2016 has brought us a “new and improved” Duchess of Cambridge, or so her PR would have us believe. Five years into her role as duchess, Kate is supposed to be feeling more comfortable in her royal role. We’re also supposed to believe that she’s successfully transitioned from her mass-market High Street looks to more expensive and sophisticated designer clothes. Personally, I don’t see much of a difference in her style in the past few years other than the price tags. Which I suspect is the point of this piece at the Daily Mail. While Prince Harry is shopping the bargain bins at Waitrose, Kate is spending her father-in-law’s money on undercooked cinnamon bun hats and doily dresses.
She was once hailed ‘Queen of the High Street’ for championing mid-range clothes within reach of the average woman’s budget. But the Duchess of Cambridge has been re-crowned the ‘Designer Duchess’ after replacing her trusted Zara dresses and Topshop bargains with haute couture. Once a reluctant style icon, Kate –who famously wore a £50 blue Zara dress the day after her wedding – is now almost exclusively choosing high-end gowns, coats and shoes.
And the 34-year-old’s new tastes do not come cheap. Much of her working wardrobe is paid for by the Prince of Wales, who funds William, Kate and Harry’s official activities. Royal accounts published last week show Charles’s ‘other expenditure’, which includes money spent on Kate and his sons, rose 9.5 per cent in a year to £3.2 million – although aides refused to specify how much of that went on Kate’s wardrobe.
The transition has come with the help of an in-house tailor and her personal dresser, 29-year-old Natasha Archer, also based in Kensington Palace. The most expensive item Kate has been seen in this year was a £7,000 pale blue Catherine Walker coat dress, which she wore to the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral last month. While her clothes are now of a better quality, she is increasingly ‘recycling’ outfits she has worn before, including a £2,000 cream-coloured Alexander McQueen coat dress seen at Trooping the Colour in June. And she has finally ditched her trusty £145 LK Bennett court shoes in favour of pumps by Milan-based Gianvito Rossi, costing about £450.
‘Kate is wearing pricier pieces for semi-formal engagements,’ says Susan Kelley, editor of the website What Kate Wore. ‘We’ve seen her in three Dolce & Gabbana lace dresses in the past year which cost more than £6,000 in total. Now, almost all of her special occasion dresses are upscale, luxury labels.’
I understand that her wardrobe is supposed to be seen as a “years-long transition,” rather than an overnight change from middle-class girlfriend to high-end duchess. But what strikes me about Kate’s wardrobe is that you really can’t tell which pieces are high-end and which pieces are mass market, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Some women – the Diane Krugers and Cate Blanchetts of the world – can make inexpensive clothes look rich. Some women – like Kate – make high-end pieces look mass-market. One of the biggest issues with Kate’s clothes is how much she’s spending on personalized tailoring, most of which is unneeded. Or worse yet, the tailoring actually screws up the look. And you have to look no further than her absolutely awful bespoke piece at the Battle of Somme centenary event last Friday to see that this is Kate’s (expensive) vision for how she’s supposed to look. All with Charles’ money!
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
She doesn’t know how to dress in high end clothes. She doesn’t know how to wear the fabulous jewelry at her disposal. She doesn’t know, or care, how to use her influence to help worthy causes. I’m not sure why she wanted to be William’s wife so terribly much. She seems very unsuited to the job, with the exception of her fertility.
She wanted the wealth, privelage and status; the things that theMiddletons prize above all else. That family has aspired to the highest social echelons for years, Carole will settle for nothing less than a title for her and her daughter being Queen consort.
Kate never card for the Royal role itself just what came with it.
You are clearly right. Sad, though.
We all know Kate won’t be Queen consort
We do?
@bluehare, William does not want to be King, and there has been a lot of people who want Harry to be King. Anything is possible in the royal family.
William is an idiot for marrying Kate. He should have asked himself what is he doing that puts off every other woman except for this one that wouldn’t give him a second glance if he were a middle class accountant? Yet, he doesn’t have the self-reflective ability to do so. And that is how we ended up with a duchess who is more interested in what her position can do for her than what she can do with her position to leave her country a better place for having her in it. What a wasted opportunity. A tragedy really.
Way harsh, Tai.
Kate reminds me of a roommate named Traci that I had in college who coincidentally was an art history major like Kate. Traci like Kate was in college primarily to find a man who could support her as a housewife. So, she dated a guy from Beverly Hills and then, dated an upper middle class guy who became a scientist. She now lives an upper middle class lifestyle in Virginia, which isn’t bad for a working class girl.
Traci like Kate was manipulative and ruthless in her pursuit of a man, even trying to get boyfriends away from their girlfriends when the couple had been together for three years. All because the guy looked like a good prospect.
Traci didn’t care about anything but her goal of moving herself up the ladder and having kids. Outside of that single minded focus, like Kate, Traci was a very unimaginative girl with pretty hair and not terribly bright.
I’m not kidding. Traci really does exist. I was her roommate and once she bragged to me about her superior bosom in comparison to my modest one. I thought to myself that it is far more important to have a good mind. A bosom will sag over time but if you use your mind, it willl stay sharp quite a bit longer.
Yep, I’ve had the interesting experience of rooming with a Kate.
Do you know if Traci is still married? Usually trophy wives have an expiry date when they age, especially if the only reason they were chosen was based on the external.
I won’t be shocked if they get divorced at the ten year mark. Not because of any laws, but they are five years out and already seem distant with each other, in a way that is similar to Charles and Diana. Kate will probably cling a lot longer, but if she continues on her pace of not doing very much charity wise and spending thousands on the outfits for the little she does do, I can see her being cut loose by Will, especially if the Queen isn’t around and the UK taxpayers start to question the point of supporting not only a symbolic head of state, but extended family members.
I looked Traci up on Facebook a couple of years ago when I ran across a mutual friend who still knows them. Shauna told me they manipulate each other a lot and don’t have a great marriage but neither of them seem to have it in them to pull the trigger. Plus, they’re raising three boys together, so who knows, maybe the kids are keeping them together. Time will tell once the youngest leaves home for good. A lot of couples split then.
Traci’s Facebook page makes Dan look like a saintly husband. I can tell you from experience, since I dated him briefly, he has flashes of empathy, mostly reserved for members of his own family and friends, but turns around a second later and is very selfish, even to those very same people. Kind of like William in a way when he throws Harry under the bus if it suits him in the moment.
Dan spends much more time being selfish than being empathetic but this didn’t seem to dissuade Traci. Her mother and aunt had scared Traci into thinking she needed to have a man ensnared before she graduated with her bachelors or she wouldn’t be successful in her husband hunt. I tried to tell Traci her female relatives had outdated thinking but I could tell my ideas went in one ear, rattled around in her head a bit, and shot straight out the other ear.
As for her, Traci complains A LOT about the man she is with behind his back to her close girlfriends. I imagine she hasn’t changed in that respect behind closed doors with Dan, her husband. And Shauna, our friend, confirmed it when I ran into her a few years back and she told me how Traci’s pursuit had turned out.
The parallels betweek Kate and Traci and William and Dan are kind of creepy the more I think about it.
I knew a girl like that too. She was after a guy for YEARS because he had money. Not very bright but ruthless. I mean she was like a character from a telenovela. Because she was my friend I spoke to her once just to tell her what she was doing was wrong (the guy was with someone else for years but she never gave up until he moved out of the country and even then…) . Her answer? You are still my friend because you are not a threat to me. (because I had a stable relationship at that time and I was pretty happy and not very beautiful according to her).
Anyway it takes a lot to land a guy as high up as Willy and if we think all it tales is love we are so wrong. It takes work and sacrifices and i think she did them all. And yes she wanted the status, the prestige and the money. She doesn’t understand the duty part and anyway Willy himself doesn’t
@ Elga, Traci once made a play for a guy who had been with his girlfriend for three years. They had an art history class together. Traci borrowed his notebook for study material and then, had him come to our apartment to pick it up where she had a spread of appetizers out on the cocktail table in our family room. I was so digusted with Traci for trying to break up this couple, I loudly told Traci I wanted to meet this guy, in case I wanted him for myself, wink, wink. When Traci’s hapless victim arrived, she ran outside to flirt with him at his truck before she gave him his notebook and he drove away. I sat in front of the spread on the cocktail table, watching Traci through a window with a smile on my face, popping appetizers in my mouth because I had helped that unknown, never met, girlfriend keep her man by throwing a wrench in Traci’s manipulative little plan. When Traci retuned to the apartment, Traci just shrugged her shoulder, flipped her long blonde hair and said the guy couldn’t stay and come in. I silently laughed, inwardly smiled to myself, and complimented her on her snacks.
I would imagine that Traci is probably not still married to the man she worked so hard to ensnare. Marriage like that tend not to last long
@India Andrews. That’s nothing. A friend of ours got married and she invited us all as a class (15 in total) to go to her reception in the evening of Saturday. Because the place was far away and only some guys at our group had cars we arranged to go all together in three cars. It was logical for this guy to pick me up first and some other girls near his house. She faked a medical emergency for him to go pick her up and go to the hospital where it turned out she had NOTHING. Some other things happened and none of us went to that damn wedding and our friend was so pissed at us for years. I apologized to her later and yes the truth came out as the guy spoke but the damage was done. He told me, when I confronted him later as to why he was hanging with her (the guy was a friend of mine mind you) that only for her behavior in time he would never ever be with her. He was with her only for sex. But I bet if he had stayed she would have won. Nothing was to much for her.
@ Elga. Wow! That is incredible.
India Andrews: I like your comment about bust size!
I have always been a smaller B cup.
When I was in my 20’s-30’s I remember 2 boyfriends paying me compliments about 10 years apart.
With the 1st guy we were talking about breast size and he said, “some women don’t need big boobs and you’re one of them.”
I also like the idea that as I’m aging my breasts aren’t sagging, at all!
When I’m 70 it could be a whole other issue, but right now … no issues.
I never thought I was pretty when I was in my teens, 20’s and 30’s.
During another conversation, years later, with another guy, he said, “You have no idea what you look like.”
Looking back at old photos I finally see what I looked like.
Youth is still wasted on the young.
So very true!!! Every point. She wanted a job which she is completely temperamentally unsuited for and doesn’t care enough to even TRY to make a go of it.
I’m baffled.
That coat dress, while detailed, did not look THAT detailed. wow. The gunne sax monstrosity can be repurposed as a table cloth at least. But I still love the cinnamon bun. Hoping she comes out in a hot dog hat soon.
Lol, you crazy.
Maybe she could borrow Beatrice’s cute orange-and-orange-peel fascinator?
At least Beatrice keeps fashion appearances interesting. I love her for that.
I like Beatrice’s orange hat! I was just going with the food theme. She makes some big fashion mistake but some good wins. She experiments and I think it is fun.
Me too.
Kate may be 34 but she dresses like she’s in her 60’s to 70’s.
And why does she only believe in tan, navy, and black shoes?
Maybe she could spend some of that money on new shoes and a makeup artist…
I’m with you Kaiser. What’s the point of buying expensive designer clothing if all you’re going to do is deconstruct and then recconstruct said clothing? Such a waste of money. She, and the British taxpayer, would be better off if she just looked to designers for clothing ideas and then hire a really good seamstress to custom make something specific to her proportions. Or is that too difficult for the Duchess to understand? The queen’s personal designer/ seamstress Angela Kelly does a great job with the Queen’s wardrobe IMO. Why does Kate have to reinvent the wheel over and over again with the same poor results almost every time? SMH
And that Ascot dress still looks cheap weeks later. So ugly….
It’s taken her 5 years to finally understand that the world doesn’t want to see the Royal biscuit. She’s clueless, classless and ignorant.
And a giant maw of greed.
She’s had everything custom made and tailored- yet somehow unable to get those pesky dresses to stop rising- what a mystery!
Maybe she has no money left for some weights?
Give Charles a ring girl , ask him for a special biscuit allowance.
The custom designs she has from Burton, Wickstead, etc. are mostly unattractive and poorly-tailored. Combination of talentless designers and a client with bad ideas?
I can see why The Queen barely gives her jewelry to wear. She can’t wear high end clothes well and jewelry well. Anyways, does this mean Charles pays for her shoes and jewelry?
You mean taxpayers hard earned money. Glorious and celebrated corruption by the biggest con family that ever conned.
Exactly!
I just finished watching ‘The Queen at 90’ I am an unabashed admirer of The Queen, she is our head of state, she reminds me very much of my great aunt…who i loved (right down to the hairdo) and I think she is the polar opposite of disposable celebrity, which is good for a bit of fun, but in the end I prefer substance.
Anyway, Kate’s voice WAS annoying in the doco as you all said in previous posts…..but I thought she was really really nervous, she seemed to nearly be weeping when she told her chutney story. I thought …is she grateful for being included in palace life? and it makes her teary, or has she got a nervous disorder? or is she just very fey? I found her strange. I do public speaking for a living so I admit to being a bit unable to relate to such anxiety at being interviewed so maybe its my lack of empathy. …re her wardrobe, it seems boring, dull and again….a bit perplexing. She is definitely an odd bod.
With due respect to your head of state, i don’t think she is anything special. She strikes me as an extraordinary greedy person. What are her achievements at the end of the day besides existing for so long.
Mafia families come to mind.
Opinions on the BRF notwithstanding, and I probably agree with you on a lot of it, but she and her husband are working into their 90’s so she certainly has taken what she believes to be her duty to heart.
I can’t disagree, bluhare, that she has always acted upon what she perceives as her duty. This is nullified, I believe, with her sense of entitlement for herself and her family and the consequences thereof.
Well, the expression “Charles’ money” is misleading. It’s either their money (as much as it is Charles’) or it’s the taxpayer’s. She married into that family so it’s her money too. It’s like saying a stay-at-home-mom is spending her husband’s money.
Anyway. I agree that she makes everything (most things) look dowdy and unsophisticated. Maybe she should stop trying so hard, it’s clearly not paying off. Or hire a proper stylist. Does Archer have a fashion background? Katy always looks like she’s playing dress-up in her mother’s clothes, it never looks natural. She needs to have a chat with Letizia or Mary.
It doesn’t belong to any of them. It comes from the Duchy, which is ultimately owned by the taxpayers. Come the revolution, Charles doesn’t get to keep the Duchy as his personal property. He’s supposed to be the steward, using the money in the best way for the people while using a reasonable portion to enable himself (and offspring) to do the work of the Duchy.
Out of that money, he pays some of W&K&H costs to the tune of $4.5 million a year but that doesn’t include the millions in security costs. He doesn’t personally own the money, but he takes all of her expenses (clothing, jewelry, hairdressers) off on his taxes as business expenses.
The Anmer costs, including the new $100,000, come from a mixed pot where things are deliberately obscured. Anmer is the Queen’s “private property” but over a million of taxpayer money was spent on it and hushed up. The rest comes from a mixture of Duchy and Charles’s personal money. Rumors of public fights between Charles, W&K over money from lip readers who watched them at a memorial service last year.
In the event of divorce, the BRF has played a very good game. None of the houses or furnishings belong to William, they belong to the nation or the Queen personally. KM’s divorce payout would be limited to William’s personal inheritance.
Whether you agree or disagree that duchy money is public money, it is fact that money he spends on WHK’s office and public life is a tax write off for Charles. That part is definitely taxpayer funds she is spending not family money and definitely not hubby’s money.
It’s so bizarre to me that despite hubby having millions of his own, he continues to take his father’s money. And that’s before you touch upon his use of taxpayer money.
What gets me, LAK is that William is said to really dislike his father because of what happened between his parents but yet, he thinks nothing of expecting Charles to foot the over-growing bill for his and Kate’s every whim. If Charles were smart and considering the public is becoming wise the Cambridge games, he should claw back money until the Cambridges come to the realization that they are indebted to the British taxpayer and must work that debt off. Or use William’s own money but he’s too cheap for that.
Lisa,
If there were a truthful coat of arms for the BRF, the word “entitlement” (in Latin, of course) would be prominent.
Thanks, ladies. That’s what I’m saying though. This entire operation is technically funded by the taxpayer and if you look at the details, you could say that there really is no private property/income. The headline makes it sounds like she’s a golddigger who’s spending her father in law’s money. If we object to her spending someone else’s money, we need to object to Charles and the Queen doing the same, whether they work harder or not. This makes it sound like the little commoner is freeloading. If she is, they all are but then it’s not on her alone.
Yes, they are all freeloaders. She’s just more obvious about it.
I know she is in a privileged position, but I feel for her. Genetics has left me with someone lovely things in life, but good looks are not one of them. It’s difficult going out in public and knowing that you are being judged and often failing to meet people’s expectations. You try something new in response to comments; it fails, so you retreat to what you knew before and that inspires continued criticism. Even the version of Catherine that people applaud (weight-wise, hair-wise, etc.) seems to have been a lot of work in the making.
A good support system is more than money. It doesn’t seem like she has effective support around her. I always find it odd that she never seems to be around women friends. Or any friends, really. She chose this life, but I wonder how much she could have understood what she was choosing. And, yes, there are people worse off but sympathy needn’t be of a finite quantity.
I also feel like her marriage life isn’t as lovey-dovey as she and the media likes to portray.
I always follow the Kate posts and so this morning it amused me that I couldn’t remember the most expensive garment she apparently bought, the Catherine Walker coat – I had to google it and then when I saw it again, I just thought to myself ‘that thing needs to disappear forever’. I don’t understand some of her choices lately. And I don’t understand why she’d spend that much when she rarely does much of anything.
But mostly, Kate has an image problem that she has brought on herself. I don’t see that changing anytime soon, unfortunately. If she’d buckle down and show some initiative and start working more, perfecting public speaking, and embrace her role – then it wouldn’t matter what her wardrobe looks like. She’s been a real disappointment in my opinion. I had some hope for her early on, but it went downhill rather quickly after that wedding. Her husband is even worse!
So true Vava, if Kate doesn’t want to be known as a clothes horse then it would behoove her to quit acting like one. And if she can’t manage to do more than wear great clothes, she really needs a stylist. It is quite a shame that all the promise and hope after the wedding has come to nothing.
Yes. I actually liked her style more in the era of the Whistles bird dress. Remember that? But she was younger then and it seemed more suitable. She hasn’t really found her footing in the adult department.
The McBurton Scotch dress was $8000. Was the Catherine Walker coat more than that?
Reading the DM article, I had an epiphany. When she was a college girl/girlfriend, we loved her style and she received lots of kudos for it. When she did have formal events, she was still allowed to wear Issa, which truly suited her. Based on these early experiences, she got a false sense of security that she had great taste and great style. (also applies to her hair and makeup).
Fast forward five years, her limitations are clearly showing. The designers she seeks for clothing need “The Kate Effect” to sell their clothing (which i would imagine is diminishing or will be soon) and so they indulge her. Even if the end product isn’t impressive, let’s be real, there are a lot of us out there that didn’t know who Emilia Wickstead was until Kate. Her people, the assistants, tailor, hairstylists have to indulge her or they lose their jobs. See: Richard Ward. Basically she’s surrounded by yes people who don’t have the guts to tell her what she’s doing not working.
She’s allowed to wear Issa, but I think Camilla Fayed buying the company soon after the engagement is the reason she stopped wearing it.
Emilia Wickstead was a known society designer whose target was ladies who lunch. Kate has made her world famous, but for the wrong reasons ie all of Kate’s clothing from her is exceptionally poor examples of what Emilia can do.
People like Bruce Oldfield and Catherine Walker were open about the collaborative process that went into their creations for Diana, but given the poor results of Kate’s final public results, and the fact that those same mistakes keep showing up no matter the designer, it’s easy to conclude that it’s not a collaborative process, more a dictation and no one is versed enough or dares to point out the bad details.
These same designers manage to send out clothing that doesn’t have those design or tailoring flaws, so the conclusion is that it is her.
Is the “Kate Effect” even real?
No, Kitty, the Kate Effect isn’t real. She buys stuff past season, puts it away, and brings it out when it is already sold out.
While I agree the Kate effect is diminishing, it is still there for some. When she wore those dresses in India that were off the rack they sold out almost immediately. That being said, it’s a certain sect of the population…not all.
@notasugarhere, that’s what I was thinking. Adele I think it is diminishing.
LAK – please spill the tea on Camilla Fayed. I thought they were all friends and she was invited to the concert in Diana’s memory. Went looking and the DM has pulled the article from that time, ‘Why has Mohamed Fayed’s daughter been invited…’ from 2007.
I’m guessing she now fancies herself a fashion revolutionary. She has an art history background, ya know. She dictated to Vogue stylists. She has endless buckets of money and power and access to the greatest designers to cannibalise. With all that going for her, she is a fashion visionary on a trajectory of carefully crafting the Queen Of The Future , Present Princess. She sees all and knows all better than you peasants. She’s the Donald Trump of fashionistas.
She’s on a mission to make beige fashionable for the first time in history! She’ll do it, if it’s the last thing she’ll do.
LOL Hyacinth!
I love how the press tries to make her out to be some kind of fashion plate, wooing the world with her spectacular sense of style. She isn’t. Which is fine, because neither is the Queen, or Anne, or Sophie. What they are, however, is hard working.
Imagine this scenario: after the wedding, Kate came out and personally announced a few charities she picked to work with. She then spent 5 days a week at them, talking to the people, giving speeches, learning about their problems by going into hospitals (like Diana did) or poor areas, really working for those disadvantaged or sick people. Her hair is pretty, but it’s always back because she’s working and the focus is on the work. She wears pant suits, or slacks and a jacket, flats or low heels, because it’s work. She dresses up for galas, etc., but normally wears Letizia -like work clothes, sans the leather culottes.
Do you all think she’d be getting criticism? Mocked by people for plain hair and business-like clothes? No. She would be admired and appreciated. The citizens would love her.
Simple. Do your job, and the public would have nothing to criticize. Right? Never happen with Barbie Kate.,
Kaiser is so right on this subject: Kate can take high end and make it look mass produced. Kate simply doesn’t have the “it factor” she can not pull it off. It’s something one is born with; you either have “it” or you don’t (pun not intended) and no matter how much money she may spend she never will. The same goes for her connection with the events she attends. There is no empathy, it doesn’t translate that she cares. She seems detached. That too is something you are born with. Make no mistake, she can work on it and get better at that piece. I’m dumbfounded at how much she is allowed to get away with. May HM knows the time will be at hand when the monarchy will be no more and simply has said enough baby sitting.
And I forgot how bad that white lace dress looks. It’s like a costume out of some bad frontier musical.
IKR? All she needs is some cowboy boots and a Dolly-Partonesque wig, and yee-har! How absolutely hideous that white lace toilet-paper-cover thingy is. Good grief.
I’m just musing, though, about style and its development… I think most people would agree that Diana had “it” – she frequently looked effortlessly elegant, in particular towards the end of her life. But then: there were those times in the 80s when she looked absolutely goppingly awful. Was that due to the styles that were in fashion back then (they appear awful now, but didn’t at the time)? Or did she undergo a transformation over time, becoming more confident and making better fashion choices? (In other words, will Kate undergo the same process?)
Diana went to fashion editors to overhaul her style every few years. Most famously Vogue overhauled her style the first time. And every time she had a new hairstyle, it was the work of Sam Knight, a hairstylist she met on that initial vogue overhaul and returned to each time she needed an updated hairstyle.
As for the fashion, 80s fashion *was* hideous, and Diana like the rest of the fashionable world looks terrible in hindsight, but was the height of fashion then.
By the 90s, fashion had evolved into simpler, minimalist lines, and Diana’s fashion and hairstyle reflected that evolution.
Even though she wore the outrageous 80s fashion, Diana wore it with confidence. Her outfits were appropriate for the occasion and accessorized with flair from head to toe.
“But then: there were those times in the 80s when she looked absolutely goppingly awful. Was that due to the styles that were in fashion back then (they appear awful now, but didn’t at the time)?”
I think it was a combination of the decade and the fact that she was so young. She was only 20 when she married. Who has good taste at that age? It’s hard for me to think of anybody. As you get older, your taste refines.
She still looked good in some of those weird outfits though when I look at pictures on Google Images. Like, you can tell the outfit would look terrible on anyone else, but her face or something or other saves it. I think she had that quality those fashion models have where they can weird the strangest junk and it looks good on them and horrible on everyone else.
Imo, part of what throws Kate’s look off is her horrible posture, lack of “presence” and incessant crotch clutching. Any woman can look like regal and well put-together with good posture and self confidence but Kate’s hunched shoulders, jutting chin and lack of self confidence ruin even the most beautiful bespoke pieces. Also, Kate seems to lack the ability to “style” her outfits, it seems that she just throws on the dress or coat, puts on her usual black pumps, picks up the same clutch (which is promptly glued to her nether region) and goes out the door with no thought to what might “finish” the look and make it pop. Lastly, she needs to stop Natasha from tailoring or re-tailoring her dresses, if it needs to be done then it’s best to have a trained tailor do it properly instead of letting a PA muck it up.
She’s inadvertently done a public service – my guess is more people are standing up straight because they don’t want to look like HER. I still haven’t figured out the jutting jaw, I wonder if that came about while she was trying to change her accent?
This!! I’m more conscious of my posture now cos hers makes me so stabby
She has a bit of an underbite (where the bottom stick out over the top) which has been accentuated by the OTT attempts at an uber posh voice. There was nothing wrong with her accent before.
Hihihi, vava you are so right. I have always had a horrible posture, but I pay much more attention now, after all those hideous pictures of her.
The jutting jaw comes from her underbite IMHO.
And the underbite may be combining with a need to enunciate her fake posh accent.
I think a lot of it is seriously her bad posture (something I’m horribly guilty of) stand up straight!!! But I Love that she has been wearing her hair up so much lately
It doesn’t matter whether she’s wearing high street or haute couture, it shows that she has no style. She needs to invest in a stylist. Tash is not cutting it.
Why is Charles obligated to pay for this overtly Incompetent’s clothing? Why can’t her arrogant husband pay for them?
Good question! Charles is a wuss. And Willy, a putatively grown man, shamelessly let’s Daddy take care of the bills.
I am telling you William and Kate’s marriage is not a strong one.
Her face is so confusing to me. I think she’s pretty and not pretty at the same time. Why can’t I decide??? Not that I have any right to be critiquing her, but since her looks are a big part of her image….the thought always crosses my mind.
Photoshopped vs. not? Regular bored expression vs. her over-the-top ones?
There is a site that mirror-imaged different celebrity faces, Suggest “Two faces of 12 Celebs”. Her face is very asymmetrical. Maybe that is part of it? You find one side more appealing?
Maybe. It’s like I think she has the right ingredients to be catapulted into the great beauty category, but then something doesn’t connect properly. I’m sure her make-up doesn’t help — but I see lots of celebs wear weird make-up and they still look good. Diana wore that strange blue eyeliner, but I could still tell that something about her beauty was different. Even with the bad make-up I feel Kate should be really pretty, but then some spark is missing. If she weren’t thin in that way that the media likes, I wonder if I’d consider her that attractive though. I vaguely remember thinking her looks were not highly distinguishable when she was just the girlfriend of William, even though she looked good in a tank top and jeans.
I think she is living proof that hair, makeup and good styling can make or break someone. Especially in photographs. And that getting super skinny ages you. That’s why I am enjoying my muffin this morning! To look young and plump. Lol.
LMAO. My mom was making me feel terrible about my weight until I saw Kate and realized my mom wanted me to be that skinny at my age which would age me terribly. Now I tell mom to eff off and I order a pizza.
I’ve never thought her super pretty, but I think her overdone eyebrows and loose hair contribute to that. She looks better without all that hair hanging down– it overpowers her face. I wonder what she would look like in a pixie cut? The way she carries herself doesn’t help, either. Her shoe game is terrible. I’ve actually liked some of the dresses she’s worn. The bespoke beige lace, imo, was very pretty on her. I usually like her hats/fascinators.
ITA. I think it’s the plastic surgery and orthodontics she’s had. It took her face from pretty and interesting to boringly perfect, proving once again you can have too much of a good thing. And her hair. Hairstyle is such a big part of one’s look, and hers does absolutely nothing for her.
She needs a serious haircut. But it is like a security blanket to her at this point. She would look so much better with chin length hair with layers. And makeup wise she needs to step into the most recent decade. The heavy eyeliner was the thing in the 80s and 90s if you were goth and she is too young to have been a part of that. Basically she replicates her mother’s makeup style. Same with the blush. How many women under 50 even bother with blush? They don’t need it unless they have a layer of heavy foundation caked on.
She has access to great makeup artists and needs to use them. Her style is basically TOWIE, which doesn’t fit her current role.
Chin length hair to accentuate her underbite? Awesome.
She needs to call Vogue and have someone there style her and get a real makeup artist.
That would involve self awareness. I’m not sure she has that.
im torn on her. On one hand, I think she’s a simple insecure girl that got pushed into this by an overbearing mother and is now being pushed around by an overbearing husband. On the other hand, I believe in free will….and Diana was a shy insecure girl at first too. People evolve. Not sure why Kate has gone in the opposite direction.
When you read Diana’s story, setting aside the sacrificial lamb aspect of it, there are little glimpses of self-possession eg how she treated her step mother, how she knew to fake country-girl persona if it got her the ring, and it did, showing off her aristo credentials to some woman who thought she was a poor working class nanny etc.
She appeared meek, but the signs were always there that she was a fighter.
Kate has never shown any such signs. She’s only shown signs of doing what she has to do to fit in a group, never signs of leading or dictating or even fighting for herself.
LAK, I don’t think she’s as meek and mild as you do. Shoving aside other women, bullying the Yorks, cozying up to Tanna, mean girling at Wimbledon with Pippa, evil-eyeing any competitors to William’s attention.
Members of their set detail how controlling she is at social events, how territorial she has been about William. She all but peed in a circle around him to claim her territory.
It takes determination to cling like a limpet for a decade, do nothing in the face of criticism about his lazy partying girlfriend, and stick two fingers up at the people and the monarchy. I think William found someone as lazy as he is, but I think she plays the game and gets what she wants out of it.
Remember FLORC’s timeline of it? He was off on a multi-day hunting trip when she drove herself past two hospitals to get to the one where Tanna was waiting. Proof William was away from her, so he came running for the photo call exiting the hospital. Caught hunting with Jecca? She gets 10 days alone with him in the Maldives. Her public comment about him being gone the first six months of their son’s life, he runs back and plays happy families for a bit.
She let’s him do what he wants, because it gets her the status, money, shopping that she wants. Whenever he goes too far over the line, she publicly makes a negative comment about him or she gets a posh vacation out of him. They use each other because it gets them both what they want.
I agree, NAS. Kate possesses a cold and calculating and vicious tenacity. Meanwhile, she plays up the fragile flower because obviously, it has worked for a very long time- she’s “well taken care of”, does the bare minimum. She’s a master manipulator, just like Mummy.
I don’t disagree with you NAS. I think all that is present because that is the only th8ng she cares about. She’s got single minded focus and is ruthless about getting and keeping it, but i still think she doesn’t have the core of steel that Diana had.
Diana’s core strength allowed her to take on the Palace and win. That strength was present long before she married in.
Kate has only William to keep happy. That might be challenging, but she’s had over ten years to deal with him and so far so good. Despite the bubble created around her eg middleton rules bubble, public perception is challenging her and she doesn’t have the strength to withstand that or to bend it to her will.
Within her bubble she can manipulate, but in terms of the greater picture, there is no strength. Or rather, she has Carole. As long as Carole is available to be her strength, she will be ok, even if Carole tends to side with William.
I dont know what to think about Kate’s style. She has access to the best that other people’s money can buy but there is always something not right about her. I believe the unlimited funding of her clothes is a pay-off for doing more engagements. Camilla, also funded by Charles, wears the same clothes regularly and no-one comments on it in the media. Possibly because there is more to her than just her clothes. There is definitely something not right with Kate which may come out over the next few years
#goodnamesalltaken u are soooooo right!!!!!!¡! she basically married William because of his benefits. she can NEVER be Diana. in the picture where bshes wearing white she looks like a late person.in d one with William she looks wobbly… can someone kindly tell her to STOP putting on heel she can’t walk on?
I am telling you I don’t even think William wanted to marry Kate and that their marriage isn’t as lovey dovey.
We know why she married William. What I’d like to know is why he married her???
I think he was desperate. I mean do we all really think they are close knit family?
Some of the best humanitarians like Diana took their pain and turned it into beauty.
So, for example, some of the best rehab counselors were addicts themselves. So e of the best therapists for abuse victims were abused themselves.
Kate has had such a charmed life what pain does she have to spin into gold? The pain of waiting for a boyfriend to propose? The pain of losing herself as she adopts her mother’s ruthless ambition to the top of the social ladder? What? I’m not seeing anything but an ambitious mother and daughter who care only for themselves and pay lip service to the royal family and th UK.
There should be pain in the realization you’ve lost yourself in pursuit of a goal but I don’t think Kate has made that realization. I think she is satisfied with the status, clothes and vacations. She isn’t looking at the price she has paid for those benefits.
Disclaimer: I’m from middle class America. I know NOTHING of the British social classes, just what I’ve read.
That being said, I think there’s more than meets the eye to Kate. Having the posh friends call her “doors to manual” and “the Wisteria Sisters”, “limpet,” and god knows what else would be…emotionally challenging. Perhaps I’m weak sauce but having those people openly mock me while my “boyfriend” cheats on me…I couldn’t do it. Pride, for me, takes precedence over ambition.
She could be a great advocate for eating disorders…. But that would require that she sort herself out first.
Nic919……………I doubt that would ever happen.
#@perplexed….u can’t seem to decide if she’s pretty or not because of it name….. lol…notwithstanding she’s actually NOT pretty.my mom said so and she’s a huge fan of the Royal family, I hold her opinions in high esteem. Kate isn’t pretty Shea beginning to look more like her mom, mama meddleton
In prior threads there have been book recommendations to read up on the royals, in particular Diana. Can you guys list those again? Which are the best?
I wasn’t one of those commenters but a fave of mine is “The Diana Chronicles” by Tina Brown. She was the editor of Tatler in Diana’s day and knows her subject matter well. It’s a really good read without, in my opinion, showing favor to Diana or bashing her. I feel like so many books, especially posthumous, have been either tabloid esque ridiculousness or fawning “she was a saint” fantasy.
I also like “Diana in Search of Herself” by Sally Bedell Smith.
I would recommend Andrew Morton’s books for sure. “The Housekeeper’s Diary” by Wendy Barry was fun to read if you want to know about what Harry & William liked to do as little boys, playing at Highgrove, their birthday parties, more about everyone’s day-in-the-life at home etc. “Diana Her Last Love” by Kate Snell if you want to know about her true love Hasnat Kahn, the family cooperated and there are personal photos.
Over the years, I came to realize Tina Brown, Ingrid Seward and Penny Junor were all mouthpieces for Charles & Camilla, so they can give you their side if you are interested.
Thanks everyone!
I disagree vehemently with Morton’s book on Diana – her story. That book was a vicious ghostwritten diatribe designed to make Charles and the family look as evil as possible. It was written at her lowest ebb and looking for revenge for her unhappy life that she decided to blame on Charles. Parts have been debunked for the outright lies she told and she came to regret writing that book. Just like that horrific panorama interview.
Agree 100 percent w LAK. Andrew Morton book was ridiculous. Fawning and full of lies.
If she were working, no one would give a damn how much she spends on her clothes. I’m sure the Queen, Princess Anne and the Duchess of Cornwall benefit from the best possible tailoring, even if they are not fashion plates. HM even has her shoes and handbags custom-made, not for the stylishness, but for the perfect fit and customization. Her wardrobe probably costs a pretty penny, and that’s fine. If Kate would follow their lead in all things, no one would begrudge the costliness of her clothes.
I think Kate could do away with all the speculation about cost if she just stopped buying name designers, and had all her clothes made for her by an in-house designer and tailor. Besides HM, Maxima of the Netherlands and Victoria of Sweden both do that, IIRC, and they both certainly have strong senses of personal style.
I just realised that what’s really offensive to me about her Battle of the Somme costume beyond the attention getting beige lace is her perky little hat. Because nothing says “perky” like mourning and remembrance.
I can’t believe she has 3 Dolce&Gabbana lace dresses. Are they all white, too? She needs to be an intelligent shopper (or hire one).
Her latest efforts have been better and more “royal-like” than the past 5 years combined.
She has 4. This white monstrosity cost £4000. She has 3 of the same lace dress in different colours retailing at under £2000 each. She wore the first (red) of the 3 dresses during the chinese visit, then wore a black version a few weeks later and a green version a few months after that.
Based on what she’s worn publicly, she’s spent just under £10K on 4 lace Dolce dresses.
I have a friend who buys the same thing in different colours… she just does it with vests at Old Navy. Not quite the same, but still strange.
I sometimes wonder the kind of clothes she has and we’ve never seen her wear publicly. How much money has been truly invested in her clothes.
Um.. ..didnt Diana spend a ton of money on clothes? Kate may not be the humanitarian Diana was.. .at least not yet
Anyway I think her fashion sense is fabulous! She doesnt look dowdy to me!
It reminds me of when the press conpares Michelle Obama unfavorably to Jackie O. Does everybody need to be anorexic and white to be considered fasionable?
the DM is grasping at anything positive due to Brexit – I don’t think people care what the royals are doing they are all worried about their jobs and mortgages. The high street is suffering can’t believe I am saying that after such an incredible positive run with regard to UK fashion, we are all afraid to go out and buy. Kate if she wants to fly the flag for Britain May have to consider ditching bespoke for high street labels again to give the industry a boost.