Wow, this is a great example of “When Duchess Kate’s Theme-Dressing Goes Right.” Kate loves to theme dress, so when attending the annual Chelsea Flower Show, she usually chooses to wear something resembling a plant. To be fair, most women attending the flower show do the same thing – there are always so many floral-patterned dresses at the Chelsea Flower Show! But this feels like the first time I’ve ever had to give Kate an appreciative slow-clap for getting it dead-right. Kate attended the Chelsea Flower Show on Monday – the day before it opened to the general public – in this £1,500 Rochas dress. That is insanely expensive for this dress, but this is one of first times where I have to say… Charles’ money was well-spent on this piece. It’s gorgeous and flattering on her. She looks fantastic in green.
Apparently, Kate loves flowers and gardening and she grows her own potatoes???
Just two days after celebrating her sister Pippa Middleton‘s wedding to James Matthews, Princess Kate was back to business as she joined Queen Elizabeth for the annual Chelsea Flower Show in London on Monday. During her visit, Kate toured several of the garden exhibits and saw the special “William and Catherine Rose,” which was named in 2012 following the couple’s royal wedding.
Kate, who has revealed her royal green thumb in the past (she likes to grow potatoes in her garden at home!), admired the display alongside other members of the royal family, including Princess Eugenie, who also attended Middleton’s big wedding bash on Saturday. And Kate proved she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty — as she ate a tomato off the floor.
BBC Radio 2 host Chris Evans offered the royal a cherry tomato from his Radio Two “taste garden” at the show. And despite dropping it on the decking, the down-to-earth princess was happy to pop it in her mouth.
“It’s delicious and sweet,” she told Evans. And while on the BBC Radio 2 show itself, she added: “I loved it. I’m just getting into gardening with the children.”
The royal family has their own expansive kitchen garden at Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, where they grow asparagus. But Kate revealed she has had to teach Prince George, 3, not to eat the foxgloves [wild flowers] — as they’re poisonous.
Describing her own growing efforts, she said: “It makes such a difference when you take it from the ground.”
George runs around and tries to eat foxglove??? Whoa. Foxglove is digitalis, which can be very dangerous. I wonder if Kate really does spend a lot of time in her kitchen garden or if she has people for that. I also wonder if Kate is truly as earthy as she’s been vibing lately. First she was talking about how she always wanted to be a farmer, and now she’s talking about how much she loves her kitchen garden? Where’s the girl who used to live in London and fall out of nightclubs all through her 20s???
The Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge have toured Britain's World famous Chelsea Flower Show. #9Today pic.twitter.com/n3NF9RNlzA
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) May 22, 2017
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I have to disagree.
IMO, that’s not a dress a 35-year-old woman should wear. It’s a frumpy frock and it ages her.
Duchess has worn this before, right? In one of the pictures released for Prince George’s 1st birthday and the little cutie is chasing a butterfly. She and Prince William are smiling at George as he reaches for a butterfly.
No, that was a different dress.
http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/galleries/x701/52097.jpg
That dress is much nicer. While I appreciate the great hair, and the appropriate length (for bending down and looking at the flowers), this dress is matronly with the high neck. Makes her look more broad-chested than she already is with her inverted triangle shape. Also, that “flounce” halfway down the skirt…just no. (And for the money this schmata costs, the pattern should’ve been lined up between the dress and the flounce, IMO).
Otherwise, kudos for the nice hair, and she does seem to be engaged while there 😊💐🍃🌷
Not the same. And look at the belt high above – too much flouncy material on her dieted bones.
HM Is TQ beutiful! Countess Sophie, the York Princess all look lovely. Princess Bea even wore flats.
.
I suspect we are going to see a lot more of Pippa in the coming months because Kate’s boring style cannot possibly sell papers.
Harry and Meghan need to make it official before the paps all go under.
Horrible and frumpy
I love that picture of George – he was such a little button!!! It makes me miss when my three 20somethings were babies. 🙁
It’s another Busia dress, like her dress on Saturday. Too old.
Yeah, both dresses don’t do her any favors.
Agree, it’s a granny dress. It might have looked better if it was cut to just below the knee. The print isn’t too bad, though.
Agreed. The dress isn’t flattering, and the color doesn’t do her any favors. I do like that she has her hair pulled off her face, so thumbs up for that I guess.
I think the color is okay but the rest .. well yeah. I agree with the hair part.
+1 for frumpy. And too expensive for a matronly sundress.
And that frumpy dress costs ₤1500, unbelievable.
Like the £1m wedding – all frump. This is just the same – expensive frumpiness! Gosh entitled lazy smugness has no class or style. Many of us would wear these cheaper pieces design with so much more elegance and style.
As to the MW middletons and celebrity wh….. pepa – with est 1million spent on her wedding. Were always on private jet vacations – now famewh… PR sale they hoping to recover wedding cost (from photo sales) that pipa carol middletons is hoping to gain )- are now traveling commercial to be PR pap in airports.
Well, welcome to the reality of the real world, which just ERASE carol pips waity famewh… celebrity climbing and the hope to extend the circus for mags photo sales – to recover their expenses.
They may have hidden Prince Harry Meghan away- lets see middleton hangers on celebrity wh….. try to PR remove the reality of life –
Prayers and Blessings to everyone!
Yeah, don’t like it either. It’s too dowdy. Dangit, how hard is it to find a beautiful floral dress? This is like the easiest fashion task ever! Also, plenty of people partied and lived in cities when they were in their 20s, and then they stopped. It’s called growing up.
Eww, I disagree, too. It’s too dark and dowdy.
That dress is atrocious.
This times ten. Charles has been had.
Gonna say it. Other than the weird seaming at the hip (looks a bit ruffly), I like it. I’d have really liked it if it just flowed without the weird seamy thing.
I couldn’t care less about her dress. She’d better get her ass over to Manchester to show her face in whatever black dress she’s got. That’s her job!
I’m with you there, Flora. That’s exactly what they should be doing.
I don’t like it at all, either. It has no flair, no pizazz and the length/silhouette is very old.
It’s a classic, and the colour is great on her, but she needs a necklace.
I’m joining the legion of bemused readers, wondering where this amazing dress is that is being spoke of?
It’s matronly, aging, and utterly boring. Why is she trying to dress like a grandmother? (No offence meant grandmothers!)
So where is this amazing dress? ; )
Agreed. I thought it was a sarcastic header. That dress is so frumpy. My 96 year old grandma would look great in it.
I think it looks”wonky?” In the shoulders and chest area. Like it doesn’t quite fit right.
That was my first thought too.
Not fitting well for so much money. But the green print has potential.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I just can’t with her makeup, she always looks like she fell into a rouge box.
Too much blush, too much eyeshadow. Kate should really take a leaf from her sister’s book and tone down the harsh makeup. I think it would do wonders for her.
She should hire a makeup artist she’s just not good with makeup. Her mother looks the same, guess she learned it from her.
She would look better/younger if she would stop with the rouge, it’s always too much.
And stopped with the under the eye liner. It’s not a flattering daytime look on any woman over the age 22
Pretty dress.
I spent my 20’s partying and my 30’s gardening, in my 40’s I mostly admire the gardener’s work.
That was a good one.
In my 40’s I point stich roses. They stay fresh a bit longer-it saves me a lot of gardening…
Yea, I did plenty of falling in my 20s. And I like the IDEA of having a kitchen garden.
I love the idea of it too but yea gods it’s hard blinking work, especially if you have a day job too and a house to run. For Kate it must be pretty darn idyllic – poss a bit less so for her gardener. Plus I’d rip the head off any toddler coming within 100 yards of my tender seedlings! As an aside she ‘grows asparagus’? From experience this is also blinkin hard work and takes about a decade for the bed to establish itself. Got a few years to go there Katie.
A kitchen garden is legit very easy! Get some planter boxes, planter soil, a collection of herbs, plant them, and enjoy fresh herbs all summer. They are basically weeds, so as long as you water them as needed and fertilise every 3 months or so (basically once during the summer!) super low maintenance.
That said…you can buy a lot of herbs for the amount you spend. This year I’m in it for $15 of soil and $25 of plants already. The planter boxes cost about $100 4 years ago. Still worth it!
Meh, she looks dull. I only like the earrings.
I like them too but I don’t think they go with the dress: green and green. For someone who was an accessories buyer at Jigsaw, it’s shocking how lame she is with them.
That dress is grim. She’s about 50 years too young for it.
I like it and I love her hair too, it looks very pretty and appropriate.
I really like the dress too! The color is awesome on her. And her hair does look great. This is a perfect pony. A lot of times her updos look strange to me but I love this one. Now if only she had worn a different shoe…
…Amazing? Really? Colour me completely underwhelmed.
Not really a fan of her outfit with the waistbelt (?) almost under her breasts. Looks strange.
I noticed that, too! It was riding up above the waist of the dress. Definitely should’ve been tacked down to the dress’s waistline, or had threaded belt loops to keep it in place.
I could find the same at Goodwill (and I love me vintage-y dresses at a cheap price) but unless I reconstruct it to make it more wearable, I say there is nothing amazing in this 80’s frock.
Odd the way on Catherine’s dress that the belt is above the waistband, doesn’t look right.
For 1,500 the dress should be better constructed than it is.
What a letdown after the headline. She looks better than normal because she gave her ridiculous hairpiece a day off. The dress is just okay. She looks fine, not amazing.
Did she get Botox? She’s sort of raising her eyebrows in one of the photos, but her forehead lines aren’t there. If so, good for her – it’s subtle.
Kate is no stranger to Botox and fillers.
You can see how frozen her face is in this video she made a few months ago. Her lips move and she blinks but the blinking almost surprised me because everything else is SO frozen.
http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/watch-duchess-of-cambridge-kate-middleton-s-video-message-to-launch-children-s-hospice-week-1-5028079
does anyone else think her face looks weird when she smiles? i noticed it yesterday. it’s like her cheeks are pushing back against her lips and won’t let them widen. is this a fillers issue?
This happened to me once. Got Botox to lift the corners of my mouth. Cured my resting bitch face but made me unable to smile properly. Can’t have it all! It’ll wear off in 3-5 months…
I feel like we are looking at different dresses.
Not a very flattering look, this cap sleeve mid/tea length dress is very dowdy looking.
She is trying so hard to raise her eyebrows but they refuse to move, resulting in mad grin as if she was about to eat everyone around her alive.
she looks exhausted. I do like that dress.
Your not alone, I like it too. She should ease off the blush though.
Have to respectfully disagree; yes, she looks like a grown up, the hair isn’t flying in her face but that dress is ugly. Like the print, hate the cut, especially the neck & sleeves. The bar is set so low for her.
Kate need to get her father in law’s money back from the purchase of this ugly dress. I was on a IG account that’s dedicated to royals from all over. Those other royal women looked great I seen 40 and 50 year old royals dressed better than Kate. I know age doesn’t dictate style but I’m saying they didn’t have on the frump wear that Kate “a young hot royal” always wears.
See I think the true Kate is a loner homebody that probably loves to garden and do things like that. Also explains the lack of friends and outside interests. I think the clubbing Kate in the girlfriend years was doing what mommy told her to do…chasing William in the clubs being the perfect girlfriend (or so she thought).
Yes-I get the feeling that she likes being home cooking, doing some art and photography and hanging out with her family. Which is great-except of course she needs to step up her working since besides just marrying her prince, she took on a job.
Strange but I think so too. I think she is a simple person deep inside with little interests. William on the other hand has been known to be a party animal. She chased him so of course she was seen clubbing etc. I suppose since she has always been kind of into sports during school she must have had some kind of sports ethic as not drinking often, sleeping early, eating good etc etc, but after school she dedicated all her life to him so of course she had to change. The ultimate change was her looks.
I’ve nothing against the dress BUT can that waistband be any higher up her waist? That looks ridiculous.
Let me guess – everyone hates it?
That’s about the size of it. The dress is nice, but it ages her. I like her hair, off her face for a change.
Yes. Everyone hates it and they would hate it no matter what it looked like.
Those of us with eyes can critique it if we want to. How difficult it must it be to spend thousands on a dress and thousands on jewelry to stroll through a garden. Must be very taxing for Waity. Truth be told, there are times her dresses get a thumbs up from the ravenous crowd of jelly h8ters.
That isn’t true and isn’t fair. Someone up above linked to a dress similar in color to this from the Australia trip and that dress was lovely. She has worn a few dresses I like, but I do think her taste is boring and matronly. She needs to mix it up a bit, look at how some of the other royals dress and not spend a fortune on poorly made, ugly dresses.
Pretty much.
I like it!
I’ll shade her six ways to Sunday for her work ethic but I don’t mind most of what she wears and this I actually like ; ). We exist on here!
It’s not my style but it looks nice on her. As for the comments about her clubbing and now gardening, I also spent most of my 20s running around partying. Now I’m 33, married and with two small children. I no longer run around staying out all night drinking. I know not everyone “settles down” but doing the same things I did 10 years ago no longer appeals to me. For me it was part of growing up.
Me too! I am 33 and the mom of 3. I partied a lot in my 20/, but now I mostly stay at home with my kids and while I don’t garden, I have taken up knitting and canning. I think it’s normal for interests to change.
I was about to write the same thing – Kate has probably just grown up like most people do. Or simply returned to her real self. I am a loner homebody but when I was in my twenties I went out with girlfriends and danced and partied. It was never my thing really, but it was new and exciting at the time. Now I’m in my thirties and I’m into other things.
Totally agree! Almost everyone changes some of their interests as they age. There aren’t many 40 year old clubbers out there. I have criticized Kate on a lot of issues, but this one is just nit picking. She really seems to me like she enjoys the quiet country life (too much maybe?). Imagine the comments if she was still clubbing every night as a mother of two.
You’re joking, right? What a frumpy dress. That crew neckline looks so awkward on her bony chest. The length is awkward too. And again with the high waistline.
She usually dresses 10 years beyond her years. Don’t rush it, IMO – aging will come soon enough. A little more youthful would help. Or is she trying to go the “respectability/maturity” image route… the color is flattering. And ONCE AGAIN, supremely boring shoe choice. No flair.
I also used to fall out of nightclubs in my twenties, but in my thirties i have gotten married and had kids and while i still like a night out, I would also love to live on a farm. Which is something I NEVER thought I would say when i was younger, but something about growing up has made me yearn for quieter times, and being surrounded by nature.
She looks good here and the hair is controlled. The only dull repeat are the shoes. She’s really reluctant to try new styles like her hair. The green colour is nice on her and the dress fits her properly. Could it be Kate has finally found herself a decent stylist?
LOL well I guess I’m definitely in the minority. I like this dress. But no one has ever accused me of being super fashionable.
I like the fact that she did something with her hair as well.
I like it too! I dress similarly to Kate in similar silhouettes so I tend to ignore the criticism over her skinny jeans (I wear those to work every single day!), her nude heels, and what not. I don’t like everything she wears and I agree with all the criticism that she doesn’t do enough. But this is something I could see myself wearing if it were a little shorter, though I’m not sure if it would look good on me necessarily, I’d have to try it on.
If this dress had been sleeveless, with a square neck, it would have been lovely with the full skirt. It’s always the sleeves, she always messes up with dowdy sleeves.
That’s a good point. Yeah, the sleeves.
I don’t mean to be sexist but I think those sleeves would look better if Kate had a bigger balcony. 😉
Theme dressing is rather juvenile. The dress is not her worst look but it is matronly. The waist bands on her clothes are getting higher and higher and now look totally ridiculous. On a positive, her hair looked good tied back and not flopping all over her face and other people.
She is desparately trying to imply she had long legs. *LOL* The high waistlines try to change the perception of her proportions.
Well, als she knows about dressing is how to dress for a nightclub to meet a prince.
Does foxglove grow wild where Amner Hall is located? Although it sometimes reseeds, it has to be planted intentionally where I live. At almost age 4 George seems a little old to be eating flowers and lots of things can cause problems if eaten besides foxglove (which is toxic.) I’d worry more about Charlotte and Lupo (but I guess Charlotte is never “naughty”). I’d get rid of foxglove in my garden myself if I were Kate.
I’d never have guessed this dress originally retailed for over $2600! I agree the waistline is a mess. But the belt rides up on the model just like it does on Kate, exposing the seam connecting the bodice and skirt. I don’t understand the company using that shot of the model but I guess it’s truth in advertising!
Like Kate’s hair, hate the clashing green earrings. Doesn’t she own any plain hoops?
What….? It’s a muumuu.
Erm, no. Ugly dress.
I think she looks pretty, I like the color & she should wear her hair off her face more often.
I like the dress, besides the length. It makes the dress matronly
I was hoping the title was sarcastic. I think its really frumpy. Looks ill fitting, the colours nice enough though.
I was there with my mama! I didn’t see Kate but did see Chris Evans which confused me slightly. (And in case anyone was wondering, I was wearing the Topshop jungle print jumpsuit that every other girl in Britain was wearing last summer.)
I’m surprised there was no comment on her hair in this article. It’s up! And it looks nice.
I was far from blown away. Looks like something my grandma would wear.
The dress is too long. Shorten its length to just below the knee and it would be great. Also that shoulder line does Kate no favours.
Her hair looks good, the rest, not so much.
Oh Kaiser, you are too kind. Waity is a theme dresser she wore green last year to this event too.
And this dress is bespoke but so poorly tailored for that! The belt is off at the seams. And on some other sites its listed as costing $2300 :O
And “Where’s the girl who used to live in London and fall out of nightclubs all through her 20s???””
Well, that girl is very much the 30-something Kate. She just puts on a pretence for whatever event she is deigning to attend. While meeting horse riders, Kate says She loves taking Charlotte to ride, and at a flower show she loves to garden with her kids **rollseyes**
Celebs usually get awesome Couture dresses and publicize the designer
Isn’t it the same deal with royals? I mean they hardly repeat their dresses, have to be in trend and would they spend so much money for dresses?
Also its possible to be a party girl in 20s and grow up to love doing gardening in 30s. Priorities and preferences keep on changing with age
I disagree about the dress being amazing. It is unflattering and too old for her. Green is pretty on her, though.
I like her hairstyle. The earrings are OK, too.
Not a huge fan of the fabric or print. The style of the dress could’ve been quite nice if the waistline was in it’s proper place, the neckline wasn’t choking her, and the unnecessary seaming in the skirt. I also think if the hem fell just below the knee it would have looked more flattering.
Her choice of shoes, as usual, is very blah. I guess they are better than her horrific beige/gray wedges that she took to India, though.
Not the perfect dress, but for that much money what can one expect! 😉
God, IDK if this style is needed for royal family bc Meghan has her own style, I hope they don’t put her in this old dresses!
In reference to this: “First she was talking about how she always wanted to be a farmer, and now she’s talking about how much she loves her kitchen garden? Where’s the girl who used to live in London and fall out of nightclubs all through her 20s???”
Come on. Are we really going to judge people in their 30’s who are married with children by what they did in their single/unmarried, childless 20’s and hold them to that standard forever?? I did a lot of stupid things in my 20’s–drank a lot, partied too much, woke up next to a face I didn’t quite recognize here and there…But I, like Kate, married at the end of my 20’s, and am now a mother of two and closer to 40 than 30. I am a very different person now who likes to work in my yard, read long books, stay in and watch Netflix, and all kind of “boring” things, and I love it. Are we really going to snark on Kate for settling in to stuff like gardening with her kids?? There are so many things to laugh at Kate about. I don’t think this is one of them.
Yeah, let the woman garden and raise her kids. If she worked 20 hours a week, I wouldn’t give a sh*t.
Two positives: A jewel tone – hallelujah! Her hair! The cons: Not a fan of the neckline / shoulder / sleeve area. I also hate the length. She seems to be wearing dresses lately that go past the mid-shin. The hemlines either need to go up a couple of inches or down a couple of inches. This no-man’s land in between is awful, IMO.
Oh hey, it’s me, caping once again for the granny dresses.
This is bigger than kate’s high-necked matronly frock: this is a cultural shift! Anyone else seen Gaga’s Tiffany ads, in a satin blouse, black pants, necklace over shirt, and a swept-back coif? It’s sort of a geriatric bad-bitch ensemble, the kind of thing an octogenerian would put on to go to easter dinner and embarrass their sons with stories of their wild youth in front of their kids. ETA: Or what Paula Patton would put on to appear anywhere, if she weren’t already wearing a neon-pink 80s power-suit. I love it!
I think Kate’s dress has an almost t-shirt dress vibe up top, but love the way the sleeves flare outwards. I think it’s super flattering. The print is awesome and I LOVE the graphic chrysanthemums. The pleated skirt is to die for. It looks like a flower!
Once upon a time, these sorts of clothes were what young people wore. Then those young people aged, and we got used to the idea that grannies wear pleats and high necks, while young people wear scoop necks and A-line skirts. This is arbitrary. It seems new to see younger people covered up in these vintage silhouettes and just because such a silhouette is associated with older people doesn’t mean things can never change.
I absolutely love everything you said about people viewing this is as “granny”. I miss young people dressing up!
I hope you’re right about a cultural shift, I’d love it if people started dressing up more. I didn’t like her last “granny” dress but I think this one is pretty, the colour is great on her and I like the style, even the length. The ponytail is good but makeup and shoes could be better.
I’ll chime in. The only problem with this dress is the waistline. She needs to lower it because empire line is not good for her torso. It emphasises her broad shoulders.
And dark shoes.
I like it. The dress is nice. It’s perfectly appropriate.
Her hair is off her face and shoulders and not needing to be constantly flicked.
She is showing up and doing her job.
I missed a lot of post-wedding coverage, but from what I saw, it looked like Kate was working her tail off, corralling those kids and straightening veils. I especially enjoyed seeing her scold PG, felt like a moment of realness.
Now she is back to work, already? Maybe a corner has been turned?
Does not change the fact the monarchy is still a ridiculous antediluvian outdated overpriced institution.
I really like the dress, I do not like the lenght. Why is she aging so fast??
Green is her colour and the look itself is fine. As a shoe lover – her shoe game offends me. There is more to shoes than ugly beige wedges and nude L K Bennet court shoes.
Kate’s recent earthy vibe? Imitating Angie?
I think Kate “is lost” in that dress. It is too long. Usually she doesn’t mind to wear everything as short as possible.
Kate has absolutely no style. None. It may be a lovely dress but on her it’s frumpy and does nothing for her. She is completely unaware of how to style herself–price of garment has nothing to do with it. Pathetic really for someone in her position. The only thing positive I can say about the photos is she is not clutch grabbing as she so often does.
Have taken a flower name in honour of Chelsea. More duchessy theme dressing for the flower show. Nice dress but so boring. Looks like something my mother would have made from an easy sewing pattern. I think it was time to wear lovely spring colours, not necessarily prints.
Yawn.
I hate this dress. The pattern is crap. The neckline is awful given the sleeves. And the pleats (??) on the skirt….this dress does no favors…color is basic…at least she didn’t do pale blue.
The cost of that dress is hilarious. It looks like a intermediate sewing project. It is so ill fitting and has no interest or shape. I just want to take it apart and restyle it for her. Imagine a more fitted faux wrap dress with a ruffle along one edge. It could have been so much prettier. I know Kate looks good in green but this dark shade is off for a spring flower show.
On a more important note why on earth would a mother of young children have foxglove growing in her flower beds. My kids were never prone to eating flowers but I stayed away from foxglove anyway, just to be safe. That makes me wonder how much she actually gardens.