I completely blanked on the fact that the Duchess of Cambridge had an event today. I initially thought (and tweeted) that this was a surprise trip, but it wasn’t – Kensington Palace actually announced this event last week, the day before Meghan’s four new patronages were announced. I have to say… I’m really enjoying the mid-January tit-for-tat between Kate and Meghan. I hope they never stop!! We always wanted Kate to work more consistently, and all it took was her brother-in-law marrying an American woman to do it.
Kate stopped by the Royal Opera House in London today. She visited the Costume Department, where she was learning more about their use of fabrics and textiles. She also met with dancers and discussed how their costumes function and….stuff? I don’t know, it really doesn’t seem like this event had some huge purpose other than Making Kate Great Again.
For this trip, Kate wore a wooly suit by Oscar de la Renta, which retailed for £2,736. I had no memory of it, but this is a repeat – I think we saw this for the first time in February 2017, at least that’s what I said at the time, that it was new-to-us back then. The suit itself is VERY Kate. She abhors a straight skirt or pencil skirt, and so this full skirt just looks like a million other skirts she has in her closet. The jacket is a bit interesting, with a little frill/half-peplum at the waist and of course the buttons. You can definitely see Meghan’s influence on Kate’s style too – Kate isn’t death-gripping a clutch, she’s carrying a little purse with a handle, like Meghan prefers to do. Kate’s Aspinal of London purse retails for £495. The Rupert Sanderson heels are also out of Kate’s comfort zone – I’ve never blamed Kate for not being a shoe person, but you can tell that she’s not really into these heels. She just wore them because Meghan wears interesting shoes.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She’ll probably take over as patron from HM and that’s why she visited.
I can see that
KP just tweeted that she will be exploring her interest in manufacturing textiles through learning activities in the coming months. This was the first visit exploring this interest.
OMG this sounds so dumb. This must be done many years ago, now she seems a 37 years old woman that doesn’t know what to do. What a mess! LOL
The explanation for why this visit took place is silly to me. After all this time Kate is filling her calendar with fluff!!!
As per her outfit, it looks like a all her other full skirt dresses!
My jaw dropped when I saw this. How does exploring her interests count as work?
I saw that tweet, “exploring her interest in manufacturing textiles” – it almost sounds like she wants to start a textiles company, which is clearly not the case! I don’t know why they always oversell everything Kate does. Just say she was learning more about their textiles/costume department, no shame in that
That sounds ridiculous and just makes it seem even more like this is a “don’t forget about meeeee” visit, and I don’t think that of every one of her visits.
Lol Someone on Twitter said , costumes and textiles are one of her hobbies, since she has helped her parents over the years as Party Pieces. Now she wants to explore it.
Lol I can’t stop laughing.
That was such a dumb phrase for her PR team to use. Just confirms my critique of her that she has been sitting back for years, Duchess Doolittle…
Kate is a joke. So embarassing
I don’t think she realized she actually needed to work when she married William. As a result she never developed any interests or passions. So 7 years in she is still thinking up initiatives and interested in vague projects. She was raised to be a lady of leisure and probably thought her role would be to have children and accompany her husband to the odd event here and there. How she must envy her sister at times.
Even if it’s a new interest for her, and this is part of some discovering/highlighting her heritage, what they probably should have said is that she’s supporting the British textile industry by highlighting the different kinds of work they do and have done for hundreds of years.
They should have spent a few more hours coming up with a better tweet because it just comes off as dumb. She’s 37 so it’s time to stop exploring her interests and pretend it’s work and time to actually do stuff. If they had said she was looking to help the textile industry and develop more jobs then that would sound better. As it is, the tweet sounds like these visits are all about her when the role of a Royal is to serve others. Noblesse oblige is an ancient concept and they don’t get that at all apparently.
As a royal they are expected to widen their interests. The Queen has over 400 patronages & so do most of the older royals. It’s the younger royals that have chosen to limit their causes to just a handful. While I admire Kate’s long standing interest in mental health & early childhood, I’m glad that she is trying to expand. They all should be doing that. You’re never too old to explore new interests & causes.
Does “exploring” mean if she doesn’t like it today, she won’t continue with it?
Part of the problem with Kate is she gets keen about things then we never hear about them again.
I agree that they should have phrased this as Kate shining a spotlight on others and not about her exploring her interests.
And usually Idc about this but maybe she should have worn a UK designer for a visit about UK use of textiles
@wallflowerperk spot on! It wasn’t that long ago when people were complaining that William, Kate & Harry we’re only concentrating on a few pet projects & how they needed to expand.
Royals are there to represent the people from all walks of life. Frankly I’m appalled by the limited causes & organizations chosen by the younger generation. It seems very short sighted. They need to be out there meeting all types of people & organizations. I shudder to think what will happen to all these charities & organizations once the older royals start to retire.
KP’s Insta Stories just elaborated a bit more—her interest in wanting to learn more about “the use and manufacture of textiles” is related to her V&A patronage and the museum’s collection of textiles. I still hope it turns into an actual project, even if it’s just a campaign to support British businesses—maybe she can link up with the work Charles is doing with wool?
I just saw that on the KP Instagram and they said it was because she is a patron of V&A and would like to learn more about textiles. And I was like ‘why not go to V&A then?’. This doesn’t make much sense for now. Maybe we will see more of that but those clips of her asking about how the materials stretch just seemed so dumb… What was the purpose of this ‘event’?
I don’t know. I’m well past 37 and interested in plenty of things/topics I haven’t explored but would if I got the chance. Also the queen has 600/700 patronage’s. As she passes them on, I imagine they younger set is being consulted on those that they may be interested in rather than just randomly assigned. Aren’t there craft guilds?-textile/weavers/lacemakers etc? Perhaps she saw one & it sparked an interest. Here’s hoping anyway.
It means that Kate is highlighting British costumes made with British fabrics for the British ballet. This is what Royals do. It’s not always about helping charities. It’s also about supporting all things British. The Queen does this kind of thing all the time and Meghan will too.
Her old teachers said that she was an average student, a polite way of saying that she was not academic. Independent school kids often get into university because of the school they attended. The Duchess of Cornwall was reported to say that Kate is not very bright. Kate’s team are digging deep to find things that she is passionate about, and they have hooked on to the fact that her great great grandfather was a mill owner and so hoping she might have some interest in textiles in her genes.
I actually feel sorry for Kate, all of this is making her look so inept, and I don’t think the husband she has helps her confidence at all.
I think Charles will, he is ‘deputy’ to the Queen at the moment, and Lady Sarah Chatto is on the board too.
@MM I really hope that’s not the case. It’s not like she does more for her other patronage’s and I have a feeling she would want this patronage because of dressing up and Diana connection since we all know Diana loved ballet.
@Wallflowerperk – But HM didn’t get into that position by ‘exploring her interest’ in over 400 areas
Lose the black hose and the look is great.
I agree. I’ve worn black opaque tights with a green dress and boots in the winter… but it was a more muted green. I find black can either look amazing with color, or jarring, and I find it jarring in this case.
“Jarring” is a good word. The black hose just don’t work here.
Cons: Don’t mind the hose, though sheer black might’ve been better. It’s the too short waisted jacket; it throws off the whole proportion making Kate look like she’s a kid wearing something she outgrew. Also, she could use a final ”gloss serum” on her hair to tame the flyaways in back.
Positive notes: Great color, love the bag (I almost bought the same one a few mos. ago, but it was too small for my daily use), great shoes.
And most importantly: she looks happy, relaxed, and engaged. Ever since Louis’ birth, she’s been far happier than she’s seemed to be in a long time. Good for you, Kate!
Yeah, they look too black to my eye, even if they are coming back. Again, stand up straight!
black hose are coming back! she is super on trend with them
From the fashion blogs that I’ve read in the past couple of years, very opaque black tights have been in vogue for awhile.
Straight out of the 80s with that color combo. I remember having a long sweater in fuschia and black that I wore with black stirrup pants and thinking I was just the sh*t!
The eighties are back.
I love that suit.
Yawn
Agreed.
I hate her ‘fashion’ she is blah
I like the color. But I do not like the top: sleeves look short and that frill at the bottom of the jacket makes it look odd. And I wish she would mix it up with the skirts. That full skirt makes the outfit look dated. She could do better with all she has at her finger tips.
And I abhor the words: healthy competition. Why can they not compliment one another. It is called team work. But one has to be a team to begin with to make that concept work.
Yes, those sleeves look a good 2″ too short and the bodice as well. The DM has several pictures, and they look short in every one.
These are bracelet length sleeves. They aren’t supposed to be full length.
I love the color, and the outfit overall is okay, but one thing that Meghan does do better than Kate is her skirt length. Meghan does at the knee or below the knee skirts, and they look elegant. Kate’s above the knee skirts are too little girly.
What would be cool is if H&M turned out to see Kate’s garden abd publically praised it and her. A little harmony and unity would go a long way. Vise/versa with W&K.
Meghan doesn’t always wear on/below the knee. Meghan is wearing a very short and ugly dress at an event today.
@Lunde. I believe people are doing their best to say, ” Kate’s suit is TOO LITTLE and that the black pantyhose is on trend but WRONG for this outfit.” By the way, Meghan’s H&M dress isn’t ugly. I’m pretty sure that you (just like everyone on this board) has one in either sweater or knit versions.
I don’t think Meghan’s dress is ugly, but it is very short. I don’t have a problem with it, but only mention it in the context of the this post saying she always wears at or below the knee. I also think Meghan would have looked better with some pantyhose . I feel like I could actually see the goosebumps on her legs in the pics I saw.
Meghan usually wears at or below the knee. The cream dress is an exception.
Cool shoes, stupid girlish scirt.
Oh dear. She’s wearing an American designer and something that originally cost thousands of dollars. That’s all bad, right?
Kate looks nice. Not my favorite silhouette but the color is very nice on her.
Everything but her shoes are reworn, which is smart, as the British are very nervous over Brexit.
In her seventh year of duchessing, she has these clothes to rewear. The taxpayers still originally had these expenses because of Kate’s expensive choices. Just so terrible, isn’t it?
^ Somebody is being all brand new. Everyone has criticised her non-stop for years since 2011/2012. She is constantly called out on her spending. Why does it bother some people when Duchess Meghan’s outfits are criticised?! Everything should be equal and fair. You want to spend thousands at each engagement? Well, there’s going to be criticisms.
So, they’re equally bad at this? Kate’s just as profligate and it’s not Meghan being tone deaf about optics? We all agree on this?
Oscar de la Renta, the label’s founder, was Dominican. He later lived in the US and passed away here in 2014. But I don’t know if it counts as an “American” label.
It’s considered an American label because the company is based in America. The designers nationality isn’t a factor. There are a lot of American labels that have been founded by people from other countries.
Yeah, he’s considered an American designed. I Googled this, he had duel citizenship.
Copying Meghan? Every item Kate is wearing including her bag are repeats. The only new item are her black pumps which is not that ground breaking considering I’ve seen Kate wear edgier shoes than these!
Doesn’t Kate have many pairs of black pumps? You’d think she’d be more thoughtful and rewear one of those pairs what with Brexit and so forth.
You could say the same about Meghan’s trench coats & numerous black dresses. Both women need to ease up on their spending so it’s good to see this repeat from Kate.
We get it, Natalie. Because Meghan has been criticized Kate can never wear anything new.
@Mashyellow. I know! But maybe all along Meghan was just following Kate’s example and so thought it was okay to just buy similar things over and over again? And it was also okay to wear something from an American designer that cost of thousands?
@Erinn. Hey, what can I say? I like consistency. And if people have selective gripes about optics then that’s a conversation I want to have.
So, why was this not an issue before? You can’t have a rewear unless the outfit was originally new so what’s up?
@Natalie if you’ve been following royals for years you’d know that people have always complained about Kate’s new outfits & costs of clothing. Meghan is now getting the same treatment.
@Mashyellow. Kate was considered the thrifty duchess. Even though it seems like her cheaper clothes are just remembered more clearly than the expensive things she wore. But fair play to Kate. It was excellent pr.
Kate didn’t get attacked for her clothing the first year of marriage. It was only after a few years of bare minimum appearances and annual costs of clothing in six figures that the press started to write stories about it.
MM spent $500,000!!! Kate has never, ever spent that much. Half a million dollars spent in one year is insane. That was the problem people had with MM’s clothing.
And this is the problem with the UFO number. Thank you for illustrating it so clearly.
They counted her wedding jewelry because it wasn’t explicitly called a gift. Private vs public expenses weren’t seperated. If they didn’t have a price, they left out the item entirely. Kate’s wedding jewelry and a necklace she wore in December 2011 were called gifts and not counted.
So…MM only spent $250,000.00 in a year? That’s still $100,000.00+ more than the number 2 spender and she’s a Crown Princess. MM’s married to the 6th in line to the throne. That’s ridiculous spending. Especially in the time of Brexit.
The sixth in line was on the balcony during the Jubilee. Until #3,4,5 grow up and start working, #1 and #2 need the Sussexes and as clearly demonstrated by Kate, there’s nothing unusual about Meghan’s spending.
And it’s not more that 100k because we don’t have the real numbers. What was a gift or privately purchased or old? UFO just counted whatever they could price. Kate could wear 500 bespoke gowns and if there’s no comparable price, her total would be $0.
Maybe Natalie and the rest should take a look at their post history. Mashyyellow, she knows. The only people being selective about the criticism and optics are the mega Meghan fans! Kate has spent thousands and Meghan is spending thousands! This was always an issue with Kate. It’s very simple.
Kate’s total has never been £0. Her spending has been counted and published by the media since the 1st year. I doubt they were the real numbers either but they were published and scrutinised. I think she spent around £60k during her first year as a Royal. She was heavily criticised for that small amount. After that, her costs increased, but I don’t think Kate has spent £200k in one year. She was never labelled thrifty around here. Her bespoke outfits and designers were always bashed for the cost.
Look BOTH Kate and Meghan need to pack it in with the spending, in fact the whole of the family need to. It would be a good gesture if the royals declined public money for the next year or two as our country is in a political crisis right now. Nobody knows what’s happening or going to happen ‘re businesses, work, medication, food etc and these two are walking around with thousands of £s worth of clothing. They do not need any new clothes for engagements as they can do the same as the rest of us and wear what’s already in their wardrobe!
Agree with Bohemian Angel. Both women should wear what’s in their closets for awhile and supplement with less expensive, stylish clothes. It’s not that hard. They have access to tailors who can make their clothes looks great. I especially don’t like to see handbags that cost thousands of dollars.
ITA, Kate and Meghan have totally different styles and that’s OK. 🙂 This outfit is so so typical for Kate, how someone can see Meghan in it is beyond me.
Her posture is so bad. She’s a beautiful woman, but the slouching ages her and makes her look frail somehow.
i agree. it makes her look like a dweeb.
Thumbs up for use of the word “dweeb”! 🙂
Beautiful suit but as usual, the proportions are off.
Kate usually does this to hide her long torso. I mean, I get it, but somebody should tell her it’s ok to accept the body given you instead of doing stuff like this that everybody recognizes.
I don’t know what the statement “to hide her long torso” means either. The lady is 5’10” or mo. She has long everything. And with heels on she’s easily the longest thing in the room in most pictures she’s in. With a vibrant colour like that bright magenta on, i don’t think she’s trying to hide anything.
Or maybe it’s perfectly acceptable to dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable and confident.
Isb, Kate isn’t 5’10”. That is a myth.
@Isb – Kate and Meghan have legs that are basically the same length. People point out Meghan must deal with dressing for her short torso as Kate does for her long torso.
@Isb: yes, Kate regularly wears clothes to give the illusion of having a shorter torso and longer legs. Most of her outfits have a higher waistline than her actual waist for instance. And she’s more like 5’8″.
Is it possible that Kate as a lean, formerly athletic and outdoorsy young woman felt she had to dress more “feminine ” thus the bows and folds and furbelows? Also she may just feel more comfortable in a skirt that gives her more freedom of movement.
Had to look up furbelows.
How’s that? It’s a knee length skirt and a short waisted jacket. Same as the model wore. Fits similarly on Kate except that she fills out the dress more than the model did – not being a waifish OdlR model herself. How are the proportions “off”?
She’s appropriately dressed for the event. She’s the guest of honour at the Royal Opera House – she’s dressed in celebratory colours to give a nod to that. It’s a daytime event so she’s in a shorter length dress. QED.
As LizB says, she usually has her jackets and dresses tailored like this, and almost always instead of balancing the proportions, it looks odd, as if the jacket were a size too small. I truly think she hasn’t got such a long torso that requires this alterations.
The color is great on her, but with another tights the shoes would pop a bit more. I do like the full skirt though.
Agree. A beautiful colour but, as usual, her outfit looks as if it was made for a shorter person. You would think with all the money she spends she could get clothes to fit. Same goes for Meghan.
Her sleeves should come to her wrist if they’re meant to be full length.
The bag is a repeat too. The only new part are the shoes
I went and look back at her engagements in January/February of 2018 and she had a very decent number. So it is not something exactly new for her to do engagements in January.
I like the colour of this suit, but I don’t care for the silhouette. It is very Kate though, and it looks good on her
The whole oufit pings “university girl” to me and dated. So, downvote.
Honestly, from seeing and hear more from Carole Middleton in that interview, I see where Kate gets her fashion sense. The Middleton women (including Pippa) latch on to this look right out of uni and stick with it for life. The wardrobe of Carole is completely interchangable with Pippa and Kate’s.
Yep. This is incredibly dated. I don’t think Kate has worn a fashion-forward thing in her life.
And that’s totally ok! Personally I just think that she is going about a ‘classic’ style all wrong too though. And her weird bouncing between verging on inaproppiate casual style and matronly work style is giving me whiplash.
All the elements for looking good are there, she just keeps missing the mark. The color is great only the cut is all wrong and dated. A shame.
Yeah, I think she is going for “classic” but it comes off more “dated.” Some of her outfits are lovely and classic, but sometimes she just misses the mark. This is why I think she desperately needs a real stylist. Meghan needs someone to help her navigate the PR world of clothes as a royal (where costs matter a great deal) and Kate needs someone to help her manage her outfits and proportions.
She looks like the late-nineties
Kate’s ‘look’ has always been a dated preppy look and it won’t change. Her look swings between ‘university girly girl’ and ‘middle aged matron’ its her style now.
Kate (Carole?) is being very savvy. Two events, new clothes cost around $1200, including shows that can be reworn. Black tights, so everyone can see she is wearing them. Meghan’s total for 2 days of events? $9000
This is sure to rile up the people w Brexit vote and $$ fears. Just heard on the radio that there are no trade agreements signed, that was rejected yesterday, so trade with the EU will screech to a halt at the end of March. People are stockpiling food and drugs.
I hope Meghan doesn’t come out with a 10K dress for tonight and a 5K outfit for visiting an animal shelter. It is just bad PR, especially right now.
Is the Royal Opera House a future patronage?
Yuck, the peplum, the skirt, so twee, and the material looks itchy too. The colour is great though.
I don’t like the outfit but I think she looks nice. Anyway this is what the taxpayers want to see. More work!
I don’t like this look at all. And the hair is awful.
Are we allowed to make fun of the buttons on this outfit? Because I hate them. I actually hate the whole outfit, but that’s mainly my own “thing” – I hate pink and black paired together. (or any variance of pink.) I know its a weird thing, but there you have it.
Okay so I guess its not really pink, its closer to a purple? I still don’t like the color combo, ha.
The only thing I like here is the colour of the suit. The skirt is too full and therefore too girly for a 37 year old. The tights look like support hose and the shoes seem too dressy for the occasion. The handbag is okay and certainly outside of her comfort zone. At least we don’t see the death grip and crotch cover that comes with her usual clutch purse. Baby steps….
I actually like the full skirt, if she had worn it with a fitted tucked in blouse she would have looked really awesome. I do that alot for work and it’s one of my fave silhouettes!
Happy that she’s working constantly it’s quite pathetic that she needed competition to do what she signed up for by marrying William.
I wouldn’t call two outings in two days, constantly working..
Let’s wait and see what her numbers are at the end of 2019.
Compared to Anne’s multiple engagements in a single day, Kate is still slacking.
Indeed – even after several years she at most does ONE engagement a day, its unusual for her to do more than one unless she’s on a tour.
Can the royals also visit each others patronage? Like If Kate decides to visit the hub..
They can, but the hub specifically is not a patronage. It is also Meghan’s project, so she probably won’t visit it
Just awful, something a teenager would wear. Black shiny hose????
I don’t like the outfit/silhouette for her but it fits her well and she is definitely trying to change it up with the shoes.
Ok, honestly, while the pound is falling off a cliff (ridiculous low last night, but has bounced back?), the economy is weak AF, the NHS is going bankrupt – please can Kate and MEghan both pack away their ridiculously expensive brand new outfits? Jesus Christ.
Talk about ‘let them eat cake’.
Kate’s outfit today and yesterday were both repeats.
Still waiting to hear about her broken Britain initiative…
Given Brexit it would really be good to revisit that name.
I guess she’ll get to it after she’s done exploring textiles.
LOL! I guess we shouldn’t hold our collective breath.
Haha yes she’s taken a detour into textiles but will be back to healing Broken Britain shortly…
TBH I’d prefer if she stuck with textiles.
The dress looks like what’s already in her closet. The shoes are different for her but nix the buckle on the shoe.
As someone commented earlier, the black tights seem jarring!
I loathe this silhouette. She’s almost 40. Time to retire these frilly, college girl skirts. And I’m not sure why she’s wearing the black opaque hose other than it’s really cold. Black sheer would have looked much better. And lastly, her posture.
Must say I think opaques were very well advised with this ensemble. Sheers would have been a bit too glam (imo) And it is indeed flipping cold out!
But the shoes, oh wow. Are there really buckles or bows on them? Couldn’t work out if it was just light reflecting on the patent leather.
Holy mackerel…..so 1980s! For me they drag the whole look down. She has some smashing black court shoes with a blockier heel, or others in lush suede with a slightly straighter stiletto. They’d do so much to upgrade a pretty enjoyable costume to something a bit more present day. These just scream ‘Christmas 1984’ to me!
But that’s a quibble. I do like seeing her slightly wacky dressy choices: I mean, nobody else would wear this suit! I like it very much.
Black high waisted dress pants would have been perfect.
Wow, after so many years she’s still looking to “learn” rather than actually do something. These “learning opportunities”, as the KP tweet put it, sound more like a hobby than anything else.
totally, but basically everything the Royals count as ‘work’ would be considered a hobby or leisure time by us, the unwashed masses!
Fun Cirque Du Soleil “engagements” are also counted as work. I cannot believe that! I mean, we have to pay for our own tickets, but all they have to do is show up and it’s counted as work haha!
Tights are a no go. Would have liked to see her hair styled up.
I love this color… but something about this (maybe the top? or the tights?) is looking dated and tired. I love the shoes though! I also want to give credit where its due: the British economy is a MESS right now and Kate had the presence of mind for a repeat. No one is going to slam her for that today. I do feel like we are seeing Kate work quite a bit more since Meg came along, we know that Kate is competitive so maybe thats part of it. I would love to see a breakdown of the numbers though so see if its just in our minds/better marketing of the events that she does or if she’s genuinely doing more events.
I don’t mind this look or the suit (I think the color is great on her) but I would love if she had remixed it by wearing the skirt separately with a blouse and a different coat or blazer/jacket.
Everytime I see Kate, I try to figure out how her ensembles can be improved. And more often than not, they could be. This is a good color on her, but the combination of the jacket and the skirt just does not work. I think you are right about breaking the suit up, wear the skirt with something different on top, personally I think she could use some help in the footwear department. She’s so stuck on these high heels for any formal engagements, and there are much more interesting shoes out there that would look great with a full skirt.
That jacket is really dated as many have stated. Kate went overboard with the peplum design since she because a duchess. A few would be OK, I guess, but just think about all the various peplums she has. The bracelet length sleeves really throw off her proportions and accentuate how long waisted she is. I wonder how this jacket would look with some tailored trousers, and a patterned blouse underneath? Could it be salvaged? Maybe. But it looks weird with that skirt. Would it look better with a pencil skirt or worn over a sheath dress? Perhaps…..
Peplums need to stop. They really aren’t cute. And the color … the shoes are super cute though. Maybe the color would be ok in small doses like just the jacket or just the skirt…but a full body pinkish-purple…bright…nope.
She has enough peplums to last several lifetimes….LOL
Can Kate being British, get things done? People magazine online claims MM is American, therefore can get things done.
As for the outfit, Kate, if she wants to wear peplum, should aim for the look she wore in Adelaide, AUS on tour during ’14. That pink peplum outfit with her hair pulled back in the half up half down look was one of her best.
I must be the only person in the world who prefers full skirts to pencil skirts. I mean there is nothing inherently more grown up about pencil skirts. If you look at the late 1930s, postwar 1940s and much of the 1950s all women of all ages wore full skirts. I like the color of her outfit and I think she looks great!
Full skirts can be perfectly lovely, I think this one would look better in a slightly longer style.
I love full skirts, but I dislike the top she is wearing, a sleeker tucked in blouse would have pulled the look together
IMO Kate is in a state of reaction to the new DOS. Previously she re used clothes infrequently, had few patronages/ charities. In the short run maybe it helps her, mainly with people trying to find fault with the DOS, but I think she should rethink this strategy. I recommend being herself, she was/still is immensely popular regardless of the work shy criticism. I think we all experience this in our own lives, new friends, family, colleagues, I think it is best to try and adopt the positive new traits they bring that you like with your own spin and not be competitive.
@GM +1
The only thing I like is the shoes. The suit looks dated & twee, and for some reason the tailoring on the jacket makes it look like it shrunk. It’s laughable that KP tweeted about her taking time to explore her interest in textiles because her great grandfather ran a mill. Much like the visit to the war museum to see her family photographs, it seems the only way to get her out of the house is to call learning about her family “work.”
They’re bringing up her family connections as a way to highlight how English she is.
And how Meghan’s not! Sorry had to add that but it’s true.
Weren’t Meghan and Harry “learning and hearing” about something yesterday too? Are garden parties, awards galas,and Cirque du Soleil “work” ? No,because they are counted as “work” and “engagements”.. But I don’t see the outrage when it comes to them.
The truth is that most of what they all do,even the visits to their own patronages,are just photo-ops that don’t result in anything that is concrete.
THIS. Apart from fashion and jewelry, the Royals don’t offer much in the way of concrete results
The royals raise millions of pounds for charity each year, so stop talking about their clothes. Did you see the people sitting close to the Sussexes at the Royal Albert Hall last night, all billionaires and millionaires. Heaven knows what they paid for those seats. They don’t pay money to see Meghan just rock up in a Zara or M&S evening gown.
I realized that my opinions definitely differ from the majority becasue I generally like Kate’s style. She almost always picks what I would in her position. I like this outfit a lot. I like the colour, the black tights, the full skirt. The only thing I don’t love is the jacket.
I don’t mind the black tights with the outfit, but the tights and the shoes don’t go well together. The black of the tights melds in with the pumps so that its hard to appreciate the pumps themselves. Don’t know if I’m explaining this well LOL.
Its not fair to compare Kate’s new pair of shoes with Meghan’s entirely new outfit yesterday. Meghan has been spending too much, too fast, regardless of whether her jewelry, etc. were included in the running total.
I agree that Kate’s suit does not complement her figure and is too girlish. She’s older now and should retire this look. Also, because of her long torso, matching skirt suits aren’t a good look on her regardless. She looks best in dresses or mixed separates.
I hate everything about this outfit.
Kate has the shape for a pencil skirt/cigarette trouser so it baffles me why she insists on this silhouette.
Because it’s her body and she can wear what she feels comfortable in?
Of course she can wear whatever she wants. She does wear whatever she wants. I just stated my wish to see her in another silhouette.
Cee, I’m also baffled by Kate’s nearly constant attraction to this flouncy 1950’s skirt silhouette.
The whole outfit seems very dated and the shoes with that gold buckle decoration look so tacky to me.
The sleeves on the jacket are short, the skirt is about 2-2.5 inches too short, the jacket in the waist seems short also, but her proportions are often off and her posture is really not good here.
I don’t think she has to put a pencil skirt on, but even a simple A-line skirt on rare occasion would be a lovely change or a nice pair of slim-legged dressier pants in dark grey in light wool and some slingback suede pumps.
Small and subtle changes can make all the difference.
It’s great that she is re-using this outfit, but why not make two outfits out of it, skirt with a light weight cashmere sweater in light grey to tone down the brightness of the skirt and pair of slim fitting, but not painted on pants with the jacket.
I feel like thicker tights require a thicker shoe. I hate when I see them with skinny, delicate heels. On anyone. It looks unbalanced.
I like this suit though.
+1000! Yes, it really grates.
I can’t take the sexist non stop pitting these women against each other and irrational non stop attacks on Kate. If Meghan (whom I like a lot) is so fabulous to everyone then why can’t you speak to just her and not trash kate? This to me says a lot of people believe the crap in the media and don’t want to admit it.
If you want Kate to work more then stop attacking her for working. Why is Kate going to one of her patronages attacked but Meghan’s championed. Let me make this clear I think it is great that these women do these things, I find both beyond lovely. But the narrative here is no different then the DM and it needs to stop.
I don’t like this outfit, but she looks nice and I do love when she wears bright colors, and this color looks amazing on her. Not a fan of the style of the dress. Also I don’t think her working has anything to do with Meghan just like I don’t think Meghan is desperate for attention. I think these two women are different and seem to like each other. And each bring something specific to their roles.
LIke I think Meghan is a good public speaker but I feel when she is one on one she is a little to “actressy ” and not really in the moment. Where as with Kate when she is one on one, especially with kids she shines but eek on the speeches.
Spot on, I wish I could upvote your comment. The double standards on here are mind-boogling, just compare the comments on Kate’s visit to the gardens yesterday to Meghan’s visit to the dog shelter today.
Anyways, at least they are out and about. The real question is: where are their husbands, what have they been up to lately?
Well said @R; bullseye. ✌🏼
Kate’s not reading these comments. She’s not failing to work because people are being mean to her on the internet. If that were the measure, Meghan would never leave the house.
I had a suit that colour in 1988. It had pants with black buttons down the sides. I loved it so much and thought I was the bees’s knees!
Yikes, I really dislike this outfit on Kate, but it’s a very Kate look.
The jacket is small on her, but it seems that she often has issues with proportions.
The skirt looks like something a 1950’s housewife was wearing serving dinner to her husband after he got home from work, the only thing missing is the pearl necklace.
The strong color of the suits looks jarring with the dark tights (and I really like tights when it’s cold outside) and the shoes with the shiny buckle thing look so dated and tacky.
The purse is cute.
Even, if she had worn this skirt with a simple silk blouse in grey with a grey wool overcoat, grey tights and simple black suede pumps without that cheesy shiny buckle…such an improvement.
I appreciate that she is re-wearing her outfits, especially when they cost a lot of money, but it seems to me that Kate lacks imagination, a bit of style, just breaking up these two pieces and wearing say the jacket with a pair of charcoal grey cigarette pants with a black suede pumps would make a difference.
Why is she re-wearing the same outfit the same exact way???
I figured out where I saw this outfit-13 year olds attending Saturday services for a bar mtzvah. Very tween. Heavy black tights go with boots.
“but you can tell that she’s not really into these heels.” (referencing directly to the Sanderson shoes here)
And you managed to gather this from those pictures?
Talk about a talent for mind reading.
And how do we know Kate is not a shoe person again?
@ Pandy :
Well, exhibit A are the shoes in these pics above. That gold buckle thing looks tacky and dated, maybe from 1982. I could list a number of Kate’s shoes, but to save time, I’ll mention her wearing many times the huge wedges with 3-4-5 inch heels that are at best really unattractive.
She is dressed dowdy most of the time in my opinion and her shoes are no better. This skirt from the 1950’s and the badly fitting jacket with the peplum and the shoes from 1980’s is a good example.
Kate’s go to jeggings are inappropriate for a member of BRF while doing royal engagements, there are many different casual pants to choose from, especially for someone with her resources.
No member of the BRF should be a fashionista, but a bit of style would be great.
In my opinion her shoe game is boring and missed opportunities to really make her outfits pop. Her go to shoes are nude pumps time and again. Because of this people assume that she’s really not into shoes or not a shoe person.
@ tori : Sure, because she is white…..
I really hope The Queen doesn’t give Kate the Royal Opera or Royal Ballet as a patronage.
Why? Who should receive the patronage? Kate would be a wonderful patron for either.
The Queen is the Patron of the Royal Ballet and Charles is the president. He is also the Patron of the Royal Opera. I think he will take the role of Patron as its a prestigious charity and a passion. Kate goes to the ballet quite a lot so she would also be a good fit.
What would be nice would be if Kate took the patronage of the English National Opera off 82-year old Princess Alexandra’s hands (English National Ballet is Andrew, so that’s never going to happen). But heaven forbid she go to the Coliseum and not Covent Garden.
I think Kate looks fine. And good for her for repeating her outfits with Britain in an uproar over Brexit. Frugality by the royals is certainly a good thing. After well over a decade in the spotlight, the public should be well aware of what they’ve got in Kate Middleton. She lacks the charisma of Princess Diana and Jackie Kennedy and she’s never going to set the world on fire with her fashion sense. And she lacks the devotion to duty and work ethic of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne. Nor is Kate going to upset the royal apple cart the way Duchess Meghan is doing. And to date, her main passion seems to be pleasing Wills.
Yes, Kate is a snoozefest by comparison to the aforementioned high powered women. But compared to them, she’s also relatively drama- and scandal-free. Kate does what’s expected (sometimes the barest minimum) and outside of having her skirts fly up on occasion, Kate has rarely embarrassed the Monarchy. I’m sure that’s something of a relief to QEII, even though the Middletons are relentless social climbers. And most important of all: Duchess Kate has produced three healthy, rambunctious children to continue the line. Meghan’s appearance seems to have gotten Kate out of neutral gear and she’s stepping up to do more. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she has a fourth child in the next couple of years.
Having a fourth child is not “doing more.”
I think it’s wonderful Kate is working more. I hope she keeps it up! I did just notice she had her legs crossed on the Kensington Royal Instagram story. I feel like there should be some kind of outcry since when Meghan did that, it became a bit of a scandal.
Seriously, though, cross your legs, wear the jeggings, do cartwheels. Who really cares? just keep working.
So I’ve been mulling over this outfit and my takeaway is the skirt and blazer/jacket can be worn separately but NOT together. Pairing a peplum top with a full skirt doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s just my personal preference and I’ve seen women do it but I don’t get it. I also wish the skirt were just a tad longer. At this length, the outfit really does look like something a teen girl would wear for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or some special occasion.
So yeah pair the top with long black bootcut trousers or some other dark color or pair the skirt with a neutral top TUCKED INTO THE SKIRT and we’d be singing a completely different tune. But together the proportions are off.
Royals are so lucky!! I would loooovee to be a Patron of the Royal Opera, and get special behind the scenes tours. The costumes and sets are always so amazing!
and they call this special treatment and exclusive access “work”.
She’s worn Sanderson before. I think on her first visit to Fortnum and Mason?
People in these comments be like “37 YEAR OLDS CAN’T HAVE INTERESTS THAT’S NOT HOW THE WORLD WORKS GET A JOB STAY IN YOUR LANE I WALKED TO SCHOOL UPHILL BOTH WAYS IN THE SNOW YEAR ROUND WHEN I WAS A CHILD”.
I can’t believe that for a $3000 suit they couldn’t cover the buttons in the fabric- those buttons looks so cheap.
I hate her style. It looks like it’s from decades ago and always somehow too young. Also, Who would wear black tights? I like Meghan’s style so much better. I only like Kate’s casual style but i agree w others that skintight pants are inappropriate for work.
How can you tell whether someone is into their own shoes?
Perfection, as usual
She is so boring ….( wardrobewise and workwise too )it is maybe that that infuriates Wills jealousy towards Meghan who is far more interesting person (And I don’t follow RF at all )