Duchess Kate wears pink Lela Rose dress in Cornwall: pretty or boring?

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Pink! Curls! Wedges! September! After taking time off for most of the summer, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are trying to get back into work-gear for the first day of September. William and Kate have a full slate of appearances in Cornwall today, and these are photos from their first stop at the Truro Cathedral. Fun fact: Cornwall is considered one of the UK’s prettiest coastal vacation spots, and Will and Kate will likely be running into many tourists on vacation while they make appearances today. Will and Kate are probably like, “Same.”

For the day’s work, Kate wore a new frock, this petal-pink number by Lela Rose. Kate has a few pale pink ensembles, and I’m always surprised by how much I like the color on her. It does give her a similarly rosy glow. The dress has a decent enough fit for Kate, although that’s setting the bar pretty low because her tailor is the worst. I also think her bust looks bigger and/or padded. Is that padding or… is she knocked up? You never know. Kate also wore WEDGES!! These wedges are from Monsoon, and she’s worn them before (in India).

Incidentally, did you hear about the Norfolk policewoman who abruptly resigned/retired in a Twitter rant? While there’s no specific mention of the Cambridges, many British outlets are wondering if there’s a larger story. Just breezing through the coverage, my thought was that perhaps the local police force around Sandringham is tired of spending their resources protecting the Cambridges rather than the taxpaying citizens of Norfolk.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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117 Responses to “Duchess Kate wears pink Lela Rose dress in Cornwall: pretty or boring?”

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  1. Betti says:

    Boring – she has this style in god knows how many other colours. Dresses that we only see her in once. William seems to be wearing the same outfit as he did last week, maybe he can give his wife lessons in ‘recycling’ clothes.

    • Megan says:

      William needs to rethink the sport coat/khaki look. It’s not working for him.

      • MinnFinn says:

        Upgrading his pants from wash-worn blue would help a lot. Maybe wearing undies too.

      • Snarkweek says:

        Orthodontist chic?

      • Lindsay says:

        Lol, Snarkweek ( great name too!) I love it!

      • paranoia says:

        At least he stopped wearing those double-breasted jackets that aged him four decades. They both look their best on casul/sport outfits, but this is no excuse for having such boring official wardrobes (and frequently ill fitting for her). They have money, and stylists for God’s sakes, and his grandmother, aged 90 is always impeccable.

    • Nic919 says:

      If she already has dresses in that colour, then why did she need to get a new dress in the same colour? With the recent appearances there seems to be a lot of new dresses added to the wardrobe. It would be cheaper for the taxpayers if she just stayed home and didn’t buy more clothing which looks the same as the clothing she already has.

      • LAK says:

        That’s her M.O. she buys multiples very similar of coats, dresses and shoes in the same colour or in different colours.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Another bland, pale pink dress. Like the custom Wickstead, custom Burton (not McQueen), and several other pale pink coat dresses or overdresses. Spending taxpayer money just to spend money.

      • Deedee says:

        For someone who was supposedly a part-time accessories buyer, she seems to have never heard of them.

    • Lee says:

      All of her wedges need to be thrown in the trash!

  2. Goats on the Roof says:

    I don’t like those shoes with that dress but at least she seems to have retired those cork monstrosities!

  3. Jenny says:

    The wedges are so ugly. The dress is not much better though I love the color. She still looks really pretty, love her hair, always have always will. Don’t care if it’s a weave, still beautiful. Looks so much better now that that strange fringe has grown out.

    • vava says:

      I wouldn’t be caught dead in those particular wedges, or the cork ones she has from Stuart Weitzman. They are just clod hoppers with no style what-so-ever. These beige ones, especially. I guess this is a Middleton preference though, her mother and sister also wear this style.

  4. Sixer says:

    She looks as she always looks. All the ingredients on the checklist fully checked off but still something’s slightly off. Even scruffy old me can see that.

    It’s Normal Bill who’s beginning to concern me. Ever since he went with the too-tight trousers and non-matching jacket look, he’s come off as the creepy weirdo who is always hanging about in places he’s probably not supposed to be hanging about. Someone should stage an intervention.

    Truro is a lovely little city.

    • 5thHouse says:

      Oh, so funny. 🙂

    • LAK says:

      Normal bill is truing to be cool and down with the kids.

      Not working at all because it makes him look like a creepy uncle you avoid at all times

      • Sixer says:

        My thoughts precisely. I wasn’t even joking about an intervention!

      • vava says:

        LOL……………..his look IS sort of creepy.

      • JustBitchy says:

        Where to start LAK et al,
        Well William truly loves these ill fitting pants. The sport coat look is awful

        Kate is super thin and super fit bit has a hard time getting sleeves to fit. My theory is that she wants to buy the smallest size possible for her waist but that leaves her with ill fitting sleeves and too short hems (see below).

        I wonder if she subconsciously wished for a wind to really give the workers something to whistle about. Luckily her disdain for weights in th afrementioned hems wasn’t an issue

        I think maybe they are both secret exhibitionists.

    • Erinn says:

      I honestly was baffled for a moment because we have a Truro in Nova Scotia. But we also have a Halifax, Yarmouth, Liverpool, Oxford, Chester, and I’m sure a ton of other overlapping names. I always forget that when people ‘settled/founded’ an area they liked to use names of places they were from. Yarmouth ended up founded by people from New England (I assume Yarmouth Mass. which had been named after Great Yarmouth in England). Lazy namers indeed 🙂

    • vava says:

      The dress had potential, but Kate wrecks it. It’s a nice color on her, I will give her that.

      She needs a new hairstyle. Shoulder length with layers. Interesting jewelry. Some good shoes, something with either a pattern on them or more interesting design details. These wedges look awful with a dress like this, what the hell is she think? Crotch clutching must stop – NOW. She might have put on a couple of pounds, but the fuller bust is from one of her infamous padded bras, imo.

      She’s got some of the weirdest facial expressions – the makeup sometimes makes her look like The Grinch. I just can’t believe she doesn’t update her hair and makeup, as many have said before me these things really age her. She could be a hip young mom, but instead she looks like a frump!

      • Okie says:

        She doesn’t know how to accessorize, which is such an important part of style. This dress is fine, but it needs pieces to make it pop — hair, makeup, shoes, earrings. What about a scarf? Or a brooch? So many options, of which she has chosen none.

      • La Ti Da says:

        Yes, I actually think the dress could be great but the rest of her accessorizing need to be sleeker. Definitely the hair should have been up, perhaps a jaunty little ponytail? And while I give her points for pairing dove grey with the light pink those particular grey shoes should be burned. Her grey suede pumps and a chunky bib necklace to add a pop would look amazing with the details on that dress.

        The fact I know her shoe collection so well has me questioning what I’m doing with my life 🙁

    • Liberty says:

      The Marketing Department is pleased to report that Mr Wallering and his team greatly enjoyed their day trip to Cornwall to view a test of our new widget elements in crowd control fencing.

      Reports Marketing Assistant Cath M., “T’were a lovely time and a lovely day! And durr, didn’t our Mr Wallering look a lad! Such a sprite in his new Tight As a Team designer trousers and his Uncle Kip’s jacket! You all recall the amusing time we had when his Uncle Kip visited in June at our company picnic day, such a way with the juniors he had! Such an open, giving, degenerate spirit, we can all learn prodigiously from! We do hope he can pop out of rehab for the holiday buffet! Anyway such a delightful Cornwall welcome,, so relaxing, I felt quite at ease with me new bolt-ons and I know Mr Wallering thanks everyone at the Truro facility for the gift of a lovely big decorative snap box of aspirin tablets which he will put to good use to manage his recurrent twixt-holiday widget stress. People are so kind to us in understanding our quite intense widget coping plight, it do make a difference and kept us smiling over our lobster puffs in the heli on the way back to HQ.”

    • Sarah says:

      Boring dress: check
      Wedges: check
      Cambridge crotch clasp: check ( courtesy of Harriet, DM commenter!!!)
      Mop of unruly hair: check
      Make believe interested face: check
      Yup, she’s ready!

      Wills: too tight pants: check
      I don’t get why he’s dressing like this all of a sudden. Methinks he’s got something “interesting” going on.

  5. 5thHouse says:

    Pretty and boring. It could use something, maybe different colored shoes. I do like the simplicity, though.

  6. Seraphina says:

    Kaiser, love the pics you choose of her.

    The dress is boring but definitely Kate. And the color looks great on her. She actually looks engaged.

    Saw pics of the event on the Dailymail. And there is one pic of her talking to a child through the metal gate. For some reason, it struck me odd. Not sure why. Out of all the children being held she kneeled down to talk to one behind a gate. And for the love of God, if I were the child’s mom I would have picked up the kid. I know I’m nit-picking.

    Lastly, I need to do some research on how other female royals handle their arms when out and about because Kate’s crotch clutches really are the worst.

    • Okie says:

      From my non-royal upbringing, it would be elbows bent and hands clasped at the waist, or arms at sides. A clutch would be held at the side. I’ve looked through pictures of Princesses Victoria, Anne, and others, and have noticed they have at times held their bags like Kate, but not at the same rate. For Kate, it appears the default position.

      • Betti says:

        The thing with Kate is the way she holds it firmly to her crotch – she literally presses in into her body.

  7. lilacflowers says:

    I like the dress. It is a simple, nice dress, similar to ones I wear to the office. However, those shoes do not go with that dress. At all. A pair of kitten heel pumps, t-straps or maryjanes in a fun color would have been perfect. Not those bland, ugly wedges.

    • Goats on the Roof says:

      The dress is right up my street, but I love simple looks. I can see how it would be too plain for some. The shoes definitely do not match.

    • MinnFinn says:

      If I were Kate’s stylist and she actually listened to me, my top priority for this outfit would be to put her in different shoes.

      She has a McQueen dress in the same color that she wore in Oz or NZ. She should have worn that again instead of buying this one.

      So many pieces that look SO similar to me = clothes budget so extravagant she doesn’t have to ever think about being efficient with her spending.

    • Squiggles says:

      Agreed. If it were me: wine coloured t-strap shoes and a statement necklace combining the two colours. Mind you, I actually own a very similar outfit already!

  8. MinnFinn says:

    Her wedges look soiled. The dress is appropriate but boring.

    Meant to say the other day that Willy is planting quotes that are setting him up to quit his gig at EAA air ambulance. He said this at his last appearance with the telephone crisis center ‘I’ve had too many sad families with the Air Ambulance. I can’t deal with any more stuff. Just maybe at the lower level, if I can.’

    • lilacflowers says:

      The dress needs something to punch it up, better more interesting shoes, a small brooch or more interesting earrings or a bracelet would have helped.

      • GingerCrunch says:

        Right. Is she attempting to do minimalism or something? Promote some English jewelry makers, for god’s sake. And yes! The shoes look dirty! As I was scanning her look, I got to the shoes and…😣

      • PHAKSI says:

        The dress is crying for a burst of colour. She looks washed out, beige from head to toe

    • Lindsay says:

      That whole exchange was awful in my opinion. It was a ridiculous and insulting request. Although his life motto seems to be “let me have an easy one.” Not to mention the people he was complaining to actually work there full time, hear sad stories and become actively involved vs being a co-pilot, he isn’t responsible for their care and doesn’t really need to know what happened and why just get the to the hospital safely. Also, the people he was talking to don’t have Daddy to finance their luxe lifestyle, they don’t go home to mansions and palaces filled with staff and a MIL to take care of their every whim and take frequent luxurious vacations. He can handle watching them work on a hard case for half an hour. If he can’t then he should not have picked mental health charities to bolster his flagging reputation.

    • Natalie says:

      William wants to be associated with the good will that comes with being an air ambulance pilot but it’s like he can’t comprehend that that admiration is for the emotional difficulty of doing that kind of work that he’s now whining about, and not about it being OMG supercool to fly in a helicopter. It’s the same thing for Kate. There seems to be a genuine disconnect for the Cambridges that the admiration both Charles and Diana recieved for their charity work is based in their empathy and consistently dedication, and not looking really nice in a photograph.

      It’s like the Cambridges can’t quite grasp the concept. So they keep pushing themselves forward for big splashy events and grab the best of everything for themselves and pose in overly stage-managed photo ops and their public image keeps on falling. William has used the phrase “associated with” a few times, and I bet it befuddles him why all the important and meaningful things he and Kate keep superficially associating themselves with aren’t successfully getting them approval.

      • Crux of Seven says:

        @ Natalie

        Very good analysis! William just doesn’t get it that the people notice that he isn’t genuine. And apparently he doesn’t listen to his advisors who surely get that and who surely tell him that!

  9. LAK says:

    She’s put on weight. If she isn’t pregnant, she’s going to be soon. It’s the only reason she adds weight.

    • MinnFinn says:

      +1 I thought that during their appearance last week.

    • PHAKSI says:

      Does that mean she recognises that her not trying to get pregnant weight is unhealthy?

      • Lindsay says:

        I wouldn’t go that far. I am sure she does impressive mental gymnastics to justify it to herself. If she recognized it was unhealthy she would not keep starving herself back to her preferred weight.

      • PHAKSI says:

        Lindsey; my first thought was those are the kind of mental gymnastics someone with an eating disorder would do. Then I remembered Mila Kunis’ comment about her Black Swan weight loss, she looked ill in person but amazing in photos. Maybe thats how Kate rationalises it, especially since she’s one of the most photographed people in the world

    • Betti says:

      Yep. I expect an announcement either after the Canada tour or in the new year. She’s going to be with child for Pippas wedding.

    • Nic919 says:

      She got her face botoxed though so it is probably only in the planning stages. They are getting in a few events and then Canada. After that vacation, they will say she is pregnant and with her HG she can’t do anything more for the year.

    • notasugarhere says:

      If they follow their pattern, this is when they typically get pregnant. Sept/October with April or May delivery. If she gets pregnant now, it puts two years between each child. Another pregnancy shores up failing PR and gets them out of full-time royal work for another two years post-birth too.

      • Citresse says:

        I’d like to see an August royal birth since August tends to be the quietest month of the royal year.

    • Nico says:

      Another article on DM said she wasn’t drinking at one of the stops. Def pregnant.

      • Birdix says:

        Yes, agreed. She looks much chestier.

      • Citresse says:

        I don’t think Kate’s pregnant. They’ve accepted the invitation of the Canadian tour. Kate wouldn’t want to be suffering morning sickness while on tour.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Citresse, they announced her solo tour to Malta third week of July. She turned up 6 weeks pregnant 6 weeks later and didn’t go to Malta.

    • Kate says:

      Given that she drank whiskey as part of the day’s activities, I think it’s pretty safe to say she’s not pregnant at the moment.

  10. HH says:

    Tell me that she doesn’t look like Jack Nicholson’s Joker in that third pic? Why do her expressions look so abnormal? Like, I remember looking at photos of Chelsy and Cressida and some of their expressions were silly/goofty or just captured in an odd moment, but sometimes Kate’s expressions creep me out. It’s like if an acting coach were standing in front of her and they say “Now show me: excitement, sadness, thoughtful, etc.” It’s odd.

    Also, this dress. I mean, it’s cute. As a poster said above, she sticks with the same cut/silhouette. Shoes are always low-key (although I don’t like the wedges with this look). Accessories are simple. Hair is typically styled the same. So… she looks the same. She looks fine, but the same.

  11. JustJen says:

    I think she looks fabulous! I’m quite jealous as I can’t wear that color at all, I’m so fair it makes me look washed out.

    • Bethany says:

      She does look fabulous and it’s disheartening and enlightening to read all the negative comments… can’t tell if the comments are typical “mean girl” responses or if people are really that bitchy.

  12. Carmen says:

    Yes to the dress, no to the wedges.

  13. Citresse says:

    W&K dress much more casually than Charles and Camilla and also when he was married to Diana. Charles, unless he’s on a farm or some other very casual setting, always wears a tie and formal shoes. William was especially casual when picking up Kate and baby George from the hospital.
    Pink is a very nice colour on Kate. He hair looks pretty much like it did before she tried the gringe and shoulder length. Old habits and all I guess.

  14. PHAKSI says:

    Pretty dress, but like most things she wears she makes it meh. The dress is crying out for some colour. She looks washed out, beige from head to toe.
    Her hair looks really good, not to wigletyy.
    William needs to stop this new look and get himsefl to Charles’ tailor. Harry too, but the situation is not so dire with him

  15. I Choose Me says:

    The dress is alright but those shoes need to burned.

  16. Canadian Becks says:

    Apropos of nothing….That slightly out-of-focus woman behind Kate in the 2nd picture (she’s either the LIW, or her secretary, I think- don’t care enough to look it up), the one wearing the long patterned jacket in blue….she’s a dead ringer for the “Bunny Boiler” Sarah Williams.

  17. Adele Dazeem says:

    Agreed on the pregnancy. She was looking downright skeletal a couple of months ago.

  18. The Original Mia says:

    Boring, but nice dress. Wedges don’t match, but she doesn’t care. Wedges! William looks geeky and unkempt as usual.

    She’s not pregnant. She has had Botox recently. She may be preparing to get pregnant, but she’s not right now.

  19. notasugarhere says:

    The police question is interesting. How far stretched were the local forces with the demands made by W&K? What was this officer being asked to do or sign off on that she couldn’t ethically support?

    We’ve heard of how much of the local police and emergency services they took in Wales and every time she visits mummy. Locals left unprotected or without services because these two were around. Bet a freedom of information request about it would be denied for “royal security” reasons.

    • MinnFinn says:

      Daily Mail says Norfolk police were forced to cut its budget by £25million over the past 5 years. This* says Norfolk’s 2016 police budget is £149million.

      Norfolk county has population of 859,400 (401 people per sq mile) which makes me wonder how they compare to other counties in the UK of similar population density and area in square miles.

      *http://www.norfolk-pcc.gov.uk/documents/finance/budget/2016/17/BudgetBreakdownIncludingBudgetAllocatedNorfolkConstabulary2016-17.pdf

  20. Fl girl says:

    After looking at the cobblestone street, I give her a pass on the wedges. I would probably break my neck in running shoes. I like the dress.

  21. Sharon Lea says:

    The senior policewoman’s February blog tells me she worked for “people” who were demanding, what else can we make of, ‘Don’t be indispensable, people will only notice if it suits them,’ or ‘listen to people that care for you outside of work, don’t be played by agendas’ and ‘people will use you.’ Hmmm….

    I worked in entertainment for years and it is hard having this type of person running you up and down a flagpole. Good for her!!!

  22. Lainey says:

    Same old same old. It’s nothing new, but damn do I hate those shoes with anything.
    Both her and Will told kids at one of their stops that they took a long time to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. You know the guy who was born to a role and yet still isn’t doing it and Kate who waited around 10 years for a role and still isn’t doing it. I’d love to know if anyone asked them what it was they wanted to do.

    • LAK says:

      Yep, that was a very, very strange thing for both of them to say, but espevially William.

      Considering they aren’t doing whatever it is that took them so long………

      No words. Too many words.

  23. Kitty says:

    I don’t think she is pregnant. Does anyone know how big the crowds were anyways?

    • Citresse says:

      I don’t think she’s pregnant either but perhaps she’s preparing to conceive after the Canadian tour? Kate looks like she’s put on weight since last spring.

  24. Coconut says:

    Feeling like I may need to stop reading these Kate posts. Can’t take the endless bad sameness of her outfits, crotch clutch, hair, etc.

    • JustBitchy says:

      There are plenty of positive blogs and posts for you to peruse. Enjoy.

      • Feeshalori says:

        I read Coconut’s statement as a complaint about how constantly boring Kate’s look is, not criticism of the blog or commenters. I know I need a break sometimes from the soporific effect Kate has on me!

  25. cindyp says:

    Yawn…wedges don’t work with that dress. Why can she never assessorize? How about a scarf, fun shoes? She just puts me to sleep. He doesn’t look much better, pants too tight & short. I think that’s my father’s blazer from 30 yrs ago. Ugh…

  26. Cee says:

    We’ve seen this multiple times. Next!

  27. cerys says:

    Its a nice dress and she suits the colour. However it is so similar to many of her others that she just looks the same as always. Hair everywhere and crotch clutching. Nothing changes. Well done to those on various sites who predicted wedges for today. You were called it correctly. Beach = wedges for our Waity. In fairness, the cobbled streets would have been unsuitable for her usual heels but flats or kitten heels would have been a nice change. I’m not a fan of William’s new casual look. He just cant carry it off. He seems to be trying to open up to people but it just comes across as “poor me” rather than genuine empathy.

  28. Kitty says:

    Why do they get away with everything? They are so lazy.

  29. Kate Bush says:

    She looks nice I like the pale pink on her. The wedges make sense with cobblestones, but then I like wedges so I don’t see the big deal with them.
    William does look scruffy in comparison. He needs a stylist. His clothes always looked wrinkled and Ill-fitting.

  30. Adele Dazeem says:

    I think we all can understand a desire for conservatism in royal spending in these tumultuous economic times. And being as though Kate likes the same style, silhouette, colors, etc…wouldn’t it be a brilliant PR move if she had a few of these dresses as her “work Uniforms” and wore them consistently with different accessories, shoes etc? (Different shoes and accessories alone would be a dream of mine! Lol). It could be perceived that she’s being respectful of the expenditures, remove the Diana 2.0 comparisons and pressure, and maybe lessen the criticism of her light workload. The focus could then be on the charities she’s visiting, causes she’s supporting, etc.

    I’m available for consultation Poor Jason! Call me!

  31. FuefinaWG says:

    Her boobs do look bigger. From the France photos posted a few years back she’s maybe a B cup if that big. Maybe her “spa vacay” included implants?

  32. Starlight says:

    Getting to know the duchy that they will be taking over when Charles becomes King. It looked a pretty shell pink dress it suits her colouring and from the Daily Mail video they looked tanned and rested fron the summer sabbatical. I think Wills comes across as compassionate when talking to the crowd but Kate looks awkward as if she is trying to look compassionate. She must have had a beach appointment as she always seems to wear wedges when she needs to walk on soft ground. Anyway they were certainly high as she got to his height almost.

  33. Kaz says:

    Kate looks perfectly acceptable but isn’t it sad that she doesn’t use her clothing allowance to go a bit wild and try some more interesting shoes!

  34. Starlight says:

    … Additionally he is getting to her weight what is she feeding him celery and water

    • vava says:

      I seriously think she’s not feeding him anything. They have to have a chef at both of their residences. Why would Kate be bothered with cooking meals? She is so lazy, I just don’t see it happening.

  35. Andrea says:

    Her hair and her dress are boring—yes the colour isn’t bad on her, but overall it is oh so boring. The wedges don’t match the dress, but she is comfy and loves wedges, so I guess I will give her a pass on the wedges. I have a pair of navy/cork wedges that are surprisingly comfy. I think it is a padded bra and I would be surprised if she is trying to gain weight since she appears to have body image issues and an eating disorder (former anorexic, so I can spot one a mile away who has food issues).

  36. Suzanne says:

    Good grief…when I used to sew all my own clothes…back in the early 70’s…I made many a dress that looked similar to this one. THIS is a designer creation? It looks like a typical “Simplicity” pattern of the 70’s…BORING as hell. So pale pink…that it does NOTHING for her…and the odd shade of wedges doesn’t do anything for it either. She never wears anything AGE APPROPRIATE. Do the British just have lousy taste in clothes and shoes or is it me? A colorful scarf….some splashy jewelry…anything to jazz that boring dress up would be an improvement…like leopard heels…SOMETHING!!! ANYTHING!!! Is anyone with me on this one?

    • Snowflake says:

      Yes, I am with you on that. I look at pictures and they have no style. Everything looks so blah and the kids always look like they are dressed from the 1950s. It’s that the way people dress there? Or is it just Will and Kate?

    • Crux of Seven says:

      Apparently some of these young hip designers haven’t quite yet gotten the hang of collars nor their variety. doesn’t really compliment their craft, does it?

      I think that many of these Simplicity patterns do actually have collars!

  37. carolind says:

    Don’t get people who preface their comments with “yawn”. If so boring why even read it never mind actually comment?

    I am not particular fans of Kate and William but they are not doing this because they are media celebrities. Why does it matter what they are wearing? Kate looks neat and appropriate.

    Anyone looking for Kate to be pregnant shortly are in for a wait. It wont happen until George goes to school.

  38. Twinkle says:

    This dress is lovely AND boring. I find all of Kate’s fashion choices boring.