I feel like Duchess Kate is already carrying her second pregnancy much differently than her first. When she was pregnant with Prince George, it felt like it was well into her second trimester before she started to “look pregnant” all over. But with this pregnancy, I can already see it on her face. That’s not a bad thing at all – a little extra weight all over makes her look younger, like a knocked up teenager (with an addiction to her mom’s eyeliner). This is the Kate that won William’s heart at university: the girl with an athletic, healthy-looking build.
Anyway, these are photos of Kate attending the Action on Addiction Autumn Gala in London last night. There wasn’t much advance notice on this appearance, which is weird because Kate’s people were going overboard announcing her future schedule just a few weeks ago. And I will give her props for showing up for one of her patronages. She became a royal patron of Action on Addiction in 2012. Her work with the group is sporadic (she hasn’t done any work with them all year that I can tell), but Kate does love a gala, doesn’t she?
As for the dress and styling… it’s not the worst, not the best. The dress is Temperley. I always wish Kate wore more Temperley because Alice Temperley seems to tick off a lot of boxes for a British duchess: Temperley is young, English and female and her designs are consistently girly, feminine, lacy, frothy and yet somewhat simple. Kate seems to favor crochet, lace and anything delicate-looking. So I’m sort of mystified why she A) doesn’t wear more Temperley and B) chose this dress which is hardly representative of the bridesmaid-y dresses that Temperley usually designs.
I do like that Kate wore black though. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know. I wear a lot of black so maybe that’s why. It’s kind of a no-no for royal women to wear black unless they’re attending a funeral, although Diana broke that rule a lot. My least favorite part of this look: Kate’s hair flapping around. Pro-tip: if the event is described as a “gala,” please pull your hair back.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
This dress would look so much better if the skirt were straight and longer.
Indeed. It is a bit too informal for a gala. No glamour.
They invited Kate to a gala to get a drop-dead gorgeous royal for some good pics. And she turns up in a little black dress.
Her white bra shines through the fabric. oh my …
All that money and no proper (nude!) bra underneath.
Yikes! I thought the fabric was just stretched out over her chest, but it’s clearly a bra outline. That’s a big no-no for me. No matter the thickness of the fabric I always match undergarments to the outfit.
It donly helps and never hinders to do so.
Actually, I think the dress has a white lining or slip–in the top picture, you can see the lining through the crochet near the hem. So, it might be the styling and not such a gaffe on her part.
I like the dress, but it doesn’t seem appropriate for the occasion.
First-time poster, but I’ve been enjoying this site for about a year and feel like I already know so many of you!
Hi AustenGirl!
I thought it was a bra at first but I actually think it’s a camisole lining because it stretches to her waist. Like a spaghetti strapped lining?
Welcome AustenGirl!
I did check the images because I thought the same as you. You can see there’s a very sharp outline of a bra that differs from the outline and color of the cream colored lining.
This is an issue many celebs encounter. The very bright flash and excellent lenses on cameras capture so much more than you’d think. You can wear a black dress and not see a thing until a flash reveales you’ve gone braless (aniston). And usually stylists have taken steps to avoid this.
And downthread Vava has posted a link to back that it’s a bra.
Hi, bluhare and FLORC! You’re two of my CB crushes based on your posts. You’re right about the bra–I see it now. It must be dreadful to have so many things that can go wrong when stepping out in public. I just hope my clothes are clean and fit me decently and that my fly is zipped! After one particularly embarrassing encounter, I double check to make sure my skirt isn’t tucked up into my panties and displaying the entirety of my ample bottom!
Thank you for that nice compliment, AustenGirl. Watch out for FLORC though. She’s sneaky. 🙂
Haha Bluhare you’re such a kidder! I slip vodka into your tea 10 times and you call me sneaky.
And thank you for the compliment!
I know what you mean about double checking. It becomes a habit before I step outside or into public. And with skirts and dresses it’s a constant readjustment. Especially if the dress is tight or above the knee. I’m always tugging it down.
For what it’s worth I think Kate is extremely comfortable with her body and that’s great! She doesn’t appear to have a solid grasp on how her role requires a level of modesty. And that’s an issue.
And while i’m not crazy about this dress and a few other outfits she’s fairly appropriate. The bra showing through is something many people easily and often overlook.
Slightly off topic. So many celebs are caught with white powder all over their faces that never got blended. It’s tragic when the flash exposes that.
That FORC; she’s such a slipper! 🙂
I disagree that Kate doesn’t have a solid grasp of the modesty required. I think the recent change in her outfits (length etc.) shows that she does get it. This one meets the requirements while getting a little edge in with the cut outs. She wore a similar dress not too long ago — the one with the patterned and cut out skirt — and that top was solid; no cut outs. So she may not have realized that the nude lining, and perhaps a thinner fabric would become a bit more sheer.
That’s why I really thing she does herself a disservice by not having a dresser. Those people know all the tricks and would have advised her that she needed something different underneath, or perhaps chosen a different dress.
I think that Kate would vastly benefit from having a professional stylist. CP Mary of Denmark has employed a stylist since her engagement, and it has made all the difference to her style. She is always elegantly and appropriately dressed, and it recently gained her a 3rd place on Vanity Fair’s Best Dressed List.
That is not to say that she always is perfect, but her style is elegant and assured and she has had very few wardrobe malfunctions – a few stray hats though.
Welcome •AustenGirl•!
I’m with •bluhare• I think Kate knows what is appropriate for modesty. However, I think with William’s encouragement she disregards it and it was only when the press started making A LOT of noise did it change. To me that is just one example of William not truly getting how conservative the monarchy is.
Also, Kate’s PA used to work for Sentabale which also explains why Kate might not be as conservative as she should be. Non-for-profits have a much more relaxed dress code than a conservative institution. Same with the fashion industry (Kate worked briefly as a buyer).
I also 100% agree with •ArtHistorian•. Having a stylist for someone as public as a member of the BRF should be a given. Diana didn’t have one but she got an enormous amount of help from various fashion editors and it showed. It’s a stylist’s job to make you look your best and I cannot fathom why wouldn’t want that…
(I think Sophie even hired one to help polish her style in addition to the personal trainer)
Bluhare
I agree. Recently her outfits have been much more appropriate and taking care for any possible breezes. I was referencing more of her royal history and not since the AUS/NZ flash became 1 too many. Even for pro-Kate threads.
And agree we agree. I wish Kate had a dresser as well. Although, with how often she gets Bespoke Burton outfits I think that’s her unofficial stylist.
When taking into consideration the event, location, guests, weather, and any current or past events that might dictate certain styles colors, it just makes such sense to have someone. They will think about all of this for you and you come off better as a result. I do think if Kate was trying to do more herself that deserves a golf clap. And it’s not admitting fault to get a stylist. She has a position that requires more thought into outfits than others.
And I just want to ee her in some trousers. A great cut can show off the bottom and the legs without showing anything.
As for this dress and the last blue one. I dont like either. The blue one ispretty awful from the cut, fabric and in motion. While this one just isn’t my taste. And i’m not sure what type of gala this was. Black tie (optional?) or cocktail appropriate. So I can only not like the dress for me, but can’t knock it on Kate.
Bland. Always.
It’s not awful but I kind of wish that they’d tried a bit harder to match the nude underneath to her actual skin tone. Aside from that, it’s okay. I do wish that she had pulled her hair back, but her earrings look cute.
When I was in high school, a bra fitter at a department store told me that you need to go one shade darker than your skin tone & convinced me to buy a brown bra. And she was right! That was the best color to wear under white or light-colored blouses & sweaters. I still have that brown bra, too–can’t wear it, but I have it!
Love the dress and love the hair, she looks gorgeous!
I agree that she looks gorgeous, but the dress is not.
I’m so surprised everyone hates the dress, I love it. I love black and I think it’s a little sexy and different than the standard LBD.
I don’t hate it, but I don’t like the cut-outs. It makes the overall look at little bit too “busy”. I think it would have worked better with a boatneck neckline, a slightly lower hem to even out the proportions and only the skirt decorated with the geometric cut-outs.
I dunno, at least she’s wearing new shoes?
+1 the shoes are a big improvement.
I LOVE THE SHOES!
What an awful dress. The Duchess of Frump.
I’m not a fan, either.
Wrong place.
Too informal.
Not glamorous.
A bit “funeral” as she is black-black-black-black allover.
Black dress.
Black shoes.
Black purse.
Black eyeliner.
Love the dress, hate the eyeliner.
Pippa Tip: If you’re wearing your hair down, you’re not wearing it in a fancy updo.
Edit: I love the dress but it seems like an odd choice for a “gala.” I would think a floor-length dress would be more appropriate. But didn’t she do this with her last pregnancy? Show off her legs a lot?
Why is she wearing a white bra under a black dress? Other than that she looks good.
Because the hem is too heavy to fly up.
I don’t know about the colour but it looks like one of those heavily padded push up bras!
It’s a nude liner to the dress I think, not a her bra.
If you look closer (and why would we?) you can see the outline of her white bra under the nude liner.
•notasugarhere•
I looked again. And then some more. I’m with Blu here — it just looks like her panel to me.
Oh well. Lol
http://www.laineygossip.com/Princess-Catherine-steps-out-for-the-third-time-this-week-at-Action-on-Addiction-Autumn-Gala/31642
some photos clearly show the bra, straps and all.
•Vava•
I stand corrected! Thank you!!!
In all fairness, she probably thought the panels were enough. Although, after the National Gallery dress showed her undergarments in the harsh glare of the flash, you’d think she’d be more careful.
Unfortunately, in some pictures it looks like nipples are showing too. All these things need to be tested against flash photography before worn.
Kate isn’t all that into clothes and makeup, which is fine for most people. However, when the world is watching (with HD cameras unfortunately) it pays to have an acute sense of fashion. A lot of the mistakes she makes are very basic.
The other option is for Kate to give us something else to talk about. Distraction isn’t the worst strategy. Maybe her great sense of humor, or her passionate work… 😉
Am I the only person who thought of the Seinfeld episode with Elaine and the Christmas picture?*
* Someone should send Kate that episode. I won’t lie, I took an important life lesson from that half hour of television and, even though I am not even close to famous, I always, always do the “camera flash check” with new outfits.
HH – What we see is heavy makeup plus lots of boring, sometimes inappropriate/tacky/too casual for the event/too revealing/too short fashion and we attribute that to ‘she’s not into it’.
I think she’s just not good at fashion plus I think there is a lot of evidence that Kate **is** very much into clothes and makeup. I even think she believes she’s a fashion maverick. Evidence she’s into it is because she (reportedly) shops for her own work clothes, she has no professional wardrobe stylist and she always does her own makeup for appearances.
If she didn’t care about clothes or in the extreme, if she hated shopping for clothes, she would hire someone else to do that for her. Since she spends tons of time doing her own clothes shopping, I conclude she does it because she likes and enjoys it i.e. so yeah I’m totally convinced she loves clothes and fashion.
@Vava – Thanks for the link. Yes, you’re right. In those photos, it’s clearer how sheer the top of that dress is and her bra or whatever undergarment is more noticeable, especially the straps and the lines of the bra area.
@MinnFinn
I’ve been looking for the words to describe her, and you nailed it- wannabe fashion maverick. But I find her choices defiant rather than edgy. You’ve convinced me she loves makeup and clothes, but it’s all about exposing herself. She want to be the Hot Duchess. IMO, her taste is shockingly bad overall, and it seems to be getting worse. She is anti-class.
Almost every quote from either former employees (Dickie being the most recent) or from friends is how ‘reserved’ Kate it. I don’t see a maverick at all. Or even fashion driven. She may like to shop but the reasons why she ‘likes’ it could be attributed to all kinds of things (to be social, to do ‘normal’ things, etc.).
And Kate herself has said she’s not much into fashion. I think that shows. She often purchases similar items, keeps to a limited palette, favours virtually the same silhouettes, and little to no accessorising. The latter is surprising because her ‘off duty’ wardrobe is better accessorised.
I also see her sticking to her make-up routine is indictive more of stubbornness and/or more evidence of a lack of fashion sense. Almost any fashion magazine talks about how to take day make-up into night make-up and she never does that — for whatever reason. But someone that was fashion oriented would know something that simple.
For me Kate seems to shop in order to get out of the house or just to have something to do. I had this conversation with LAK a little while ago, but Kate seems very limited in her leisurely activities (by her own choice, but that’s another convo). As Lady Slippers suggested, I wouldn’t consider a love of fashion to be her *primary* reason for shopping. She hasn’t picked up any makeup, clothing, or hair tips along the way. I previously attributed this to stubbornness, but analyzing her clothing choices both pre- and post-marriage I’ve found that her style is extremely basic (and not in the insulting sense of the word). She rarely wants to step put of her comfort zone be it shoes, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, or even silhouettes. I think Kate’s primary goal is to look nice/presentable but I don’t think she’s necessarily into making fashion statements.
I’m indifferent on the dress style. Could be better, could be worse. It’s fine imo.
HH
But Kate is very much into clothes and makeup. She might not be a “fashionista”, but she buys a lot of clothes a lot of the time. And makeup. She’s so into makeup she’s very strict on what goes on her face and how it’s applied.
To us though, she doesn’t appear to be that into clothes or makeup because of how it looks to us. In reality she’s quite the opposite.
It’s also been reported numerous times she’s enjoyed seeing her name on best dressed lists and takes much pride in that as a deserved honor.
LadySlippers
When saying Kate is “reserved” wasn’t the context more on how Kate acted. She was reserved in conversation, and social acts like going to lunch in public. Not as much as Kate was reserved in how much she spent on clothes or reserved in her shopping habits. Or even reserved in how she dressed.
And how long ago did she say she wasn’t into fashion? Her actions, for me, do don’t support this. Yes, her style appears limited buying the same outfits in bulk with slight differences, but she has far more than just those. She’s said to also have many opinions to her bespoke outfits and wardrobe while touring or working.
It’s like if she claimed she didn’t like wearing makeup. She appears to never step outside without it, and she truly may hate it, but her actions of putting it on and with such a heavy hand brings on a side eye.
You might be right. It’s just a bridge too far for me to believe she doesn’t think she’s a trend setting person that others look to for fashion. She’s aware of this and the response wasn’t she’s amused or flattered or humbled. It came off as more deserving. That’s my opinion anyways.
LS 4:29 – I don’t think she’s a fashion maverick either. But as I said, I believe she views herself that way and evidence for that is that she continues to get a lot of her clothes from McQueen and Temperly. Kate also directs the be-spoking (downgrading them to being totally blase’ and not recognizable as McQueen imho) of her Sarah Burton garments, is further evidence she is into clothes.
And to add to FLORC 5:41 – Kate said she’s not into fashion but imho actions speak louder than words. Her choices of designers and her high level of involvement in designing and acquiring clothes betray her claim to not being into it. Kate buying from trendy and upcoming designers McQueen and Temperley I’m convinced is a carefully weighed decision and it speaks volumes about how she sees herself as well as how she wants us to see her.
•Florc•
I could list (again) numerous reasons why she wants to do her own make-up and most have nothing to do with fashion (stubbornness, ‘sensitive’ on Dunn’s Sensory Scale, wanting to be in control, wanting normalcy, etc.).
What I mean by reserved is her personality. And that’s reflected in her clothing choices. Or as •HH• put it — basic. She picks clothing that’s pretty basic and safe with a goal of ‘presentable’ or just okay. She is not looking to get that wow factor. That isn’t a put down either — it’s probably just Kate.
•MinnFinn•
Using a few high-end designers/labels doesn’t make you a fashionista either. What she asks of Sarah Burton is mind-numbingly boring. That to me demonstrates she doesn’t want to get out of her comfort zone and in order to be fashion forward and well dressed — you DO need to experiment and she just doesn’t do that. At all. Ever. Like I said to •Florc• I agree with •HH• that she likes her basic boring stuff and that’s it.
Plus, if she were really into fashion — she wouldn’t be making the same mistakes over and over. Take for example her red de-planing outfit on the Australia/NZ tour. That outfit should have been a total knock out but once again, she gets an ‘almost there but not quite’ award. Her mistake? The brooch. Just that one detail creates just enough jumble that it throws the ensemble off. Otherwise it would have been a home run. Kate look FANTASTIC in red and the silhouette was smashing. Bonus, her hair in a half up/half down do. But the brooch competed with the buttons on the jacket and interrupted the flow of visuals. (Eyes need to fluidly look over a piece — when something doesn’t work it’s usually an interruption to the flow).
If she truly ‘got’ fashion and what works visually — she would look a whole lot better.
As for how Kate views herself? I have no idea and wouldn’t even start to guess. Unfortunately, Royals are often hear ‘yes sir’ and ‘yes ma’am’ to the point where an objective opinion is truly rare.
•HH•
I absolutely think she shops to get out and socialise with normal people. What was her comment on her first engagement? Totally excited to get out of the house. Speaks volumes.
This is a tantalizing discussion, indeed.
I think Kate enjoys fashion, but within reason. She has her own comfort zone and I can sort of relate to that myself. I think that is why she appeals to lots of people, they can relate to that.
Kate’s deal with the eyeliner demonstrates that she is stubborn. Honestly does anyone think that is a good look?
As far as her clothing goes, more often than not it’s pretty conservative – except for those moments when the skirt flies up or she shows too much leg or cleavage for the very conservative Royal situation. This body exposure thing for her station in life is what I find disturbing. She could be much more admirable if she wouldn’t do that. For instance, the blue tight jeggings she wore at the opening of the Olympics. She could have worn some beautifully tailored slacks or jeans with that white polo shirt – and some low heeled shoes.
Kate demonstrates to me that she wants to flaunt her body. 1) the legs. 2) high heels to tower over everyone. 3) the occasional cleavage (and granted she is not largely endowed, but still). 4) the hair obsession. I think she is insecure.
She’s also quite nervous. Can’t make a decent speech and is constantly touching her hair or making obtuse hand/arm movements when she speaks with people. The way I read this is that she doesn’t put much effort into preparation or LEARNING how to do the small talk that is necessary for someone in her role.
It’s basically a packaged deal and unfortunately I think Kate has a lot of work to do to bring herself into her role as the consort to the Heir to The Heir. The time is ripe to start working at it – and I don’t mean just fashion: she needs to become passionate about a cause other than herself or her husband. That is the biggest void at the moment.
LadySlippers
I know what you meant. Just playing devil’s advocate. Like you say she might just enjoy shopping because it’s normal. It could also be she likes buying clothes and spending money.
I think if she like the normalcy of shopping I bet she would do more grocery trips. That’s pretty normal and she’s done it before.
And I think she does experiment. She’s dresses amazingly well from time to time and her outfits break away from the normal style of hers.
You can be into fashion and into make-up and have lousy taste/be inept in both. To wit: Tammy Faye Bakker. IMO, when it comes to fashion and makeup, Waity is a hot mess, but it’s not because she lacks interest.
@MinnFinn – I agree with LadySlippers in that wearing high end designers doesn’t make one into fashion, particularly in Kate’s case. Not only is she expected to wear high-end clothing appropriate for her status, but she is expected to showcase British designers. Now, saying Kate isn’t into fashion, is not to say that she doesn’t care about they way she looks. As I previously mentioned, I think Kate does want to look nice, but I wouldn’t equate wanting to looking presentable as being into fashion, per se.
@Vava – You touched on a great point! While Kate isn’t necessarily into fashion, I think she does like to show off her favorite features: her legs, her hair, and her thinness. Anyone who enjoys fashion would not wear a beautiful brooch/ beautiful earrings/ a detailed neckline with a hairstyle that covers each of these up. Someone who’s into clothing highlights these pieces; that’s the whole point of wearing such a statement.
Overall, I could see where a case could be made either way. No matter what, I still wish she gave us more to talk about.
LadySlippers
Do you think it’s possible very little is told to Kate other than praise? That if her undergarments showed she would never find out? I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe In that case she can’t improve or prevent what she doesn’t know about.
•hmmm•
Oh Tammy Faye was even more hideous in person! My hometown had the ‘honour’ of hosting Jim while he did time in our VERY nice federal prison. The whole family was quite ‘out there’.
•Vava•
This IS a fun discussion!
😊
•Vava• •HH•
Most of us dress to highlight our positive attributes and I don’t see that as a negative thing. However, I wish she had help to highlight those traits without the risk that it might cross the line into risqué (i.e. ‘Marilyn Moments’).
•Florc•
To answer your question my answer is pretty simple: no. She is now even more insulated than she was prior to her engagement.
How many people are really going to be honest to ANY royal?!? It’s reported than one of the main reasons HM values Angela Kelly so much is because AK is very honest and frank with HM. And for HM, only Philip gives her honesty. That’s pretty sad if you think about it.
As for Kate, there’s been a lot of chatter about how many friends she *really* has and we don’t really know. We do know she’s super close to her family but would they be honest with her? Who knows? But Kate is surrounded by staff and honesty is not something they excel at (it’s not there place either).
I have seen it only that you mentioned it. Awful. Duchess showing off her bra.
Goodness. Is there anything this woman won’t flash?
Diana was a lady.
When I was preggered out, my breasts grew exponentially. I couldn’t keep up with the growth spurt. What fit yesterday did not fit today kind if thing; my point is to cut her some slack. Plus she has these pregnancies back to back and that’s hell on the wardrobe, tho heavenly for her growing family 🙂
My bet is that her gala dress didn’t fit and she just had to go with a back up.
Feeling well enough for charitable events just in time for some galas! Kate is such a brave woman.
A vacation in Mustique can’t be far behind……..
And New York….
I initially wanted to boil it down to coincidence, but it’s hard. This girl is a cynic’s dream.
I was doing my best not to say it, but that was my first thought when I saw this post. I don’t doubt that she has bad morning sickness, but the way she’s acting is a whole lot like I would when I was trying to get out of going to church i.e. I would pretend that I was sick the night before so I wouldn’t have to go to church the next day. And then would be mysteriously better the next day by noon.
Kate could have been improving slowly for some time now. And wasn’t going out until she was 100%. That said it takes more than a leap of faith with the timeline of hg and her normal weight gain as well as no loss of muscle mass. Only a gain in muscle it appears.
If her chart said hg and she came in for a followup I would question the original diagnosis. Or assume she’s found the cure.
Kate’s motives are as transparent as her dress.
I think she looks gorgeous and happy! I love seeing her like this.
I don’t see anything so terrible about her wearing her hair down!! It’s not huge teased hair, or dyed pink; it’s well groomed, healthy, shiny. Everyone says she’s frumpy, but she’s supposed to wear her hair pulled back for all official functions? I don’t think Batman slits in odd places near the boobs equates with frumpy either.
Agreed 100%. I go to a tons of “galas” and black tie events. The majority of young women wear their hair down. I think it’s old school to always wear an updo.
Updo’s are not old school. They are still very popular for proms and for brides of all ages. Lots of 20-30-something women have updo’s if they have a formal wedding and formal gown. Also, the 2015 bridal trends include tons of updo’s, so clearly updo’s are not old school or on their way out.
http://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Wedding-Hair-Makeup-Bridal-Fashion-Week-Spring-2015-34580713?stream_view=1#photo-34586462
Black Tie events call for more glamour. To not wear your hair as you normally would. You would do well to dress it up somehow. As she is it’s as if she tossed this outfit and syling together last minute.
I enjoy every black tie event I go to and the majority have hair up or partially tied back. It’s very rare someone shows up with long hair and doesn’t have it glammed up.
•Nikki• •Catk•
I think the issue is that her hair frequently gets in her face. And we all would like some variety in hairstyles as that’s one of the main attractions with long hair. For example, Mary (Denmark) and Letizia (Spain) wear their hair down a lot but it’s very rarely in their face. And they’ll mix styles up too. Plus, Kate honestly looks better with slightly shorter hair (and a tad more weight). Go back to her Uni days and you’ll see what I mean.
+1
The biggest complaint is that she doesn’t change her hair style for the masses? Come on. It’s her hair, she can wear it which ever way she likes.
•M.A.F.•
No, the biggest complaint is her hair is usually in her face and she’s playing with it. Or that it hides interesting components of her outfit. Changing it up is strictly a wish.
In her face, unprofessional, and she plays with it then shakes people’s hands. Yuck.
And when Kate does wear statement pieces, like that whopping Nizam of Hyderabad diamond necklace the Queen loaned her, it’s expected that she should wear her hair in a sophisticated style that displays the piece. Not girlishly flopping all over the place obscuring that phenomenal necklace.
“Her hair” ???
Plenty of fake extensions.
I don’t mind the hair down but it’s the same sausage curls every time. She could do veronika lake waves. Let her natural waves/curls show. She could do a smooth blow out with just a slight curl to the ends. There’s more to do with long hair then side-part + sausage-curls.
Also, Its hard to tell formality of an event with kate because she wears the same hair, makeup and outfit to day and evening events.
Yeah, I don’t get the obsession with updos. I look way better with my hair down, updos are rare. My hair is very thick and likes to fall out of updos and then look messy, so a nice hair-out style is always better. I actually think a lot of brides get it wrong with honking they have to do an updo. Many brides would actually look a lot better with a beautiful hair-down style.
BUT, I think there are more interesting hair-down styles that Kate could try for events like this – like beautiful, glossy finger waves. That would look amazing on her. I do think she did look fantastic with that classy 60s style ponytail too. I just don’t think she HAS to do an updo because it is a gala.
promote charities for disable children, hospice, university, diplomatic events= she’s battling a terrible illness, vomiting 30 times a day, can’t even get out of bed. she was forced to cancel.
carriage ride, gala parties and banquets= she’s fully recovered, even though HG doesn’t work that way. it’s a miracle! can’t wait for that newyork trip!
way to go kate :/
fyi before the “HG” she had a total of 7 solo events this year :/
Awful dress imo. I wish she had repeated the new zealand one, I loved that dress and would like to see it in motion. Ridiculous how they keep pushing the thrifty kate bs, putting 795dollars dress on the DM story title, but “forgetting” to mention how she spent at least 18k(for the off the rack versions, custom could double that number) in new pieces a couple days ago.
Lol you are right she is such a martyr!
Don’t forget skipping lunch with a foreign president and his wife. But managing to go to parties with people with lots of purfumes and other “triggering” smells.
And the baby weight starting to be put on despite being too sick and vomiting so much she couldn’t even make it off her moms couch for a couple months. Most women with HG lose weight. Must be the great doctors in London she sees while in buckleberry.
•Karen•
We honestly don’t know that she skipped the lunch. It could be that BP wanted to utilise other Royals for that event. It’s unfair to say she ‘skipped’ when she might not have even been invited (sickness or not).
Wow, Karen. You really don’t like her do you?
It was reported she did not go to the lunch.
@ Sammy
I think Karen made a lot of fair points. Pointing out that going anywhere where there are lots of smells is difficult when suffering from HG is a very fair point. Pointing out that Kate didn’t lose weight but seems to have gained both weight and muscle is a very fair point as women suffering from HG do lose weight and mostly muscle.
There is no need for blows below the beltline.
Not a fan of this dress or the way she wears it with that hair and the crotch grabbing with the purse.
The part I don’t like is the bodice. I think it’s overdone. If it was solid black and without the cutesy belt, the cutout design on the sleeves and hem might look OK.
I watched a video of her at this event and the hand motions are so over-the-top. Her posture is horrendous as well. She just has a strange ‘presence’.
•Vava•
I couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t like the dress either and I think you helped. I think it’s the 2nd cut-out panel that kills it for me. Leave the top one and I think I’d like it better.
Overall, I think she looks nice even if I’m not a fan of the dress. I get its my personal opinion rather than anything Kate did.
She does look better with the pregnancy weight, too.
Agreed, Vava.
If I didn’t look hard to see the hem of the flesh-colored lining, I’d have thought those lace cutouts exposed her entire thighs. And you can see her bra and straps in the camera flash. I don’t find this dress flattering at all.
MichaelK at dListed says it looks like the transformer logo.
It does!
My dear husband said it reminded him of a scuba outfit…the cutout design. LOL.
I like the dress- and it looks good on her. Usually, you “show” a lot sooner with a second pregnancy. She looks like she feels much better here than the event she attended earlier in the week.
She seems more animated when William isn’t around.
Diana started wearing black after the separation/divorce. Before that there was a lot of very dark navy.
•AM•
Yup, Diana wore black a few times post separation but not a ton. And Diana did do dark navy more (and other dark colours in general).
Thanks, AM and LS. That’s what I came to add. Other than the black vavavoom dress during the engagement, Diana stuck to the royal protocol of no all-black dressing until the separation. Yes, HM is old school. Don’t like the company president’s dress code? Don’t work for the company. Take a job with the company, follow the dress code.
•notasugarhere•
Actually it was QM that was way more old school than HM. When QM died, HM was more noticeably relaxed about a lot of things.
:ETA:
My guess is HM has relaxed the ‘black only’ for mourning within the BRF. Or William has told Kate to dress however she likes…there’s that too.
LS, if she had relaxed the rule I think we’d see Sophie and Princess Michael in all-black at times on-duty. That leads me to believe it is KM wearing what she wants, anti-protocol. Not sure if William cares at all what she wears, although from her own public remarks, he does take the opportunity to criticize her on the colors sometimes.
•notasugarhere•
But to be fair, even IF the rules were relaxed, that doesn’t mean everyone will jump on the wagon. So just because the other Royal ladies aren’t doing it, doesn’t mean the rules haven’t changed.
William teases Kate but I think he bucks protocol on purpose, and I wouldn’t put it past him to do it on clothing too.
Here’s Sophie in all black …
http://fashion.hellomagazine.com/fashion-news/201406242053/sophie-countess-wessex-wins-royal-ascot-best-dressed-vote/
That is Sophie at Ascot 2014. Ascot is not a royal/official engagement for Sophie, while it is an official engagement for HM. It is considered personal time for Sophie, so BRF protocol dressing is not applied to her clothes.
They’re allowed to wear whatever they want on personal time, including all-black, when it is a personal event. I think the Order of the Garter is another odd one like that; it seems like it is an official royal engagement but it is considered a family event (not in the Court Circular).
Here’s Sophie at an official function in all black …
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/sophie-countess-of-wessex-and-tess-daly-attend-the-star-news-photo/480696009
And she needs a different bra! 🙂
•bluhare•
Ha! You on brassiere patrol?!? 😉
•notasugarhere•
Ascot and Order of the Garter (same with Order of the Thistle) are both functions that most will think is a Royal function. Basically, it wouldn’t matter if it was ‘official’ or ‘not official’ — the perception is the same. And Sophie, being a PR person would know that. Furthermore Sophie is, hands down, HM’s favourite in-law and they are very close. If HM hadn’t relaxed the black rule, there’s no way Sophie would wear black on *any* engagement — personal or otherwise.
•Megan•
Thanks for the links! 😊
I love a lbd, but I don’t like this one for some reason. That sheer is very distracting. However, I think she looks very pretty and I’m glad she’s feeling better.
•GoodNames•
Agreed.
Hello, my dear. So good to have you back.
😊
That is an ugly, unflattering dress, but the duchess herself looks beautiful. Once she gets past the hurling stage, pregnancy really does improve her look tremendously.
Have to laugh at the comments regarding “extra” weight! Only seems to highlight the fact thAt she was severely underweight before lol!
Kaiser,
I’d disagree about wearing her pregnancy differently this time around. When we saw Kate and William leave the hospital in Dec 2012 — her face had noticably filled out. Plus, 2nd pregnancies usually show earlier. To me at least, this is very similar.
LS, in the December 2012 photos she was 6 weeks pregnant. In these photos she’s reportedly 13-14 weeks.
•notasugarhere•
My guess is her face honestly rounds out very early on. It stayed that round throughout all of George’s pregnancy and that was what I was trying to state. Lol
And even the DM has backed off of the 14 week comments. My guess is the 15 Oct scan was Kate dead on at 12 weeks. She’s probably 13 weeks and 2 days today.
LS, thought you were referring to bump not face 🙂
Hehe.
😃
She looks like Spiderwoman.
I agree – definitely a spider web pattern.
“Pretty or bland”? To me, neither.
More like vulgar and cheap-looking.
I used to like her style before and immediately after the wedding.
Then it plummetted.
Eh… who cares. 🙂
WTF is vulgar about that? You’re crazy.
It is a bit vulgar.
Plebeian is the word that I would use to describe her.. To me, she looks and acts like a spoiled and entitled rich girl. She is unable to establish interconnections (that we are able to believe) that she cares about anything more than looking good for William; and posing as if she’s the kittie who got the cream. I have nothing against her personally. She’s probably nice. But she has a long way to go, to demonstrate that she cares for anything that isn’t merely fun.
Even when she tries to be cutting edge; she ends up looking mostly boring. Are there really women who want to copy her look? Why – because she is royal? What a dumb reason.
I see a superficial layer that has little meaning, or regard. That makes me almost dislike her. It feels like she is taking advantage, all on her own, without the help of William. Does one have to feel sorry for her?
•wolfpup•
A few of Kate’s charities would vehemently disagree with you. The ones that I’ve read about have been very liberal with their praise of her. And aren’t they the ones that matter?
She looks better with a little extra weight. At a certain age, you have to choose between your ass and your face.
I still want to burn all of her eyeliner.
I must be going blind because I’ve looked at many recent Kate articles and I honestly don’t see where she has put ANY weight on. She is terribly thin for this stage, isn’t she?
She looks pretty good considering she’s probably been vomiting every day for months.
I think she looks great, but given the seriousness of HG I am surprised she is attending events with food.
•Mallory•
By today’s standards Kate should have been noticeably thinner due to her diagnosis of HG (one of the criteria is a 5-10% weight loss*). At roughly 12 weeks for a normal pregnancy (with no or a ‘normal’ amount of morning sickness) you’ll either have maintained your pre-pregnancy weight or added a few pounds. Kate’s face is noticeably rounder, which seems to be a thing for her (most women get their own ‘telling’ signs of pregnancy), but she does appear to have *gained* weight rather than lost it. Check out her Tower pics in London to compare.
I promise you — when you lose weight rapidly like you do with either HG or ‘just’ severe morning sickness– people can actually see it. It’s VERY noticeable.
*On a 100lb woman, a 5-10% weight loss equals 5-10 lbs.. On a 150lb woman the weight loss would be 7.5-15lb..
+1
This is why I don’t believe the HG stuff. Kate has gained some weight in her face, arms, legs, and obviously the torso. She looks very good, too. I don’t doubt she had morning sickness, but HG is more extreme, lasts longer, and you wouldn’t see this sort of weight gain after 6 or 7 weeks of constant and unrelenting illness.
I agree. I either have HG or severe morning sickness and despite managing on my own until my 14th week (I think we are due on the same week as Kate) with only 2 ER sessions so far, I have lost 6 pounds and everyone keeps commenting how haggard I look. And I was normal weight before, not thin like Kate. I never dissed her on her troubles but she def looks like she has put on weight, and healthy weight not liquid food weight. I think she probably had severe morning sickness but was able to keep food down.
•Vava•
Florc has said that HG can be (but usually isn’t) shorterm. So there is that.
•Ndr•
Yup. When I was pregnant with my daughter, the diagnostic criteria for HG was a 15% weight loss and I didn’t have that. Mine was closer to 8% and people still commented ALL THE TIME on my weight loss and how crappy I looked (although they raved about my weight loss which pissed me off! Lol). Like you, I was a normal, healthy weight to start out with and still dropped. I ‘managed’ with a lot of anti-nausea meds which minimized my vomiting but I certainly wasn’t eating either. I was thrilled when at about 13 weeks along I started getting some easing of symptoms.
I have no doubt Kate suffered but I struggle with her diagnosis of HG when what I see (weight gain, still very toned appearance, etc.) doesn’t appear to jive with what know about HG (both medically and personally).
Exactly! She gained weight. No way she has or had HG. Seriously…she does not look like someone whose stomach was turning itself inside out and was severely dehydrated. She looks rested, tanned and normal weight.
Her dress is meh and bland, but that’s her style. It’s either tacky or bland.
•Mia•
I won’t go so far as to say Kate flat out didn’t have HG. However, I am very willing to question the diagnosis.
That’s what I was thinking….she doesn’t look like she lost weight at all. Her face is a lot fuller and she doesn’t look gaunt at all–she looks like she works out. She should be looking more skeletal, especially how thin she really was before she got pregnant.
The way I see it, she was well enough to work out whether she had HG or severe morning sickness. The weight gain, toned legs and overall indications of good health indicate that. Exaggeration, thy name is Kate.
Regarding hg. I just can’t see it. And I don’t know information needed to know. So i’m just going on what I see. Given how long she was out of the public eye and her weight gain I don’t really see how she got so sick and so healthy so quickly.
Kate Hudson with her last pregnancy had hg. She was suffering. It only lasted 1 trimester and she came out of that looking terrible. And immediately started eating to bring her weight to a healthy lever. She lost muscle mass. Kate has gained.
She might have at 1 point had the symptoms to qualify, but I don’t know that for sure. She just doesn’t appear to have had a rough go.
•Florc•
Was that period of time only 5 mins to qualify for HG?!? 😉
(Sorry I’m being snarky!)
Mallory
Kate here is healthy weight. Kate before pregnancy was extremely thin. She’s gained a significant amount of weight to look like this.
Frankly I fail to see any “extra” weight. If she was anyone else walking down the street looking as she does,most people would think she is very thin -not pregnant!!
This is not a gala dress! I think it would be cutting it close to even wear this to a cocktail party. Dinner date with the hubby yes. Office Christmas party yes! It just seems a bit too casual for such an event and for a princess no less. This budget princess thing who is’ just like us’ rocking the Claire jewelry is wearing thin.
But her hair in the first shot is GLORIOUS!! I’ll give her that.
Thank you! I commented the other day about baby blue in October and then I saw this dress and thought, “for a gala? Really?” But didn’t want to say anything for fear of being old fashioned (despite being younger than the Duchess). Glad it’s not just me!
•Eugenia•
You can absolutely do princess or queen on a budget. Sofia, Letizia (both Spain), and Mathilde (Belgium) don’t have a ton of money to spend on clothing (especially Letizia and Mathilde before they became Queens) and while I don’t always like what they wore — they were able to pull off looking nice on a budget. Maxima (Netherlands) has even recycled her MiL’s (Beatrix) clothing and pulls it off nicely.
When you are on a budget, the ‘little things’ become even more important than when you can spend freely. To be honest, details are crucial in any fashion statement.
LadySlippers
Mathilde spends a lot on clothing. A LOT. She always has since she married Philippe.
•Rosehip•
Really? I have read that the Belgian Royals had to keep a somewhat tight lid on spending due to the economy. Nothing like Letizia in Spain though….
Maybe I need my eyeballs checked, because I think she looks spectacular.
Looks very happy, too, and that is always a great look.
She likes the attention.
So what if she does? No crime in that, especially when the job demands it and you’re going to be out in public constantly for your entire life. Might as well have a good time.
I’m not so sure she does like the attention. If she did, why all the nervousness? Someone who loves attention revels in it, and doesn’t exhibit the nervous behavior she does. IMO, she thought she’d like it, or wanted to like it, but the reality is a lot different than she thought. Watching from the sidelines is a lot different than being in the game.
Bluhare
We’ve disagreed about this before.
I think there are few occasions where Kate looks nervous at this point. Even when with William and in more socially calming/less formal times she presents herself the same. Laughing, smiling, expressive, etc… And she is very much that way when engaging in athletic activities. And we can all find some common ground and agree that when Kate is active she appears relaxed and truly enjoys the moment.
It’s easier to spot her nerves when she approaches a podium.
Outside of that she appears much more at ease and even takes much enjoyment out of these events.
I work for an accounting firm that pretty much only services high net worth individuals. That being the case, we are invited and encouraged to attend numerous fundraisers and galas throughout the year in order to both interact with our clients and drum up more business for the firm. Anyway, the point is that I see young women with their hair down, like Kate’s, all the time and they look fantastic and event appropriate. I don’t understand the obsession with criticizing Kate’s choice to normally wear her hair down.
But I guess the Duchess should totally be expected to take “Pro-Tips” from some American blogger who has probably never been to a gala in her life. I mean that seems totally reasonable to me.
So I guess a commenter on said American blog also has a better grasp of the situation than the blogger who has been royal watching for years? Kate’s hair is not appropriate because it is always in her face, she is always playing with it and scratching at it. Furthermore, it’s very much against royal protocol.
Christina, I don’t think there’s any extra expertise that comes with being a blogger. It’s a nice gig and this is a very good one, but it’s not like somebody gets a degree in “royal watching” and becomes the ultimate judge of what is appropriate.
Royal protocol is clearly loosening up in the 21st century; the Victorian era is over and most people are ok with that.
Robn- this has nothing to do with getting some type of PhD in Royal watching. It has to do with seeing these events and the royal women who participate in them on a weekly basis for years and getting an intuitive understanding of the dress code in them. I have been to a few galas myself, not Royal ones, but wearing your default student hairstyle (in Kate’s case) no matter how long you’ve had it was a bit of a faux pas.
Kate would be out of place at the Ascot without a hat. Why is this different?
•RobN•
Royal protocol has nothing to do with the Victorian era. Royal protocol, in this context, is about presenting yourself and the British Monarchy in a professional manner. Remember, Royals working (and privately) represent more than just themselves. So basically, it’s a dress code, probably very similar to *any* conservative business’s.
Christina: I disagree about the hair – for some women, there’s not enough time to redo hair between work and evening events. That’s just the day to spend more time than usual on hair in the morning. Obviously, that’s not the case for Kate, but I think it’s become acceptable since a lot of women do work FT.
A more general note: I think Kate has spectacular hair – it’s her trademark, in a way, and unlike a lot of posters on CB, I don’t think a short style would suit her. But she has to stop playing with it. That’s not even Royal protocol – that’s part of being a grown-up lady with long hair. It’s something my family and mother drove home repeatedly when I was a kid – if you have long hair and you want to wear it down, you’re not allowed to play with it.
•Elle•
I honestly think Kate could pull off a short do well. But what most of us mean by ‘shorter hair’ isn’t that radical. We’re talking about going back to her Uni length — slightly longer than shoulder length. It was long but didn’t overwhelm her face (she was also sans extensions and wiglets too).
Ladyslippers:
I’ve seen several comments recently that she should do a bob or something similarly short – that’s what I meant. Her university length would work.
Almost 10years of dating William and 4years of marriage and shes still fiddling with her hair and having skirt flyups.
Its ridiculous.
There were photos of her at one point walking in the park with Lupo. She had her hair tucked in the collar of her coat, making it look like she’d gotten a hair cut. imo this would be a good length for her.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/02/24/article-2106185-11E3A715000005DC-368_634x580.jpg
Elle- no one on this thread has said anything about how women who work full time shouldn’t have hair down, only Kate because of her special role and circumstances.
Just to address Kate’s hair history.
Kate’s hair becomes such a discussed topic because of its history.
Her hair tripled in size come engagement.
Claims were made it’s all her own hair that tripled in size.
Claims made she has no official hair dresser and does all her hair herself. (All later disproven)
And much from her hair in her face, not tied back, not following protocol, used as security blanket, and by far the worst offence yet! Having her hair down to cover those stunning bits of jewelry.
If these things didn’t happen or half ofthem didn’t happen her hair would be largely not discussed. Just wanted to say that. Not sure why the hair is coming into play now.
For what it’s worth her hair just under collarbone length would be lovely. And her hair pulled back looks nice. Her updos always look appropriate. It’s when it’s down and fluffed up with brushed out curls that makes her look like she’s in grade school.
•Thecatlookscrazy•
I wouldn’t underestimate the commenters and bloggers on CB. There are quite a few professional women on here that are not strangers to fancy events. For example, I worked briefly at a bank that served very high-end clientele and they often hosted afternoon soirées and evening galas as that’s what their clients expected.
As for our comments, how is *wishing* for a little variety a bad thing? I think most people here understand we are essentially ‘spitting into the wind’. Also, Kate is usually papped with her hair up and she looks fantastic. Why is hoping/wishing to see that coupled with fancier clothes so awful? Please explain (and I’m being serious).
Thatcat
I guess you’re the only person in the world to ever attend a gala. We bow to your superior sophistication and knowledge, we who have never been anywhere or seen anything the way you have with your servicing of high net worth individuals. Too bad a little tact, humility and good manners don’t come with that – it would be a much nicer package.
The OP is not all wrong though. I too have had to sit and smile my way through galas that are only there so people can flaunt their wealth and clothes budget and brag to their friends about how much they spent/donated, and hair down is the norm. I get royals are different (and the OP’s last sentence was quite patronizing), but the dress she’s wearing doesn’t really call for an updo IMO. But then my updo mode kicks in with a long formal gown.
The hair down doesn’t bother me, either. I just think any legitimate point is drowned out by the conceited, know-it-all attitude. There’s really no excuse for it.
•bluhare•
•GoodNames•
What I find rather ironic is today very few people are criticising Kate because her hair down, unlike with the baby blue Packham (and then, it was because we couldn’t see her jewels). The issue here, is most agree she looks great but aren’t nuts about the dress (for whatever reason). Yet, the people up-at-arms are upset about the hair comments. That, IMO, would have been warranted on her blue dress post, today I find it belated and thus, odd.
True. And it’s really just a preference being expressed. I wish she would cut her hair up to her collarbone, and other people love it long. It’s hardly anything to fight over.
The comment was condescending and decidedly anti-American. I enjoy reading other’s opinions and thoughts. Part of what makes it interesting, is that we come from different walks of life and therefore have unique perspectives.
It was a snobby remark from someone who thinks a US blogger doesn’t understand royalty. No more, no less. A bit like some I’ve seen directed at people from other countries who didn’t get something done/happening in the US.
Even several of the BRITISH Journalists who cover Kate at events, have complained about her hair at times and how it has ruined a look, or covered her face so much in moving around that it was hard to see her from some angles and even about her fiddling with it.
The British journos and columnists , one who worked for the Queen in the past were bewildered at why she wore her hair down on the evrening where she wore the piece of jewelry loaned to her by the Queen after George’s birth. They were there to see her in person and several British jourmos said or implied that her hair did not work for that evening.
She goes to all these events and pushes her hair around her head or off her face or away from her face. That was cute as a college coed and William’s club going girlfriend, but its simply NOT professional or elegant for this future Queen to constantly be tugging and fiddling with her hair.
Even Sarah Fergusom who kept her hair long, figured out ways to keep it manageable and off of her face most of the time, when she was a royal.
Kates hair is beautiful yes, but she does need to figure out a way to wear her hair down,yet not fiddle with it. Her hair looks pretty, its the fiddling with it that looks unprofessional and its just tacky to keep touching your hair as a royal lady, it looks immature.
There is a huge difference between a royal appearance and galas sponsored by accounting firms or law firms or other business entities.
Kaiser might be attending galas every other night for all we know.
Like I posted below, galas or fancy parties hosted by businesses are different from royal appearances – there are a whole different set of expectations for royals.
I feel like this dress is different from the dresses we usually see on Kate with the geometric cut outs or whatever that is called. I think I might like it better if the sleeves were shorter and the dress was longer maybe? And if she had her hair up in some way (not completely but definitely out of her face) than it would have been so classy. All I can think of for some reason is Catwoman and Halloween.
It is actually very similar to the Temperley she wore before (black lace cutout with nude under layer). She’s buying in multiples again, or shopping so much she cannot remember what she already has.
•notasugarhere•
I really, really think Kate has a certain comfort zone and sticks with it. I think we’ll see similar looks from her for years, if not decades.
Amy: I agree. I feel like Kate stepped out of her comfort zone with this dress – not a lot, almost more of a testing the waters – so even though I don’t love the dress, I’m inclined to like it just because it does seem that she’s trying something new.
Ooh! Kaiser just got dunked on!
Huh?
Looks like a Halloween party dress. Not my favorite. Some one needs to reminder her black dresses are see through with camera bulbs.
Diana learned super quickly. It’s not rocket science.
Kate has a history of refusing to weight hems and flashing in public. The peekaboo qualities of this dress could well be intentional.
If it’s boring now – and it is – Imagine when she’s Camilla’s age and still at it.
Diana had class and elegance, a person either has class or they don’t.
If Kate cared about carrying herself with class and elegance she would have weighted her hems after the first fly up. She obviously doesnt care about her body showing to the public.
Missoni does this look with much more verve and panache.
Also, I wish Gwynneth and Kate would have a gal pal beauty day and get matching pixie cuts.
Ooohh, that’d be great! And they could pull in Reese Witherspoon, too!
Pippa tip: if one would like to keep one’s hair out of one’s face, pull it back and secure it to the back of one’s head.
I am not fan of her dress but she looked beautiful. She’s glowing!!! Well done, Kate!!!
She looks great!
Is it just me or has becoming a Duchess killed her style? I see old pics of her from when they were dating and her evening gowns, coats, blazers, jeans were great. Now it’s all just boring or in this case….inconsistent.
I think she looks gorgeous! Her face looks youthful and healthy. Her legs look amazing. Love the brown shadow though I would rather she was a lot lighter handed on the liner.
Actually, this is the FIRST time I’ve seen her show any pizzazz at all. Her conservative dressing leaves me yawning, so I like this.
Just wish she’d stop with the platforms…she’s already tall and doesn’t need them. (At least the platforms are somewhat hidden, but they’re still platforms.)
After looking at the Lainey pics I figured out what was a bit strange about the second cut out. It’s too high up. It shouldn’t touch her boobs at all but they raised it as to not draw as much attention to her bump. They gave the dress an empire waistline and that cut out is meant to elongate the torso.
So last comment: overall I like the dress. I would have preferred a 3/4 sleeve with the length. The panel should have been tanner and they could have left out cutouts on the skirt since it’s not straight.
Love the dress…and I’m gonna make my usual observation that her look could be rocked by the addition of boot Pr0n. In this case I’d go with basic Docs. Not very royal but it’d be an awesome look.
Finally! I too like the dress. I think it’s cool…
Actually, that’s not a bad idea. If that bodice was changed to get rid of the lower cutout panel, ditch the belt, wear some black sheers and some short boots, this dress would be transformed into something interesting and potentially pretty great. I’m not going to hold my breath on seeing her wear some killer boots though, she seems pretty hung up on the court shoes unfortunately. They have their place of course, but I’d like to see her wear something a bit more “hip” and this dress could certainly support some boots.
After seeing photos (link below) of all the men at this event in tuxes, I think this spider web dress is too casual. Since Kate was the star of the show and with the men in tuxes and even though most of the women did not wear long dresses, Kate should have worn a simple long dress.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/11183834/Kate-Duchess-of-Cambridge-attends-addiction-charity-gala.html
I dont like the dress,because it reminds me of those fitted, spandex cutout dresses some girls wear in nightclubs.
I think the dress is a tad tacky, because of being able to see through it.
I just dont think she gets it fashionwise of what is expected of afuture Queen.
Shes not supposed to dress like a starlet or a WAG, shes suppose to dress with elegance and class. She just is lacking, I dont think shes ever going to get what it means to dress in a dignified manner.
Kate no matter what she wears seems to always want to have a tad of hoochie with it.
I just find her lacking. The bar is set so low for her, so if she does a halfassed job , for her thats seen as a good.
I think Kate is starting to hit a sartorial sweet spot. She’s finally wearing dresses the appropriate length that are clearly her style but far more interesting than what she’s previously gone for. I agree this dress doesn’t scream “gala” but the nude cutouts add a fun element and it’s very flattering.
I’m relieved Kate’s sticking with cheap jewelry. She shouldn’t wear the good stuff as long as her hair is loose for every black tie event, even if it is flawless.
I dont think shes being offered the good jewels yet.
The one time she was given a major piece it ended up looking a mess because of hair getting in the way.
That’s what I said upthread. That was the perfect occasion to wear her hair in a sophisticated style to showcase the Nizam diamond necklace, a real statement piece, and her hair was again down and all over the place obscuring the piece.
The thing with Kate Middleton, especially if I live in England, you learn not to believe everything about the Royal Family and especially the Cambridge’s, she has never had not has HG, for some reason or another they didn’t want her to be seen for the first 12 weeks in both pregnancies, it was 13 weeks on the dot when she appeared public when expecting George, something doesn’t add up, her whole family up and left her to go to a wedding in Italy when she was apparently throwing up 10 times a day…. She doesn’t work , she never has 10 appearances a year shaking hands and pretending to lol interested, making silly mistakes, dissent constitute a job even for the royal family, her husband and her are a couple if muppets that’s exactly what they look like in every photos. We should keep the queen and the few worthy royals, everyone else can if one….
•Haley•
Not true. Kate was about 6-8 weeks along when she emerged from the hospital in Dec 2012 and we saw her only 3 weeks later presenting awards in Jan 2013.
In addition, Anne, Diana, Sarah, and Sophie were seen prior to the 12 week mark too.
That’s the ugliest dress I’ve seen so far. And she doesn’t do it any favours.
Event: Fancy Evening Gala
Location: L’Anima, London’s award winning Italian restaurant
Outfit: See-through top in the style of a Marvel Comics character’s costume
Job: Hobnobbed with the rich and elite
It would have been nice AND SMART P.R.-wise if when she had come out of her two months of alleged HG sick bed, her first few public events had been with the people that the charities help, instead of seeing her at nothing but fancy events full of the rich & elite of society.
Imo, because she was raised to pursue this ‘higher class’ level of society as friends and mate(s) and be part of the upper social stratosphere and nothing less, she never developed any empathy or camaraderie or feeling of ‘social activism’ with people of ‘lower’ classes (she’s a bit of a snob, imo). I think her parents, especially her mother, drilled into her that it was a failure if she associated & settled with people of the ‘lower class.’ I think that’s why she’s so out-of-tune with how she looks when she doesn’t do much charity work that gets in her the same room with those that the charities help rather than those rich few which do the donating. Very different from how Diana thought and worked, imo.
Imo, Diana actively made sure that she met with the ‘lower class’ because she not only wanted to show them that she genuinely cared for them but she knew that her presence and being photographed with them would help them through her media influence. I just don’t see this kind of thinking with Kate.
Even with the recent charity addition (yachting club), it’s an organization that deals mostly with the rich with a main goal that helps mostly those that can afford this ‘hobby.’ The events she usually attends and much of the charities she’s signed up with (museums, theaters and the like) seem to me those they are geared towards the upper class.
The last time that I can remember when her PR team released photographs of her with people lower down in the charities, it was labeled as a ‘private’ aka ‘secret’ visit. What? Why?
Anyhoo. People don’t really change, imo. She was raised to think a certain way and it’s showing her in adulthood and in what her primary incentives are.
•anne__000•
Apparently Action for Addiction raved about her as a patron(ess). Kate does meet normal people here.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/526672/Duchess-of-Cambridge-black-dress
@LadySlippers – Kate & the charity’s chief exec wrote/said she met with some of the people this charity helps, which I take it as ‘previously met.’ Since the last charity event she did was back in July (though I don’t know which charity that was), I wonder how long ago she actually met with these people of this particular charity.
•anne__000•
But does it matter *when* she met them if the charities she’s patron of are thrilled with Kate’s involvement??! This isn’t the first charity that has said positive comments about Kate. And this article doesn’t have just perfunctory comments either as they rave about Kate. I mean, at some point, we need to recognise that Kate has positive qualities and does good things for some of her charities.
Well said Anne! As others have said on numerous occasions the difference between Kate and Diana is Kate’s lack of depth substance and empathy. Diana was far fr perfect but she had these qualities in spades.
Kate has no charisma and comes across as very superficial and self involved. When she is on duty all people can talk about or remember is what she wore vs what she did. I won’t even get into the lack of a work ethic. On this site and others she is praised for showing up while hard working riyals like Sophie are ignored…
Totally agree. Kate should focus on something meaningful and learn how to reach out to make a difference. It shouldn’t be about her fashion, her hair, or the shape of her body. That’s all she puts forth though right now, and it’s so superficial. I’m not sure why she hasn’t figured that out.
Kate and William get praise for doing very little and they will keep behaving this way, until the press comes down on them, but the British press won’t. Imo They will just sit back and keep taking whatever crumbs William and Kate throw their way and lap it up when they appear at something, no matter how much of a halfassed job they do. It will take one reporter going rogue one day to actually be truly honest.
Also one of the press hinted that Kate was out and about when she was supposedly down with HG at mommies, but no one dared to talk about it in the press, but several knew she was up and around. They just figure maybe the HG was off on those days.
If articles about Sophie got hits, Sophie would be all over the internet. Don’t get me wrong; I like her and I have a blog or two about her bookmarked, but she doesn’t have the oomph that the wife of a direct heir does. And it’s not even Kate. Whoever William married would have got this treatment. If Harry marries well, his wife will get the next best treatment.
Bluhare
Completely agree.
Do you know Sophie and Edward’swedding got higher viewing numbers in the US than William and Kate’s.
And Sophie and Edward were only on three stations .
The press will always positively promote Kate even if she doesnt sell magazines or deserve the accolades, because of who she dated and married.
The thing with Kate, is she still doesn’t sell Magazines. No matter how much the British press has rammed her down the throats of the public for a decade or more, covers with Kate don’t sell, they sit on the shelves. What Kate does get is loads of clicks in social media, people will click on to read a story.
The press had an agenda and still does.
When articles were written about Sophie as a new bride even before the sting evnt, the press wrote negative slanted articles on Sophie.
The same with Beatrice, Eugenie they are usually written up NEGATIVELY in the British press. It’s only been through Sophies hard work and ignoring the press that she has become respected and that respect is from the public.
Kate and Willam will continue to be lauded for doing very little, because the press has an agenda.
Someone, not sure if you’re responding to my comment because I think we basically agree. I’m not sure it’s a nefarious plot by the press, but Sophie’s distance dooms her from the coverage Kate gets. I think her coverage has actually increased; I certainly see more articles about her than I used to.
You know, if the husband factor was removed, I’d much rather be in Sophie’s position than Kate’s. Much rather.
bluhare
Yes ,I totally agree on your points. I think I’d rather be in Sophie’s spot too.
Even though she did get some early coverage, initially….
from the start by Judy Wade and other royal reporters who were around during the Diana era, basically said that she would not be as covered by the press as much because she married Pr.Edward so far away from the throne.
I like to see her in black, but I think this dress is ugly. Its one of the rare black dresses that actually makes the wearer look bigger. But on the other hand, it is more insteresting than her usual boring stuff. Hopefully, she’ll start taking more chances.
I think Kate is one of those persons who have no interests, let alone a passion, for anything. Such girls are often easy going, even fun to socialize with, but it is impossible to have a proper grounded conversation with such a person as they do not bother, or even lack the ability to think beyond their immediate day to day lives in any abstract way. Usually all opinions such a person has are related to her personal, and limited experience, only. Kate led a priviledged life before she married and could have done a thousand things yet did almost none. She has not even travelled, just vacationed on the beach and by the pool. Every single thing she has done after her marriage points to this in my opinion. So do not expect her to change in any way – she does not even realise she should. Have to take her as she comes.
Well, I think you’re absolutely right.
Well, history certainly supports your claims here.
I’ve spoken with more than a few socialites. Their world is limited is the grand scheme, but it’s theirs. And in that world what we might find trivial is cause for praise, drama, and breakdowns. Mostly because they have nothing else. It’s a very sad existence imo. To have no ambition.
This outfit just looks too Kardashian for my liking. It’s a bit too trashy & has zero glamour for a gala event. Kate seems to underwhelm most of her outfits & make them cheap looking. To be honest, if she wasn’t so lazy & privileged I wouldn’t notice these superficial things.