Americans. To me, Meghan’s style is fantastic. Kate’s clothing choices are sooo dated imo
Kate and William looked so mismatched in that photo where Kate is wearing the long flowered print dress and William in a formal suit and tie. Kate looks like she’s heading to a church BBQ while William looks like he’s heading to the British Embassy in DC.
It leads me to wonder: perhaps they left that morning from different homes…did Kate run back to her parents? Or William left for high level meetings right after that appearance?
I’ve noticed William, more lately, has looked a ZZ Top sharp dressed man.
I have long suspected they are living at different homes at least some of the time.
And the Rose influence???? Men typically put more effort into their appearance when they’re having an affair.
I actually think he’s been replaced by a shape-shifting lizard, pass it on
@Citresse What are you basing that statement on?
@Aperitvol, are you referring to the raxacoricofallapatorius?
More recently, William has been putting more effort into his grooming and clothing….I mean there’s always exceptions such as Kate’s garden photos from Chelsea Flower Show…..anyway, yes, often William is wearing very sharp dark suits and very nice ties and shoes. It may indeed be Charles or others influencing him…remember we’re in the 2 year countdown to William becoming quite busy whether he likes it or not….meaning, HM will reach 95 and Charles will be handed virtually all power as Regent.
William, in effect will be Prince of Wales in all but name.
@Citresse – that doesn’t address your assertion that men typically put more effort into their appearance when they are having an affair. What is the source of this information?
Megan, various sources over the years. I’m a reader. And of course, the internet is such a great resource for all kinds of information.
The cheater who starts working out is so common as to be cliche, for example.
‘Raxacoricofallapatorius’!! 😀
L O V E the ZZ Top reference! Basically made my day right there!
Kate and William looked so mismatched in that photo where Kate is wearing the long flowered print dress and William in a formal suit and tie. Kate looks like she’s heading to a church BBQ while William looks like he’s heading to the British Embassy in DC.
It leads me to wonder: perhaps they left that morning from different homes…did Kate run back to her parents? Or William left for high level meetings right after that appearance?
I’ve noticed William, more lately, has looked a ZZ Top sharp dressed man.
What a pity she doesn’t put her energy into doing the job she’s employed to do. All the makeovers in the world can’t distract from her passionless and apathetic approach to her patronages.
Thank you. My thoughts exactly.
She’s missed out on so many great causes over the years due to her apathy. I don’t expect at this point to see anything out of her other than wearing expensive ugly clothes and boring shoes, phony smiles sometimes looking like a laughing hyena, skin tight and vulgar jeggings, and lack luster speaking engagements mostly because she doesn’t give a shit and never practices to improve herself.
“Skin tight and vulgar” jeggings – LOL! What a hussy. 🙄
This is why I so rarely comment on her because there’s just nothing of any substance to comment on.
I actually find her quite an energy-drainer.
I agree with you.
Kate brings so little to the table. She’s brought three healthy children (two male) into the world and in ancient times that would make her a successful royal wife. But we’re well into the 20th century and she has NOTHING else to show for herself.
Kate strikes me as someone who has little to no inner life. We know she’s competitive. Look at the way she’s upped her game once Meghan arrived. But that’s what got her off her ass, not a sense of obligation or duty or even just being tired of being so fucking lazy. She would be happy to do nothing and just soak up the adulation and the perks.
Has she done something for EACH yet? It’s mid July. Or is Ed handling everything this year?
I don’t think Kate cosplays Edwardian, there are so many ways to wear Edwardian style that look really fresh and awesome. Kate likes to cosplay 1980s Laura Ashley
This ^^
YES. FUSSY.
It’ s lliterally like she walks in to a fitting and says “give me something that makes me look like the schoolmarm character in an early 80s Western.”
PEOPLE clearly picked the wrong dresses to showcase Kate looking “younger” and “more modern”! Here, she looks frumpy, matronly and dated…
THIS
I’m not a fan of Kate’s personal style, I think it’s time to hire someone new
There is nothing modern about her look. Sorry, try again.
🤔 is it a spray tan
It must be Opposite Day at People.
OMG, the look on her face in that last picture where Camilla is saying something behind her…
Lol. The woman wears pants TWICE and suddenly she’s Modern Millie. 😂😂 That doesn’t outweigh the plethora of 80’s secretary dresses, peter pan collars, bows and buttons.
😀
I hate her style so much. I’m sorry but her stylist should be fired. Literally looks like she’s in costumes.
So awkward. Prairie schoolmarm meets 80s secretary.
I know it will never, ever happen, but I’d love to see her with a haircut like Princess Charlene. Of course, the Kate haters would probably say she was cosplaying Diana if she cut her hair that short. But anyway, I’d be so intrigued if she suddenly had a short cut like Charlene’s.
Yeah, will never happen. Kate’s long hair is her security blanket and identity. Charlene rocks a much edgier/sporty look.
The problem with Kate is that NO MATTER what she wears or how she is styled she always makes it look matronly and thats because she is so bland and boring that she makes even the most youthful and lovely outfit look land and boring. As I said yesterday Pippa and Carole are the only Middleton ladies who have a bit of style and are able to pull off their looks. Kate can’t.
With the exception of those awful neck bows, I like her style. Her hair is nice too.
I think that Kate had noticed that Meghan is getting a lot of compliments regarding her clothing lately and Kate, being the competitor she is, felt she had to up he game. Unfortunately, between Kate, who dresses like a 60 year old matron most of the time, and a non-stylist like Natasha Archer, neither of them know what a professional woman would wear in 2019. Kate needs a total makeover, from head to toe and needs to find a real professional stylist to help her. Not an assistant who thinks she’s a stylist like Archer.
I don’t think a stylist will help if someone doesn’t have a clue what they actually like and want to wear. And I think Kate is far more used to fitting into expectations of what she thinks people want to see from her as a royal than anything else. Looking at her pictures before her marriage, she had a much clearer idea of what she liked then, than she did soon after she got married. She’s settled into a familiar pattern now, but if she’s looking to change things up, she should be exploring what *she* likes first and before paying a stylist to figure out how to make that work. Pinterest is free, after all.
Archer being back explains the lace and Erdem making a return.
I think if she wants to look fresh and modern, she should stick to clean lines and basics. That, to me, is really when she looks the best. Think of the coatdress she wore for Easter, or that McQueen that she has in several colors (from H&M’s wedding etc.) She did wear one Erdem that I loved, back during the Canada tour, when she got off the plane, that short lace one. That was great. Of course at the time I didn’t realize how many lace dresses we were going to see, but that one is still pretty IMO.
When she goes too flowy, too flowery, too lacy – her clothes start to wear her instead of the other way around, and its not a good look.
She just always looks the same to me. Flowy dress or coat dress. She should stop playing everything so safe.
Jeez. Just because you’re so ridiculously pro-Megan doesn’t mean you have to be just as consistently anti-Kate. I think she is lovely and just like all of us she is doing her best. Although her circumstances may be very different she doesn’t deserve the constant nastiness and ridicule she gets here.
*eyeroll*
This site was critical of Kate long before Meghan came on the scene. And if you look back at old posts, the criticism has been consistent. Anti buttons, anti doilies, pro working more.
@Becks
Been on this site for more than five years and yes it has always been critical about Kate however in the past the criticism was insightful and discussions were really educative and thought provoking with commenters like LAK, Sixer etc. Now it’s just a mess with people throwing jabs at each other.
If she wasn’t going to be the future queen then I would say she’s doing her best. However, as future queen she is nowhere near the level she should be at by now. She should at least be doing Sophie level number of engagements but she’s not. She destroyed a tradition that was 115 years old, because she didn’t want people to find her reliable! She’s doing the bare minimum and getting ridiculous praise for it. That’s not doing your best. I want to see her actually do her best, she’s had ten years to learn how. It’s time and past time she earned her keep.
@Lady D. You know that is totally not true in the slightest, don’t you? The thing about the Duchess of Cambridge breaking a 115 year tradition? A historian and researcher by the name of Marlene Eilers Koenig went back to the very first presentation of the Shamrocks to the Irish Guard and there were many years when someone other than the female royal sponsor handed out the Shamrocks. Both men and women, Royal, peer & commoner have done the honors. She wrote a blog post about it and literally listed every presenter going back to the first time. There are enough things to criticize any of the Royals for, there no need to make things up to create outrage.
http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/search?q=St.+patrick’s+day
It’s funny you quote Marlene because she would be the first to say that Kate doesn’t work enough for someone in her position and she would point out the historical engagement numbers for Diana and others who had young kids and did far more. Kate didn’t attend because she didn’t want to create expectations of attending annually. It’s not like she was ill or on maternity leave, like the other times the female royal didn’t attend. Instead she got her roots done as she was seen few days later with an updated hair colour. The Queen would never have ditched an appearance for a bs excuse like that. Neither would the queen mother. If people think it is mean to point out how Kate still hasn’t picked up her numbers since she was married in 2011 then too bad. It’s the truth and apparently people can’t handle it. When Kate does 250 engagements per year then she will deserve some praise. She has yet to do it despite all the keen promises. Whether or not she wears modern clothing while she does those engagements is irrelevant.
@Evie, I totally with you on this. I wouldn’t want to be friends with some on here! 😆
It does seem that in the past couple months there has been much more ugliness and hostility in the comments, but there’s always been criticism of Kate’s lack of ambition and style.
Sometimes I think she’s pulling way too much inspiration from 70’s fashion: those granny dresses.
THIS is her trying to look more modern?
In looking at the pictures of Kate with this post, suddenly that blue Ascot dress is looking pretty good. That girl needs serious fashion help.
Hmm. I do think that some of Kate’s fashion is somewhat on the edgier side these days. I think she still pulls out the good old coat dresses and the pencil skirts for staid, formal occasions (Trooping the Colour etc), but she’s expanded her horizons a little with some of the stuff she’s worn recently. It hasn’t always worked, of course, but I’d rather she actually try something different and fail as opposed to wearing the same silhouette 8000 times and be successful. I want her to keep experimenting, but now that Natasha Archer’s back, I dunno if that’ll happen going forward, which is a shame because she could stand to mix it up a bit.
Neither Kate nor Meghan are professional women. They are royal wives who married into a life of luxury and step out occasionally to cut ribbons & wave for the cameras to highlight some charitable cause while other people do the actual charity work. They might as well be comfortable & wear what they like. Holding either one of them up as a golden standard for what a working woman should aspire to dress like is ridiculous. They don’t commute to ‘work’, break their backs over ungratifying ground work or rush home to cook, clean and provide for their families. And no, Meghan is not the Patron Saint for working women just because she chooses to wear trousers sometimes.
Meghan most definitely is a professional woman. Unlike Kate, Meghan has worked for most of her adult life. I don’t know if Kate has ever held a job.
Princess of the United Kingdom is NOT a profession, no matter what it says on their kids’ birth certificates. Yes, Meghan had to hustle for an additional decade or so before landing HER prince and giving it all up, so I guess she has a longer work record. But let’s not pretend what they do now is actual work. Dressing up in designer wear sounds right for the nature of their current jobs.
Meghan is not a professional woman? stop being an idiot………Ignorance is not a bliss
@VS, it says more about you & your lack of maturity and education when you resort to name calling. Grown women don’t call each other ‘idiots’ on a gossip blog that exists just for guilty pleasure
Some people just aren’t stylish, and never will be. Kate’s not a fashion person. Even back in her pre-duchess days, when she could wear anything she wanted, it was all frumpy kitten heels and cable knit sweaters. She has never dressed to express any kind of individual style, she only dresses according to what she thinks someone of her social status and aristocracy should wear – hence the almost parodic Sloane ranger country outfits and the Edwardian princess dresses. What has always struck me about Kate’s style is that even her jewelry is frumpy and dated. It takes a truly un-stylish person to fuck up jewelry.
It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly makes someone stylish. It’s about expressing some kind of personality/charisma, as well as having an eye for interesting details like shoes and accessories. Mary of Denmark has it in spades. Maxima is also stylish – not everything she wears is a hit, but your eyes are always drawn to her anyway.
What is wrong with being unstylish? As you point out, some people (I would say the majority of people) just aren’t naturally stylish. Kate wears what she likes, she looks appropriate, that’s all that’s required of her in terms of physical appearance.
I agree with you that Maxima is stylish but Mary is a bit formulaic and kind of hit and miss for me.
She is overshot youthful and ended up at girlish. I don’t know anyone who dresses like her whether they work or are stay at home moms.. it’s baffling
I think she looks better than Kim Kardashian, which probably isn’t saying much. There aren’t really any fashionable people to follow like there were in previous decades, so I guess I feel Kate is doing alright. A lot of people look tacky nowadays so I think both Kate and Meghan have no real templates to follow, imo. The only thing you can do is follow the people who looked good in the past.
I think she has grown to be prettier. I’m not sure if that’s because we’ve grown to know her and thus there is a feeling of familiarity you get from seeing someone over time, but I think she’s prettier now than when she was just William’s girlfriend.
I do prefer her style, even if it is considered matronly, over the tackiness of other celebrities. I can’t really think of anybody who I would think of as fashionable today like people thought of other celebrities in decades past. To be honest, nobody really stands out. Or maybe we just have too many celebrities now. So I guess I think she looks fine.
Yeesh at that blue dress. Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep.
I’ve seen pictures of Kate occasionally in more modern cuts and she almost always looks good in a modern, pared-down look. Her inability to edit her love of frills and her total lack of edge ends up with the look wearing her rather than the other way around.
Kate doesn’t have a good eye for design and I wish she would make use of the resources she has around her. And to be fair, I think the same for Meghan. Having preferences and ideas are good but that doesn’t translate into being able to successfully execute those ideas. Let the professionals help!
She’s an EPIC failure in everything but giving birth to 3 beautiful kiddies.
Kate needs to go slightly darker with her hair, gain about 10-15 lbs, and stop wearjng the long torso dresses and colors that wash her out. Stick to jewel tones Kate! It’s like she has morphed into Rose in some of these pics.
Well, if Kate changed the narrative away from her appearance, THAT WOULD BE REFRESHING.
So far, that’s all she’s got in her game. And she is failing at the poker table.
I like her hair lately and apparently that’s due to the colour and no sausage rolls
The colour of the ascot dress really pops on her
I wish she had better posture
I think Kate’s Royal handlers are playing the long game to clean up her waitying, lazyness, and flashing mistakes and create the persona of her as the perfect wife and mother of the future king. Someday queen consort.
Over the past 10 years Kate has tried on many personas – many of which she can’t quite pull off. Art lover, mental health advocate, photographer, keen patron of X, sports enthusiast, author, etc. what has happened to these personas?
She does seem to have been “embiggened” over the past year and has given up crotch clutching and showing up for engagements to be keen and learn coming across as stiff – not really pulling it off.
In an effort to rewrite history she has been given a new persona – she now is a kid friendly outdoorsy gardener. Finally a persona she seems to be able to pull off to some degree. Maybe its that kids and the outdoors don’t expect her to say something intelligent or worldly. Or ask her difficult questions or expect anything of her. She can look amazing by talking about hiding in tents and staring up at the clouds and telling parents to let their kids play outside.
5 – 10 years ago she was never the kids loving outdoorsy gardening person -but that’s what kind of person she is being made into because she seems to be able to pull it off.
The clothes she wears are chosen to make her look marmish, safe and boring for a reason. – to create an image of her in the public eye so that people will accept her and think that she is the perfect mother, wife and future queen consort.
I always wonder if she thinks all this tinkering is worth it. I don’t think she married ONLY for love. I think she and her family wanted all the Royal perks. What do you think?
My opinion: She isn’t going to age well because she’s too thin. I’m sorry if anyone thinks it’s body-shaming. She looked younger when she was pregnant and had a little more weight on.
I agree with you. A few more pounds would give her a fuller face and look less weathered. I’m 43 and look much younger than her. Like they say, at a certain age, you have to choose. Either a lower weight and a harsher face. Or a higher weight and a fuller face. If you have a round face, you can get away with a lower weight and your face still looks good. She has a thin face like I do and being too thin can age it considerably.
kate Thinks the granny dresses make her look more youthful because they are not structured like her coat dresses. The problem is she can’t pull off the granny dresses because of her poor posture, lack of shoe game and boring hairstyles. She always looks old fashioned and dated.
Youthful? Hahahahaha.