I will never understand the Duchess of Cambridge’s affection for these dated, 1980s-secretary styles. Half the time she’s at a daytime event, she looks like she’s auditioning for a role in 9 to 5 (sidenote: 9 to 5 is an amazing movie). Anyway, these are some photos of Prince William, Prince Harry and Kate all visited the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. The Sunken Garden has now been transformed into the White Garden, in honor of Princess Diana. They were given a tour of the garden by head gardener Sean Harkin, who arranged for Diana’s favorite plants to be included in the garden. You can read more about the event here.
This could have been a somber event, especially considering that it’s raining today in London. But Will, Kate and Harry chose to make it a more upbeat commemoration of their mother. Because Kate loves to theme-dress and because she has the style of the costume designer for 9 to 5, she wore this high-neck green-floral Prada dress. It’s new and it costs $2200. Something nice: I actually like the fabric and I don’t mind the “theme” of wearing a dress which looks like a garden to an event that consists of viewing a garden. Something mean: the style and cut of this dress does her no favors. The effect is not prim, it’s dowdy.
Some other pieces of news… Prince George’s first day of school has been announced. George will start big-boy school in London on September 7, next Thursday. Prince William and Duchess Kate will both be there, and they will attend the “reception” for the first day. I’m assuming they will pose for photos with George too, although I’m expecting them to bitch endlessly about “privacy” and “normalcy.” Apparently, the Cambridges are trying to make it so only a “handful” of photographers are in front of the school for the photos. Good luck with that. Also, the Daily Mail has a big story about how Will and Kate are set to become “full-time working royals next week,” and they’re preparing to “steadily increase the number of duties they undertake.” I’ll believe it when I see it! Whatever “royal work” means, right Will?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Yeah…Kate is on a real kick with these dresses. Is this her 3rd or 4th one in a very similar style?
That aside, I like the color and I think the length looks nice on her. I even like the waistline of it. I cant stand the bow though. I hate those SO MUCH.
Her hair doesn’t look great but I guess the rain can be blamed for that.
I really like the print and the length
Yes, thank goodness instead of additional distraction with that grin on a somber occassion for the Princes.
Me too! She looks great considering that yes, conservative bore is her signature look. Flattering color, cut, length, and hair. She could’ve spiced it up with better jewelry but then she would not be our Duchess, hm?
Yeah, the bow messes it up. Take the bow and high collar off and it wouldn’t look dowdy. I like the waist, the length, and the print.
And I like Will and Harry’s shoes. Does anyone know who makes them?
It’s definitely dated but I kind of like it?
Does that make me a bad person? I’m so torn!
I like it too! It’s feminine and looks comfortable. I’d just wear different shoes and get rid of the bow.
I’m with you. I think different shoes and no bow would be perfect!
I like the dress too. As much as I like this site, I choose not to drink the Kool-Aid that everything Kate does is terrible.
She reminds me of my infant’s school principal, and she was about 60. Matronly.
AnnaKist, I am 61 and wouldn’t be caught dead in this dress as is. Maybe, maybe without the bow but most likely not. Matronly is not really an age but more a state of mind. Someone can be matronly at a young age as evidenced by these photos.
Just about everything Kate wears looks like she lifted it from her grandmother’s closet. Her own mother dresses younger than she does.
Hi Yasmine!
Very dated frumpy on waity. And the shoe color and design is far toi much especislly st her doirsteps. These middletons surely know how to waste other peoples pounds and designer frocks.
Meghan the Swedish Princesses CP Mary The EU Jordan Queens would make this so chic looking.
9-5 would’ve been a whole different movie if the fed up secretaries had been wearing $2200 Prada.
9-5 circa 1980. You’ve hit the nail on head.
Well, whatever the brand/price equivalent was in 1980. The movie would have sent an entirley different message if the women wore couture. They were frazzled, underpaid office staff shopping at Kmart. And Kate’s dress really does hilariously evoke that time period/price range.
Yes! 9 to 5! The minute I read that, I immediately thought of Jane Fonda’s character, Judy.
Sigh… an fab orange shoe would have drastically improved this whole look. Burn the beige shoes, Kate! Burn them!!
she seems to be going for a more conservative look, but she is still in her 30s. So while the color and even the cut of the dress is pretty, it ages her. The whole look would have been so much better with some orange shoes like you are suggesting – or even an orange umbrella! 🙂
Conservative doesn’t mean dowdy or matronly.
Check out Queen Rania of Jordan or Shiekha Mozah of Qatar. Extremely conservative constituencies that also require covered hair, arms and legs in the case of Shiekha Mozah and conservative is not the way you’d describe their styles.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sheikha+Mozah+fashion&client=tablet-android-samsung&prmd=inv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3uNbco__VAhUSK1AKHR–CJwQ_AUIESgB&biw=768&bih=1024
Thanks for the link below LAK – I am swooning at the level of chic ….
@Lak, Oh, I love Queen Rania’s style and don’t even mention Sheika Mozah! So, so stylish, both!
You’re so right. I remember once going to a black-tie event a couple years ago at which Queen Rania was the guest of honour. She looked amaaaaaazing!
And while I had spent weeks trying to find a stylish outfit that ticked all the boxes, given what I expected to be a mixed/conservative audience, she rocked up in a beautiful gown which was covered at the front but had this unexpected low cut at the back, which was partly covered by her hair. I was like, wow! So yes, conservative doesn’t mean dowdly or matronly 🙂
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=queen+Rania+of+Jordan+fashion&client=tablet-android-samsung&prmd=inv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiGrqWn7v_VAhWDKVAKHQ3vDhYQ_AUIESgB&biw=768&bih=1024
I sigh along with you.
Even a black shoe to set off the darker center color of the flower would be better. The nude does absolutely nothing for this dress
Great color but still matronly. I guess “conservative” is still better than “overexposed” in her position.
Does she not already have a million floral green dresses she could have worn. I can think of two off the top of my head.
There’s only going it be one photographer allowed take photos in the first day according to Emily Andrews- likely Chris Jackson.
Seeing as we’ve gotten numerous statements before about how they’re going to increase their workload,I’ll wait and see if their actions back it up.
Perhaps shopping gives Kate a kind of pleasure she doesn’t get elsewhere – like in the bedroom? Even if it is just shopping for the same same.
From what I read elsewhere she picked it due to the poppy in the print.
I heard poppies give people highs. “The Wizard of Oz” introduced many generations into poppies. And not by accident – the entire story was based on history.
Flashback to 1980, I had dresses that looked just like this. And this is Prada?
From some angles I abhor it. From some angles I actually like it a little. Overall, I am confused by this dress.
$2200 for that dress? Prada should be ashamed
Why ashamed? As P.T. Barnum once said “There’s a sucker born every minute!” Prada makes billions on people like Kate. I wish I had not just donated all my 80’s clothes to charity last year – I would be rich off bad taste. The 80’s was a fashion disaster – Diana’s wardrobe is classic – she looks just passable, and she was a fashion leader! My wedding pictures, in which I am wearing an 80’s classic wedding dress horror, makes me shiver today.
How tall is she?? I used to think that she was 5’9″ but I don’t think she’s that tall.
I like the colors, but that’s it. The rest has Jane Fonda written all over it.
It’s not her worst outfit. I quite like the shape and length. The waist band gives it a nice shape and it is actually sitting at her waist rather than under her bust. I’m not mad on the bow.
Time will tell regarding the gradual increase in workload to become a full-time royal. I won’t hold my breath on it.
Im really not a fan of the dress. But she is there for a Diana tribute so of course 80’s are gonna be her go to.
Im sure they only have a few upcoming events on their schedules.
Diana would have looked lovely in this dress circa 1986.I suppose that’s what Kate was going for.
Had this been a sheath cut with a large statement bow at the neckline, how fab would it be?
And perhaps if she wore her hair with a sleek side swept style with a side messy knot?
She’s lovely but I think expectations of her being a style icon like her much adored late mother in law has long passed.
Kate prefers simple, non statement looks…and that’s ok…isn’t it?
What I think happens is she has bad stylists and gets bad advice. This dress just needed some good styling. The hair is a huge part of why this looks meh. The shoes. She looks like the head secretary in the office secretarial pool. It doesn’t have to be that way.
I totally agree.
Kate looks like she gets fashion advice from a girl who aspires to be a young country aristo filly: long and sleek limbs and long flowing open hair and flowing country dresses.
That is ridiculous because
a) country aristos wear practical (but expensive) clothes for their country pursuits and glamorous stuff for parties and social gatherings. Think Sarah Phillips.
b) the style doesn’t suit Kate. She doesn’t have long legs. She is no longer a young country aristo filly.
c) that style is impractical for her “job” and it doesn’t work for her job as it makes her look desinterested and silly.
I agree. When I look at her I see more of a handsome woman but I mean it positively. Twee doesn’t suit her face it you know what I mean by that. She has distinct features that need stronger styles.
Disagree. Our waity ignore the stylist advise and listen to ma middelton and pips the designers
Ooooo yes, I imagined that as I read your description, and it’s FAB. I love a good pussybow blouse, but not a wimpy thin one. A big one like you described.
I think I’ve figured it out: her style has no imagination.
Hi Maynra, I don’t know if I agree with Kate preferring simple, non-statement clothes as this $2340 non-simple, filled with statements dress shows. Of course, if she did that would indeed be fine.
Didn’t she just cut off her hair? extensions put back in?
+1
Excellent point. It is markedly longer. Has it even been a month?
I thought the same thing. I don’t mind the dress, and I think without the bow, I would love it. But what happened to her great, shorter Wimbledon hair? Maybe her hair grows quickly?
Oh, c’mon, guys. She has crazy good genes, she takes prenatal vitamins, and she rinses her hair with unicorn tears. That’s why her hair grows very, very fast. It has nothing to do with extensions. Princess Kate would never, ever wear extensions.
This dress looks as if it came from William’s great grandmother complete with tie at neck.
Beyond matronly…
And at such a price.
I do not mind the dress. I just wish it was short or 3/4 sleeve instead of long.
Someone’s certainly had some fresh Botox!
I love the dress but an orange/red shoe would have really set it off. She looks really nice here and very occasion-appropriate. Shame it rained.
Yeah, I like the 80’s secretary look but better shoes would have really pulled it together.
Good for George and I can’t wait to see him in his uniform. I really don’t like Catherine’s dress but whatever we have different styles.
Just George’s colors; he’ll look adorable!
http://www.thomas-s.co.uk/Uniform-Battersea
Dated.
Today is about William and Harry and their mother.
Was it really necessary for Kate to upstage the news cycle by appearing in a new dress similar to at least 3 appropriately themed ones already in her closet? Like, really?
Yes, BeamMeUpScottie, it is necessary, at least for Kate it is. It seems that she likes to be the center of attention, especially W&H’s, at all times. Rather sad really.
With ear to hair grin!
It’s a nice dress, it’s just that Kate Middleton has the dubious talent of making everything she wears look like she got it from Boden, or Joules (mid priced, prim clothing lines designed for people south of the M25 who have holiday homes in Devon or in the south of France. Tidy, with a bit of money but dreadfully boring).
The dress could have taken a chunky heel to offset the sweetness, or like someone said above, an orange strappy shoe to play up the blossoms in the sea of green.
I don’t think it’s the clothes so much (although I do see where you’re coming from with the Boden vibe) as her seeming inability to pull an outfit together with the right accessories so it becomes a stylish whole rather than a jumble of good and bad bits.
@skylark… yeah, I get you. It’s just frustrating that for all her access and subsidised lifestyle she can’t get things like this right.
Boden always has cute shoes that elevate their outfits, imo.
I believe her hair is a problem. It is very dated and hair can break an outfit. The shoes. She could have worn a darker shoe that had another style.
Kate’s choices in clothing is basic, average and conservative – nothing wrong with that, mind you. That’s just her style. If we are looking for that something extra, that “oomph”, we’ll never find it in Kate.
On Kate, less is more. I like the background color on her, but the dress and the pattern are too busy. Too much going on for her to successfully carry off. I think she needs a bit of neck showing, too.
Wonder if she’ll carry a lunchbox handbag for George’s 1st day of school…..
I think it’s a pretty dress. I’m usually impressed when an attractive and fit women chooses to occasionally wear something conservative. It’s like she doesn’t feel like she has to always show off.
No she saves that for her skin tight jeggings days. Or the times her dresses fly up and show her thong.
Nic919, and her kitty!
It’s the tie at the high neck that is one of the major problems. And while I too get the garden theme and that this is a memorial of sorts, up close I think the print is downright ugly.
You can do floral and respectful with a bit more chic. I’ve seen both the Danish princesses in much nicer florals, and also Princess Madeleine of Sweden in some very nice ones. Kate just doesn’t seem to know how to blend approaches.
But the neckline and little tie is what really gives it the 9 to 5 look.
You did hit the nail on the head!
That dress lacks chic and elegance. Long sleeves and the length of that dress is wrong, too. And that neck-high style simply makes it look dowdy and matronly and BORING. And wrong for this season: it is still summer. Nothing wrong with showing 2-4 inches of decolletage.
I think the dress is really pretty but agree she could have made it more with a different shoe. Not Orange! She always looks well dressed and appropriate to me. Classy lady!
Green shoes, maybe a slingback. I can’t see her jewelry, but a slightly lower neckline would leave room for a necklace — maybe even a contemporary pearl necklace. Shorter sleeves would also look better with this print, I think.
If there was ever a time to break out the beige wedges (shudder) this is it. Makes no sense to wear heals on a garden tour (presuming, of course, that she actually walks on some grass and not just a paved pathway).
i actually like it on her.
I am so sure that Katie Keen is ‘keen’ to get to work…I’ll believe that when I see the results. How many statements have we had just like this? 4 or 5 now?
We’re all very keen to see how keen she is!
Can’t wait to see their interpretation of a full time working week, really ” keen” to see that happen.
Also,I now have Dolly Parton singing 9 to 5 stuck in my head…..
If I could get my hands on her I would have styled her hair in a classic ponytail chignon, tasteful earrings with some pop, neutral wedges with a rust overtone and fresh summery makeup that made her look just a little dewy. The dress can be worked with but looks like it would cost a fraction of what it does because of styling.
Call me Kate. We can get this under control. lol
I like what he’s wearing !!!
Yes – so nice to see Will in something other than a boring blue suit!
That fabric drooping below the bustline is ‘unfortunate’. The dress really is awful, but it could be salvaged by removing the bow, tailoring the bulge under the bust, and getting rid of those blasted nude shoes. Perhaps the easiest fix is to hide most of it under a short jacket. Not a fan of the hairstyle, either.
Very 70s. I would like it, but not at that price.
“these dated, 1980s-secretary styles”
1980s, you say? More Diana cosplay, of course. That’s why she likes these styles.
Ick.
For a princess, she surely is basic.
Have you seen fashion magazines these days? I thought last spring it was an April Fools joke to everybody. Awful granny junk today.
So many frumpy great aunt dresses… I can almost picture this on Aunt Bea.
LOL
It’s a pretty dress and suits her and her figure. I agree the shoes are the wrong colour
Yes, the shoe colour wrecks the whole look.
This garden is a memorial for the late princess, and Kate grins and flirts throughout the whole thing. http://hrhduchesskate.blogspot.com/ She is such a bore! IMO Diana would never have worn such a dowdy dress. Kate simply doesn’t relate to the memory of the mother that Prince Wm & Harry share. I realize that Diana is an icon, but Kate has such poor taste. Do the upper crust dress like her? Or is this Carol’s taste, once again, in how one dresses before royalty – always looking one’s Sunday best?
At least she isn’t wearing her mother’s outfits from the 70s. Something Victoria of Sweden is currently very fond of. It was cute when Estelle was wearing her mother’s dresses but it’s weird when adults do it .
My mother had incredible style. I wish we had kept her beautiful clothes. I wear a dress of hers to parties, sometimes, one of the few items of hers left; it was handmade in the late 40’s in Italy. I don’t think it’s weird to wear beautiful heirlooms. They are like jewelry to me.
Kate does like the seventies early eighties dresses. she has a few like this dress and some with a plunging v-neck, long sleeves with cuffs and floor length skirts. I remember a red one and a green one. As for this floral number it looks like the dress she wore for the Obama’s visit with a few tweaks. This style looks dated and ages her sorry to say. 😐
So looking forward to Willie and Katie getting out there 24/7 taking on ever more royal duties together and seeing how Willie manages to keep smiling through the tedious royal commitments looking like he is about to sell a house.
I guess I’m the only one who thinks she should have let her husband and brother in law take this one. She didn’t know Diana, and she doesn’t work with any of the patronages Diana did.
Another shocker bluhare – I agree. I think she’s an unnecessary add-on, and I don’t buy the argument that her husband needed her there for “emotional support”.
+1000
And after the Princes greet the people. Later it would be nice for the younger kiddies POW did an appeareanve together as the finale to this extended neg ‘ soul bearing’.
She has to have a high waist because her legs are disproportionately short.
So. I haven’t read all comments. But does anyone else notice how poised she is and how frumpy William is? They might be in the middle of a moment (normal in longterm relationships). But she is aware of public persona (probably because we live in a sexisit society and everyone is quick to judge a woman on EVERYTHING — so she has learned she can’t not-smile). And he looks like he doesn’t give a shit (because he doesn’t have to). Can we all make an agreement to go easy on women for a while?! It is HARD out here.
She disappears for over 3 weeks then shows up in a 2300 dollar dress!
If she didn’t show up in expensive schmatta, with her hair extensions and beige shoes back, she would look like she’s been on a month’s vacation. She looks like her old, pre-Wimbledon person. Dowdy, to remind William of his mum.
Are you saying that Diana was dowdy? Can’t say I agree with that … the 1980s fashions were, sometimes, but Diana was always a star.
I love this. Granny chic
Not a fan of this look, not enough bang for all the bucks!
Has anyone else read that she was rushed to hospital about 4 days ago? Pregnant?
CrystalBall. that would mean chopper had actually slept with her!!!
I saw a clip of Diana last night when she was still dating Charles. And she wore a dress that was almost identical to the one Kate is wearing. Same elastic waist, but it was blue. But this was 1980 and she was only 19 and not a member of the royal family yet. Somehow it looked good on a young unsophisticated girl, but on Kate and at that price, looks a bit frumpy.
Awful dress, and she has some dresses just like this. One was like someone vomit on it after eating beet, this one- after eating green salad. And that crooked smile, her face often look so fake and stupid really. And her slouching back, heavy gait, checking ring, but she doesn’t touch her hairs, that is strange. Maybe that because here not so many photos.
I was a secretary in the 1980’s and would not have been caught dead in this dress. IMO, It is hideous. Has Waity never heard of some nice basic separates? A pencil skirt, a crisp button-down shirt or soft blouse and maybe a cardigan with a beautiful pearl necklace or a brooche from the Queen’s collection would have been perfect for this event or many others. She could mix and match from J Crew and not break the bank. By switching around some fabulous jewelry she has at her disposal (and the jewellery does not have to be a tiara or huge pieces) with some separates she could be quite stunning. It will be shown if, and when, Miss Markle comes on board the Company. Giggles.
Kate always looks perfectly lovely but perfectly the same.
Agree the dress has a “9-5” vibe except for the price. But more than that it reminds me of Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.” Not a good look.
Still, at least we didn’t see her lady garden, for a change..