I have never really understood the Duchess of Cambridge’s affection for lace. I was just reminded of that as I looked through these photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge greeting Chinese president Xi Jinping and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan at Lancaster House in London. Will and Kate must be exhausted! Two events and two costume changes within a 24 hour period! Will and Kate were on hand last night at Buckingham Palace for their first-ever state dinner for President Xi. Today’s event was to showcase the “creative ties” between China and Great Britain.
For today’s event, Kate wore a $2850 (£1,850) Dolce & Gabbana dress in plum/purple. The lace is… well, I’m just not into lace, especially for daywear. If she really wanted to wear this dress, it seems like it would be better suited for an evening cocktail party. It would have been great to see her in a sharp suit for this outing (look at what Peng Liyuan is wearing). I do love the color on her though – Kate doesn’t wear a lot of plums and purples and she really SHOULD because those colors look great on her. Her hair is down, which is… okay. She didn’t sausage-curl her ‘do, which I guess is a blessing.
Also: Jackie Chan was there! You can see more photos here. I have to say, Kate seems totally fine in these photos. I know that some people are concerned by Kate’s habit of seemingly laughing inappropriately, playing with her hair when she gets bored or being too smiley at serious events, but from what I’ve seen of Kate at both events, she seemed subdued and like she was really trying to be on her best behavior. Nobody got flashed, nobody twirled their hair, nobody smiled maniacally into space. It was fine.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.
Very Hallowe’en.
I know it’s not the point of these posts but as a Britisher I’m so tired of the whole Royal family. i wish Go Fug Yourself dropped them too. I wish we were a Republic.
As a fellow Brit, I totally support that. Time we grew up and stopped fawning over these anachronisms.
Her hair is overwhelming, especially with the high neckline. Not loving it, though the color is pretty on her.
Yes, the color is fantastic on her. The security-blanket hair makes me sad. You don’t have to hide, Kate.
Honestly, I wish she would just wear her hair up as much as possible. Or cut it short. These face framing masses of hair just age her horribly.
I think she looks much worse with her hair up. Personally, I love her hair here, wig or not. But I do agree, it would be fun to see her with a shoulder lenght hairstyle, or even a bob.
Yes. The hair looks like it is going to come up through my phone and grab my wrist. Either cut it or get rid of the extensions.
You can really see the line of the wiglet in the last large photo. Either that or I’ve been in the wagon with FLORC too long and everything looks like one now!
Nope, you haven’t spent too much time in the wiglet wagon.
I think she came out of the hospital wanting to rock a 60s era look of a because that style made it’s debut at the hospital steps with Charlotte. The wiglet was very obvious then as it is today.
I see lines as well. Perhaps all the added hair is why she just had fringe/bangs cut at the very front, with no blending or layering. It might be tougher to hide all the bonus hair.
Yes, pull back your hair, Waity. And stop with the smoking; it’s aging you quickly.
The color is pretty on her, though.
I was wondering if she is a smoker, her face is starting to sag and the lips are pursed.
Give me a break. She looks 33. You are used to seeing women in Hollywood who are getting botox by 25. She looks like a normal woman who isn’t wearing a ton of makeup and has no plastic surgery. Leave her alone. These photos do not have photoshop!!
@ikaye, when she isn’t smiling, she has sagging on either side of her mouth, like little pouches. Hey, we all age. Her aging is the least important thing about her – her lack of a work ethic is why I can’t stand her now.
ikaye – you must be looking at the photoshopped pictures because she looks significantly older in the ones that haven’t been doctored. Sophie Wessex is 50 and she has more youthful, healthy looking skin.
Harsh, people. She’s a hands-on mom of two very young children. If she doesn’t look like a Hollywood model, so what — she shouldn’t. I think she’s lovely and has overly big shoes to fill and no one will ever cut her a break for not being Diana.
I was thinking the same thing about the neckline. Imagine if she had just chosen an simple ponytail. Or updo, if the ponytail is too ordinary. The color really is great on her.
Are these pics somehow filtered or something? Her face looks really fresh and, well, it usually doesn’t? … Okay, it only looks fresh in the first pic.
Ha ha! I thought the same thing about how pretty she looked, then I kept scrolling. It’s the hair and eyebrows. Both too much. The dress is beautiful with the shoes, although it would look better if she had better posture, especially since she’s so bony. I actually love the shoes– what a gorgeous color for fall.
Edit to add: what is with her pursing her lips? Or is she clenching her teeth or what? In some of the photos it looks like she has jowls (is that what they are?). I would think she would have somebody advising her on facial expressions. She very pretty when she’s relaxed and smiling (under all that hair).
The hair is so awful. Really dated and overwhelming her entire face. I don’t mind the dress that much, minus the neckline.
She does look very drawn. Normally, I’d give her the benefit of the doubt having two little ones in the house but we all know she has a team of people to take care of the kids so…..
I agree with everything here. The whole look would have been better with her hair up and with a lower neckline. Her hair looked so nice up at the state dinner!
She looks drawn and her skin looks rough. I’m guessing the smoking and sun damage are catching up with her.
I really love the dress but agree that it is more suited for a cocktail party than a semi-formal daytime engagement. She looks really really old these days. I think it is because of the loss of fat in her face. Girl needs to eat. I bet that since she seems to have widened everywhere – waist, hips, you can even see a bulge of lower tummy (common after two babies), she is starving herself to get back to her previous size and that shows in the face.
I like her entire look, just the wrong event. All over lace is just not a “day” look. But hey, the hemlines have been steadily appropriate so kudos there. BTW, the fact that Kate’s hemlines improved means that someone important from BP/KP/CH had a stern talking to with her. I remember an article came out that said the Queen was tired of the skirt fly ups and Kate was going to get a makeover. I remember many people being skeptical thr Queen would even get involved in such matters. Sure enough though, the hemlines have only gotten longer since. So that story had some truth.
Agreed. That is a LOT of hair. Everything looks a bit stuffy.
It’s almost like her hair is feathered 1980’s style. i think it her hair would look great pulled back.
Agree with everyone commenting on this thread. Her hair is overwhelming and should be pulled back; love the plum color of the dress and I like the dress, but not for a day event.
Peng Liyuan looks so pulled together and appropriate, as she did at the state dinner last night. I realize that she’s older, but her elegance seems to highlight what a light weight Kate is (and I’m not talking literal weight).
I also wonder if Poor Jason (or someone) is putting her through media training. I’m sure she had instruction for the state dinner, but overall, less hair playing, less frenetic smiling, the appropriate length dresses that don’t fly up…seems like someone’s reading the online comments and taking some action. So is this coming from BP or is Poor Jason figuring things out?
Zinjojo, I totally agree with you that Peng Liyuan’s look was perfection on both occasions. Whoever is advising her has got it exactly right. She knocks spots off Curly Katie Bucket.
The only objection I have to Peng Liyuan’s outfit today is that the coat is several inches shorter than the dress. I really dislike when the dress hangs longer than the coat; both hemlines should be even, unless it’s a jacket or three-quarter-length coat.
As someone with naturally thick hair that I’m holding onto in my 30s with bloody fingernails and which I wear down often during the daytime, I can’t be objective about KM’s hair. I love that it’s long and that she wears it down (when she’s not playing with it), and if it’s full of extensions then God bless her have fun with it. I do much prefer when she wears it up for evening events, though. As for the dress, it’s pretty enough. Nice to see her in a designer label for this type of event and not some flimsy Whistles frock that blows up with the slightest breeze.
I don’t object to long or thick hair at all. I just think hers, in this case, with this dress and neckline, is too “heavy” looking all together. You enjoy your lovely hair. I’m sure it looks great. Btw, I have shoulder length hair in my 50s and every decade I think it’s the last one I can possibly have hair this long. Then I just do it again.
It’s the styling, not so much the length though I think a few inches trimmed off would lighten the look considerably. In combination with the lace and the high neckline, she’d have been better pulling her hair back or wearing it up.
The dress is horrid. She has a bad case of bitch face. If she is not smiling, she looks extremely put out.
She IS put out. She could be shopping, redecorating, playing with the kids, having beauty treatments, coloring her hair, hanging out with Mum . . . instead, look what they’ve got her doing!
She looks so tired all the time, which for a mother of two young ones I can understand…but it’s not like she’s doing it all alone.
Love the color of the dress. I love lace…but it has to be done well and occasion appropriate. This is neither.
I’m a sucker for lace…i think she looks stunning, her skin just glows in that plum color! The hair color is also very beautiful but the style does seem a bit too much, maybe a long bob would be less overpowering and more practical. I’m getting remarried next year and i’d LOVE to buy a dress similar to the one Kate is wearing in a blush tone, oh i’d be on cloud 9. I just don’t have that amount of money to dish out on a dress…lol…
The dress looks more appropriate for a semi-formal evening event than a daytime event where everyone else seems to be in business attire. The dress looks like something Joan Collins would wear. I would love it on Joan, but Kate is too young for it.
Try Diane von furstenberg. She made almost identical lace dresses in every colour under the sun a couple of years ago – am sure you can still buy them. I had 2 of my friends get married in them – in diff colours.
I can empathize with that though. I get asked at least 2xs a day if I’m ok even with a sign on my desk that says, “I’m fine, it’s just my face.”
Ugh, me too. I have perfect strangers tell me quite frequently as they pass me “Smile!!” or “Come on, it can’t be that bad!” Meanwhile, I’m just over here trying to grocery shop. RBF sucks. *sigh*
I have resting bitch face, and used to get the “smile! It’s not that bad!” crap all the time. So annoying. I’m fine, f you! Lol, maybe my RBF is not an accident of fate.
One tip (not from Pippa) is to observe in a mirror or by video how one looks when speaking or just listening. See yourself as others do. Helps with public speaking, working with others, etc.
I would have thought ‘princess prep’ training would have covered it. LOL
That dress looks more like a evening dress. Also she looks like she is freezing in it.
I agree. The dress isn’t right for the event, and she’s got the lumpiest looking face I’ve ever seen on a 33 year old.
Lumpy. That is a good adjective to describe how her face is unfortunately starting to appear. I personally think that she is starting to look like an English Bulldog in the above pictures….
I agree as well. She dresses for so many events as if they’re either Saturday night date night or a cocktail party. If she’d actually worked while waiting for her Prince she might have a better idea of what’s appropriate for professional occasions such as this one.
Yeah, you might not think that if you’d seen some of the work get ups I’ve seen in my career.
I love the color and I’m a sucker for lace, it’s very feminine IMO. I think she looks well put together even though a tad manniqin-ish.
My bar for Kate is any dress where she isn’t flashing the public with her goods is a great outfit. Seriously I feel like I have to prepare myself now for clicking on her threads because I really don’t enjoy looking at other ladies goods.
Crazily enough I really like it. I just don’t like the matching shoes. Anyone else with me?
I think she looks gorgeous!! I love that dress and colour.
I’m still not sold on that fringe bang she has happening, but whatever she’s been doing lately with her skin/make-up is really working for her.
Ditto!
I *love* it. If I had a long slender figure, I’d own that dress in every color.
I like it too. But I do think it’s more suited to evening or something more cocktail receptiony. Were they going to one?
As I said above, it’s like she dressed for date night or cocktail parties, very little comprehension of what it means to dress for “work.” Maybe because she never did.
I like it a lot, and really like how Will’s coordinated his tie to her dress! I do think it is more of an *evening* dress, however.
Love the color and the lace but not the high neck. What I don’t get is on a seemingly cool, cloudy day, why wouldn’t you wear a coat? She loves coats and has lots of pretty ones, why not wear one today?
She has 70+ coat dresses. Today would’ve been the day to wear one. Instead she stands out in an odd way. Like she got lost after Dolly Parton’s cocktail party last night and just found her way back home.
With you on the matching shoes. They look like 1990s dyed to match prom shoes.
I like the it, but wish the neckline was a bit less constricting. As far as her lumpy looking face, I hate when they just catch people a certain way in photos and blast them all over. When she smiles she looks very pretty and none of that older look. Now the hair, just a bit too overdone for me, not sure I like that too much.
I’d do a fun copper neutral shoe. Play on fall colors and not so matchy with the shoes. But that’s just me. Otherwise, she’s doing better than recent events. Thank goodness for no mumsy coat dresses!?
I really like it too. It is definitely not a daytime look though, She looks gorgeous! I love the lace.
Lace dresses have to be worn carefully, they can look either scrofulous or too much like lingerie. I like the color, which is very in this season but I’m not sure about the rest. I dunno. It’s pretty theoretically but something isn’t right and I can’t figure out what it is. Might be the lace bottom against her legs – too much like an evening cocktail dress. I think one of her tailored suits would have been better, although it’s a quite pretty dress.
she is obsessed with showing her legs. even when pregnant she always had to show them (even at risk of flashing the biscuit). I agree it would have been great for her to wear a suit
We were informed over on gofug yourself that Kate doesn’t like pants because she is long waisted and they give her cameltoe. But really, if you have 2500 dollars to spend on a day dress, can’t you get a $500 suit and pay to have it tailored????
Generally, I like it. The colour is lovely. She really looks good in jewel tones. I like lace, but it’s overwhelming her and I think the neckline is too high. I like the side swept bangs rather than parted in the middle.
I think it would have worked if the lining was all the way up into the high collar and down the sleeves. The unlined bits make it too reminiscent of lingerie for a daytime, formal event.
Yay Belle! Exactly what I was thinking. Seeing flesh peeking through lace looks A) like you are wearing sexy lingerie or B) wearing your grandmother’s tablecloth – neither is the look you should go for during a state visit.
I love the color, but think the lace was a miss. I nice stretchable wool or a good quality ponte knit would have flattered her figure but still looked professional.
Yeaaahhhh . . . not my idea of daywear.
Somewhat overdone. She looks a bit concubinish IMO. Too teased. Too 80s.
She really needs to take a methods acting course. That one look she has for everything beats the hyena grin but only by a hair.
Agree on the dress. She’s not the one to try to pull this look off in the daytime. The dark lace, long sleeves, OTT hair and make-up scream *soap queen*.
Hyena grin. That’s perfect.
from the top of her head to her chest she looks like a country singer a la loretta lynn or dolly parton. Very over the top country singer hair…
pretty color dress though
I was going to say that! Especially in the last photo. She’s even got a lighter version of Texas hair. Is that a bump it?
That said, I despise lace. Especially during the day. It always looks cheap and like you buy your clothes from Fredericks of Hollywood. And such a high neck calls for an undo.
This Chiness show is very funny. I know countries evolve and move on but for some really good reading, check out the Opium Wars. Really interesting if you just want to know some good old fashioned diplomatic f–kups between two countries with huge egos and how they brought the worse out of each other. Britain probably won the battle but it changed Chinese relations forever.
pinkelephants, The absurdity struck me last night too. Chinese communist party leader a la ‘we are a classless society’ meets the alpha and omega of the British caste system.
Yes!!! Crystal Gayle.
jeanne +1000 That’s it! She does look like a country singer. I couldn’t put my finger on it but you nailed it.
She looks utterly ridiculous. That is a cocktail dress. And I know, I know it’s D&G but the lace looks really cheap. That is a great color on her.
That’s it, y’all!
It’s amazing how quickly the unphotoshopped pics have been withdrawn.
I was shocked by the first set posted this morning. Her face!!!!!next to the glossy, 80s era big hair wiglet!!!!eeekkk! Tired and haggard. Grrl needs to work on finding inner peace somehow because clearly this lifestyle is not agreeing with her face.
Aaahhhh! I got up too late today! I wish I could have seen those!
I also wish I could have seen the unretouched pics! I think these pics make it obvious how much work she’s had done, though, especially the pic of her and Will with the umbrella.
I was shocked as well by the first pics that were released. They at least prove she is not on botox again, but boy does she need it! Her face especially cheeks go south tremendously.
I saw those photos too, and was in disbelief.
here are some unphotoshopped pictures :
http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Kate+Middleton+State+Visit+President+People+0iJIsT1B-F3x.jpg
http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Kate+Middleton+State+Visit+President+People+WZIU9FFVYgvx.jpg
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQWV7-HPOYgIGGAadvXghOWWoWvnybMVkt3aQonu0_2naHK-D8
yes he looks 10 years older than her age atleast but who cares? why are women held to such a standard – why do we all have to look young and beautiful? William looks older too. We cant all be beauty queens and thats ok
Yikes ! That is a scary. She needs some sort of retreat or something.
Thanks r-r!
And why oh why are his and her’s mouths always so pursed! Ugh. They just always look so damn bored and vacant.
wow.
mean girls, much?
while i find the notion of royalty ridiculous and kate pretty much useless, this kind of harping on her physical appearance is a bit much, even for me.
Wow. Are we absolutely sure she’s 33? Whatever the cause, she certainly can pass for at least a decade older. It’s not like she lives a hard, down-and-out life. Is it smoking? Tanning?
Kristen, often her strongest fans are those who praise her simply for her looks. Those are the people who tend to photoshop her beyond recognition, as they do not perceive the reality of her as worthy. As LAK expressed on here, those looks are her main focus and often they are false. When shown the facts of how she really looks, it is eye-opening.
She looks older than 33. I have 29 going on 30 and I could pass as her daughter. Has someone checked her birth certificate???
Wow. Are those photoshopped to make her look worse? Especially the first one. She looks haggard. Maybe too thin, and not enough sleep. I know, she has a nanny, but if one of her kids isn’t a sleeper, everyone may be up. I do think she is a pretty hands-on mom, so she may not get sleep either. (Although Willy seems very rested.)
Whoa! This is what is going on around my mouth (1st pic) and I’m 60. Poor dear, her forehead wrinkles – I almost pity her tribulations…there must be an appropriate vacation!
I think this is part of the press snark attack at these 2 – publish untouched images of her. Up until recently they would never have done it, now its happening with regular occurrence. Normal Bill pisses them off – they retaliate with non-photoshopped pic’s of her.
I saw them and she did look rough – he doesn’t look much better with his permascowel. But in all seriousness she really has to do something about that hair – even if she cut a few inches off it and had layers put in, it would make such an improvement. The weave is ruining her whole look.
Kirsten/Carol: her image is part of who she is. The public asks that she be presentable, she responds by having procedures, fake tan, fake hair, fake teeth, OTT make up, botox, nose jobs etc where she could have presented as herself. No one asked for a fake, overly made up barbie doll. This entire thread is full of compliments about her hair when it’s quite obvious she’s wearing a wig/extensions. Yet, Kate Cambridge takes pride in her extensions – sorry hair. She’s happy to accept the accolades for this false image.
When she was being pushed as the princess over all princesses that ever lived, the media colluded in photoshopping her pictures to the extreme and telling us what a natural beauty she was.
Consequently, post engagement, very few pictures of the real her exist. We may as well look at a portrait of her. Oh wait, we did. And people who had never seen her natural self immediately blamed the artists. People who have met her often comment on the disparity of the image vs her real self.
And she accepts this aspect of superficial image because she spends hours on it, and once asked the palace to dissemble on the subject of her image.
By her showing up dolled up, even when it’s unnecessary, whilst being completely unprepared and unknowledgable about the task at hand, the press can only write about her appearance. She has the power to change the conversation or at least make it meaningful and she repeatedly shows us that as far as her public life is concerned, her appearance is all the matters to her and the only thing she will give us.
This week Sophie Wessex made a speech about her image in which she said she understands that her image is important, but not more so than her work. And it shows.
Kate Cambridge should take a leaf out of Sophie’s book.
LAK, I am so glad you are here.
Great essay, LAK!
LAK/notasugarhere: I appreciate your input. And I’m glad you’re here, too, because I enjoy your insight tremendously. I’m not a Kate fangirl. I’m really, really not. And of course I’m not above criticizing her outfit/hair/makeup/social climbing here and there. It’s just that sometimes… the tone and vitriol cross a line. Even for me. To point out every line in her face… the bags under her eyes… I’m sorry. I can’t be down with female empowerment and call myself a feminist and then engage in that, you know? (And yes, Kate represents the antithesis of all that. Absolutely.) Sorry for the stream-of-consciousness. I’m American, I think royalty is bizarre, but also tremendously fascinating. I just don’t get the Kate-hate sometimes — at least not for the lines in her forehead.
LAK………absolutely. Spot on. Kate could change the conversation, but she probably won’t. I think she’s sort of given up on that.
I used to follow her because of all the hub-bub over her fashion. I thought she was quite attractive during her engagement. I had hoped she’d work on her speeches and get better at them, but sadly she has retreated into Barbie’s World. I’m at a loss to come up with anything about her that is worth admiring. I guess she had a couple of cute kids, but really what else has this woman accomplished?
Ugh – I missed them too. Anyone got a link? Google is not being my friend today.
Kate’s hair is def. fake. As is her nose. Why are Kate and Pippa aging so rapidly? With their abundance of money they could afford the best organic food, vitamins, and nutritional supplements. Their hair and skin never looks healthy. Makes me wonder…
, Her face looks Tired and rough in unretouched photos.
The dress is pretty, but it looks like evening wear, not for daytime. JMO
Don’t like her hair here. Looks like dolls hair.
dolls hair. exactly.
Call me old fashioned but IMO that dress is for evening cocktail party events. I don’t think this is appropriate for the occassion. A nicer type of business dress or suit in the color (which I love BTW) would be much better.
Guess I’m old fashioned too..think this is definitely an evening look. Not a huge lace fan, but I do like the color.
She looks inappropriate considering what China’s first lady is wearing, which appears working official. Kate’s dress looks rather dowager-y because of the muted color and over the top daytime lace. I think that she dresses to stand out from everyone else, which this dress definitely does for her. Reminds me of her bright pink coat at the 9/11 Memorial.
The FL’s slayage should be an example to Mrs Normal. Her style is conservative but amazing. Sort of like Sheikha Mozah of Qatar(google her style but try to ignore her Botox-tastic face).
“Would you like to have an affair with me?” That is what that dress says in daytime political-business meetings.
China’s first Lady is VERY elegant. Wow.
Pondering,
+1000
in a shot while snowflake is smiling with the President (seem flirty instead of professional royal), elegant professional Mrs. First Lady was looking at snowflake in a serious watchful way…
Same here, especially next to her counterpart. It’s hard to imagine TPTB are not a bit embarrassed by her choices.
I also agree that the dress is inappropriate for daytime wear, although the color is beautiful and looks good on Kate. I think the lovely purple tweed coat she wore on arrival for their New York trip would have definitely been occasion appropriate.
But the hair teamed with that high collar is too heavy and such a dated look.
I love the dress and the matching shoes! She looks good.
Love the dress (the colour on her is great!) but she could pull back her hair a little and some nice black pumps would look better.
They are with the Chinese president and his wife.
This is a very big event for the UK and Chinese are very status conscious.
I would say – appropriate in this case. She looks good and glamorous.
Overdone. From her 80s hair to the high necked lace dress. That dress is an evening dress with an up-do.
She looks old and haggard for 34. I don’t buy that she’s up all night with her kids. That’s Maria’s job. Like LAK said upthread, she needs to find some inner peace or choose her face over her butt because she’s looking rough.
Maybe it takes hours to do her hair? I’m serious, not snarking this time. With all the pieces added and how she fights her hair’s natural texture, it may take two hours or more. Big hair of the 1980s was not easy to achieve.
Maybe she should go the Dolly route and just wear a complete wig. That way, she doesn’t have to be there when it’s styled!
Considering she’s wearing a wiglet, I don’t think she’s spending a long time in the hair dresser’s chair.
I was thinking it took time to attach and style/blend with the real hair, but now I see lines in the above photos that throw that assumption to the wind.
Double post.
Purple looks very nice on Kate. Like the shoes too. Nice colour coordination with William’s tie. William seems to favour the shorter, skinny pant leg look reminding me a bit of the early 60s. I would like to see William in more double breasted suits with a longer, more flared pant.
Also- it appears Kate is growing out the gringe. Good choice Kate!
I won’t opine on the dress but in terms of being “overdone”, my response is a resounding “YES”! In her case though, it’s not simply a matter of too much of this or too much of that, but it’s looking plasticky and not natural. From head to toe she has undergone a metamorphosis – fake hair, fake tan, lacquered on make up, veneers, heavily padded bras – not to mention the extreme dieting that has changed her figure (for the worse). Some of you have alluded to photoshop in your comments …. I’d hate to see what she looks like without it.
She is just so immature – she could have been something by being her natural self – which is absent as she gains sophistication, but never class. That is a function of character.
Everything looks heavy–the lace and all the hair around the neck. The dress looks so 70s I imagine it would smell musty. She needed to wear something less cocktail and more professional for daytime. The shoes are an unimaginative choice. At least she is not flashing or twirling.
@ Deedee
I agree. That is more evening fun wear and not appropriate for something more daytime political-business. Just imagine some female politician would turn up like that for meeting some foreign high-ranking politician. In daytime the dress says: “Would you like to have an affair with me?”
I think she had the shoes dyed to match the shade of the dress to perfection.
I like the dress, but I like lace. It would have been better with an updo and at a different event. The color suits her, she should wear plum more often.
…normally I’d say she’s overdressed for a daytime event but she’s totally in tune with the current aspirations of the uk govt to their new chinese bffs…
…ok, here’s ‘to the highest bidder’…
The whole point of this visit is to kiss Chinese a**. I’m sure Rebecca & Prince of Normal emphasized The Best Behaviour Expected of A Future Queen. No manical grinning here, folks.
I think she looks great. I know I’m in the minority here, but I absolutely love her hair and hope she keeps it long.
Boring. Lace dress…she has got so many of them in different colours and length. I think Kate is just still in her “princess wedding” mood very much. The outfit today was usually matchy – matchy, which has always have been for me one of the indicators Kate is bland and empty with zero charisma. I truly believe people especially females are able to express their inner world through the clothes and hair styles (not only of course). Look at Maxima…her outfit choices truly reflect her expressive character. Kate just goes it very safe, and it looks like she is sure that an expensive designer dress will do it all for her. She has probably never heard that it is not the dress what makes you look good but you who make that dress nice. By the way before DM reported it was from DG, I was sure it was another high street brand. She is just sooo able to make designer clothes look cheap.
+1000
Aged and frumpy look of sexy gorgeous flirty lace.
This is a great color for her. She looks lovely, radiant and happy.
the colour looks great on her, really!! ANd it looks like she has kept some of her baby weight instead of getting back to being skeletal – it looks so good on her. She looks slim but healthy imo. And she isnt doing weird facial experessions – I wonder if someone is finally coaching her ? anyway its an improvement. SHe needs to wear those dark moody colours more for sure the y are great with her skin tone
Carol, sadly it’s an optical illusion – padding, fit of the dress and a well padded bra.
but her arms….they dont look so spindly … I do belive that she does have a padded bra. I dont know why tho – get comfy with yoru body type and then dress for it instead of wearing padding or minimizing or whatever – different body types can be beautiful in their own way if dressed properly
Maybe she had a breast lift.
The colour suits her but the dress and hair are meh. Normal Bill is turning into a clone of his Uncle Edward.
I often think people end up with the face that reflects their true personality and that’s true of this pair. No amount of ‘work’ is going to hide that.
I dunno what is going on with her hair lately. I usually like it but either horrible extensions or who knows. Also this site doesn’t seem ti understand what sausage curls are. Kate has had them maybe once or twice but the waves she usually likes to style in her hair are not sausage curls. My hair naturally is wavy and often looks like Kate’s and curls that way naturally–I do NOT have sausage curls. I’ve seen enough ghastly dolls with sausage curls to know Kate rarely has them so please stop calling them that.
I like this new part she has been sporting lately but she needs to fix her hair. Either cut it or keep it up and out of her face!
I think the frock is lovely, I wouldn’t consider it evening wear. The issue I’m having is the hair and the matchy shoes.
Too matchy, matchy Duchess, Oi, and that hair. Put up your here and show off the curve of your neck. The hair plus the lace of the dress is too much.
I like the high neckline. I think she needs to up her shoe game, though. Jazz it up.
The way she styled this dress is definitely for a cocktail party or a date. If she had on opaque tights and some hip booties, with a cute jacket over this thing she might have pulled it off as a reasonably interesting daytime ensemble.
I’ve decided Kate’s penchant for lace began when she modeled that transparent lace dress at St. Andrews. Supposedly that was Willy’s awakening to her being hot. She’s using Pavlov’s classical conditioning on Willy by regularly continuing to wear lace dresses.
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01857/26_03_02_1857162i.jpg
From that photo, she has always had long, thick hair. I don’t think she has extensions and wigs. She just has a lot of hair!
Nobody’s hair is thicker in their 30s than it was in their 20s. It doesn’t work that way. There’s a photo of her arriving in the red dress for the state banquet, where someone has pointed out where the extensions are added in. She wears a fall or “bump-it” in the back. Sometimes her hair parts in strange ways and the light catches the different texture of her extensions. I don’t think it’s a big deal, because celebs wear them all the time, but it is obviously a big deal to Kate, who fired her best hairdresser after he started talking about how to get hair like hers using extensions. It’s a shame, since her hair hasn’t looked as good since.
Lace dress with see-through parts is EVENING WEAR. As is that tiny little clutch.
Clutch = evening fun entertainment sophisticated events
Handbag = serious day business
Rebecca Deacon is Kate’s assistant and she looks more appropriate in a simple blue dress and a handbag (4th pic in the background).
It does look more appropriate for evening. I think it’s so obvious. I’m surprised she didn’t innately feel it when picking the outfit for the meeting.
Hard to look businesslike, when one has no reference of work ethics. Thanks to ma midds -forget your life be there for the prince …
I wish I knew what it was about that Royal Family that sucks the life out of people. Yes, Charles cheated on Diana and she was young, came from a messed up family, we understand why she reacted the way she did. Kate was the “anti Diana”–happy functional family, older bride, educated, dated and lived w him for a decade and knew what she was getting into.
What happened? She’s a shell of her former self and in my opinion, the aging process is a small part of it, no matter how exaggerated it may appear to be. She has lost so much of her original personality and fire that made her Kate. Remember how she was beaming (and glowing) on that Canadian tour?
I thought Kate looked really scary skinny on that CDN tour. I mean really gaunt. Anyway yes, even though she looked so skinny, there was more of a spark, more energy, more glow to her face and eyes. The explanation could be the smoking. Do we have confirmation of how much she smokes? Is it a pack a day? The effects of smoking really catches up quickly with some people.
She did, it was awful. How anyone can think that attractive is beyond me. I think being married to William came at a huge price. Dating and living with someone is one thing but marrying into the BRF and an official role is clearly beyond her capabilities.
Even being scary skinny she didn’t look dead in the eyes. Even her smiles are fake now. I guess my point is, weight, age, etc are not the only factors here that have altered her.
Citresse, I recall that very well indeed and can remember people commenting on it here on Celebitchy. In particular, I remember how frail she looked in her outfit for the Stampede Parade – she and Bill were Grand Marshalls and “officially” opened Stampede. Her blouse hung on her and the jeans she was wearing made her look downright skeletal.
I just googled images of that Stampede Parade. She looked beautiful, skinny yes, but very very happy. How sad.
I remember seeing her in a gown when they were in LA at the end of that tour – an appearance for BAFTA IIRC – and it was disturbing to see just how thin she was. Even standing beside Hollywood starlets, she was scary skinny and to say Hollywood women are on the lean side is an understatement.
I absolutely adore the dress and the color. Her hair, though…not so much. That dress needs an updo.
Why is she promoting an Italian fashion brand? Instead of this (ugly) lace cocktail dress, why not wear one her MANY day dresses by a UK designer?
Good question. Why not wear one of the 70+ coat dresses she owns? Why wear a dress more suitable to an evening event? She is clueless.
HOW in hell does she look so tired?
Probably because she insists on starving herself thin, working out incessantly, wearing far too much eye makeup, having her hair hanging in her face (causes shadows) and smoking too much. All the while catering to tantrum-prone Normal Bill and two small children (albeit with LOADS of help).
It’s hunger.
Yes, it is hunger…as in she may not feel it but her body is starved for nutrients and it is showing. She has that Rachel Zoe thing going on. So aged! I actually feel sorry for her. Something is wrong and I hope the people who love her or work for her sneak some help her way.
For the life of me, I just don’t get how the royals (not to mention all of the inside circle) can just stand by and ignore the proverbial “elephant in the room” which is Kate and her weight. Especially after what Diana went through with her ED…
I completely agree – she looks in poor health. (Screw photo-shop). I am delighted that she’s isn’t looking orange, which wouldn’t have agreed with her plum-ery – and I believe she did this because the Chinese prefer very white skin. Dress to impress!
HOW in hell does she look so tired?
Two small children at home. And I don’t believe for one minute she lets the “help” take care of them all of the time. She’s hands on! Plus hormones play a part. Go easy!
Haha Maggie, you’re good! Thanks for bringing a smile to my face after a long, sh*tty day of work, more work, traffic, kids, dinner, school lunches, you get the picture.
Her hair looks good. The bangs have grown a bit and look much better with a side part.
So much hate on her all the time. I think she looks beautiful and wish I looked this amazing. She is damned if she do and damned if she don’t!
This is a celebrity gossip site where everyone who comments is allowed to maintain a different perspective, express a different point of view. Criticizing others for not having the same opinion or perspective is rarely going to change other people’s minds about a celebrity or stop them from commenting. Not suggesting that you do so, but whenever possible I try to avoid certain internet sites and postings that may exasperate or upset me. And, BTW, RH, I’m sure you are a beautiful person with some really great qualities that Kate Middleton may be lacking.
Ditto your comments Olenna and might I add, Celebitchy is far less b*tchy than certain other royal related web sites. The moderators have deleted comments that cross the line…
Hair should have been tied back. A coat-dress would have been infinitely more suitable than a purple doily. Why oh why does she insist on dressing and doing her hair and makeup like a college student out clubbing?
She looks great.
What I don’t understand is that since she and her mother are Diana-obsessed and try to invoke her memory, her style, her gestures, and her popularity, why hasn’t Kate worn more business attire suits like Diana usually did at appropriate times? Would they be too grown up for her?
Ironically Diana was younger than her when she started with the suits, no?
I loove lace dresses and would have this one in a flash but I also think she would have been better wearing a suit or a coat dress in this instance.
I do love that plum colour on her though.
Facially I think she looks pretty good, the intense scrutiny on her face and hair is pretty over the top in my humble opinion. I don’t think the hair is doing her any favours though…maybe lop off a few inches and it would lighten the whole look
he looks like a giant panda bear
he’s cute!
I feel sorry for her because of the comments on here. She always looks lovely and elegant now. As for Diana and her power suits that was a whole generation ago.
Caroline, other royals wear suits when appropriate. Google Maxima and Princess Mary when they visited Samso Island. They had on dresses and cool coats. Kate has plenty of coat dresses she could have worn, some gorgeous ones, if I remember. And do you think she reads this site?? Why do you feel sorry for her because of the comments here?
This is a woman who will never in her life worry about a mortgage payment, an electric bill, how to pay for her children’s education, or growing old unloved and alone. All for dressing up and smiling a few times a month. I think there are many others in the world you could spend your sorrow on.
All for dressing up and smiling a few times a month…
I feel sorry for her because it would send a lot of people up the wall to have their appearance dissected on here. Everyone I know think she dresses to perfection. No matter what she wore/did it would all be wrong to the people on here. To be honest, yes, I think she could read what is written on here. Diana apparently read every single thing that was ever written about her and Kate strikes me as the obsessive type. I would reiterate I am no great fan of hers but when I see what is written on here, I think, well!
As for her not wearing a suit, if she doesn’t want to wear a suit then why should she? Her choice not anyone else’s.
The thing is too it makes me wonder what all the people who are criticising her look like and dress like themselves. True they are not royal princesses/duchesses, but are they all seen in public looking immaculate. I much prefer the days when all that was required of people in the public eye was to look neat and presentable. Now you are expected to look beautiful and be immaculately dressed as well and it is women who are the worst offenders in demanding this. This obsession with appearance is also making it so much more difficult for young girls going out into the world. Would you like to see the appearance of your daughters gone into like this. No use saying their role is not in the public eye because we are all in the public eye.
All of the idol worshippers over at go fug yourself are going on about how lovingly Willy is looking at kate, but the only issue is that, in my view, he’s not looking at her at all. He is looking above and past her.
This is an evening dress, completely inappropriate for the day event. How does she get so many things wrong? A dark lace dress for day? How about a nice suit?? I know she hates pants, but how about a nice jacket and skirt? Lace?? Really?? How odd.And that high neck with that long mop in front of her shoulders is so unprofessional and stumpifying. With all of her advantages, this woman still can’t get it right. What is wrong with her???
I think she is miserable!