The Earl and Countess of Strathearn arrived in Dundee, Scotland mid-afternoon for a series of events. I always enjoy it when I get the chance to use William and Kate’s Scottish titles – they’re not the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge once they cross into Scotland, they have to use their Strathearn titles. Duchess Kate become Countess Kate! Anyway, their half-day of activities will include the opening of a new Victoria & Albert design museum (Countess Kate is the V&A royal patron), then a walkabout, and then they’ll be meeting with some factory workers from the Michelin plant in Dundee, which is set to close in mid-2020. William will make a speech at the factory and – I would assume – draw some attention to the factory closing and try to apply a little bit of pressure to Michelin? There are 850 jobs which will be lost when the factory closes.
For the afternoon of activities, Countess Kate repeated a coatdress, as is her (recent) wont. This is a tartan McQueen coatdress which has been in Kate’s closet for more than six years – we saw this for the church pap stroll at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2013, and for a visit to St. Andrew’s in 2012 (according to the Daily Mail). Looking at some of those photos from Christmas 2013, you can tell it’s the same coatdress (obviously), but I swear, she’s had it re-tailored or something, because the fit looks slightly different (to me). It also looks like she’s just wearing a clingy little black dress underneath the McQueen, and we probably won’t get to see it.
I wish I knew more about individual family/clan tartans and their significance in Scotland. I’m sure there IS a “Strathearn tartan,” but is it this? This green and navy tartan? Or did she just want to wear ANY tartan while in Scotland?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I said today on Twitter that I wanted Kate to repeat this coat, so I am very happy that she did.
I am not sure if she had this retailored, but she seems to be doing that to some of her clothes. The purple skirt from the OdlR suit, the Catherine Walker blue coat….
I too like this coat, the fit is good, no big buttons…. , actually I have a shirt with almost the same pattern. The colors are good on her, and easier to wear than the actual Strathearn tartan. Both of them look good, honestly.
> Strathearn tartan
oh dear yes that’s awful (yellow/red/black)
I would own this coat. I LOVE it.
Wow, she looks absolutely fantastic. I love the fit and the styling here!
I like her little handbag.
Do you mean William?
Hahahaha, me too!
She does look really cute.
And, I have a similar handbag, so, no shade from here.
agreed! They both look great
I know – it’s a great outfit.
It looks great on her. Wills looks sharp, too, for a change. Who is the little person with them and what’s with the giant necklace?
Probably The Lord Mayor of Dundee, if I’m not mistaken. Sorry, don’t know his name.
Flav O Flav ; )
Lol!
Love it!
Yes, the coat is lovely. Beautifully cut.
She looks great. Clothing repeats are good, easy PR, so I’m surprised we don’t see them more often with the royals.
Yeah, if you like something and it looks good, why not repeat it?
She can pull off a tartan look like no one else. This and her red skirt at Christmas are her LOOKS. I don’t know if its her complexion and hair color that really makes them pop on her but she looks great. It’s a distinct look so kudos to her for really rocking it.
Agreed!! That skirt was magnificent.
I didn’t actually like the red Christmas skirt , it made her look so skinny.
They look great!
This tartan is ‘black watch’. Strathearn is a red and yellow (and black?) tartan —harder to wear imo; she has carried a folded strathearn tartan shawl alongside her clutch, before, but never worn it outright.
Link to the Stathearn tartan. I can’t imagine wearing this. The Black Watch looks great on her.
https://books.google.com/books?id=rvssAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT366&lpg=PT366&dq=strathearn+tartan&source=bl&ots=bRVKCaLxlT&sig=ACfU3U38LHCiHVIZ6gkX4ktvSuthIIsxRA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiYwbKJlZPgAhXM5IMKHXdWCi4Q6AEwBnoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=strathearn%20tartan&f=false
Oooh, that tartan would make an excellent long wool skirt though
Ooof, yes, that would be hard to pull off. Almost looks like one of those 3D optical illusion things you have to unfocus your eyes to see.
I’m a plaid lover and too think this Straethern pattern would be a knockout as a long A line wool plaid skirt,and a slim black turtleneck and ankle boots.She could accessorize so easily and repeat often.Top off with a simple black coat of any length.
yikes. those colors definitely would not look flattering next to the face but perhaps as a skirt or trousers?
She has a scarf in this pattern that she often carries when in Scotland, but never actually wears!
I have a long straight skirt in the black watch and a cute mini kilt in the other.
I googled Strathearn Tartan and got an absolutely hideous bright yellow, red and green result. This is far nicer.
Definitely a scarf pattern. I’d go dizzy looking at that on a skirt or full dress.
I was going to post the same thing – that’s black watch and one of the most classic plaids ever. I have this in PJs and spent a good part of the 80s wearing this plaid.
Wow! I love this.
I can’t anymore with her flared skirt silhouette and black tights, especially with the hemline above the knee. My issue with the hemline isn’t necessarily that it’s “inappropriate,” it just looks ridiculous. She’s been blessed with a tall, slender frame that can pull off so many looks, but the silhouettes she favors make her look like either an overgrown schoolgirl, or disapproving schoolmarm. All my early morning criticism aide, a two-second Google search pulled up the Strathearn tartan, and I understand why she didn’t wear it.
I’m not always crazy about Kates style, but nothing about this looks ridiculous to me. It’s cold winter weather, so what’s wrong with wearing those black tights? The dress is an inch above knee-length just like most of mine and my friends, and there’s nothing inappropriate or ridiculous about that to me, just another reason for her to wear tights on a cold day. When I think of schoolgirl flared skirts, they’re shorter than Kates hemline.
I like this dress on her. It fits her perfect and looks great on her
She looks nice and appropriate.
I’m certainly no fan of her coat dresses, but this one is okay.
The hemline is not too short, the tights look good with the chilly weather, the shoes are fine and the little bag is cute.
I just wish that here and there she would wear some slim legged light wool dress pants in say ” dark grey “, just to switch it up a bit.
She seems very attached to this flared skirt style and wears it almost constantly.
I hope nobody from the BRF would ever become a fashionista, because that would be wrong, but at the same time to have style appropriate for the member of BRF in their public life is very important.
Kate is often dressed either too dowdy and matronly or kind of immature, a few pairs of dressier and casual pants that are not spray painted, a few sets of cashmere twin sets, some silk blouses and dressier shirts, a couple of slingbacks and it would create a much needed variety in her working wardrobe.
A twin set isn’t matronly? That’s the first thing I think of when I hear twin set—matronly. She needs to have more interesting fashion than the Ann Taylor catalogue.
I agree @ Muffy. I often see suggestions that Kate should modernise her wardrobe by adding twin sets and wool dress trousers, both of which I find matronly and boring. But then, I like most of what Kate wears so my tastes obviously differ from most on this site.
Hey Muffy, I wish I could afford a top designer 100% cashmere twin set. Classic pieces are not dated they are classic just like a lovely pencil skirt will always be a classic piece.
Trends come and go and spending money on trends is a waste of money for me, but I’m willing to spend on some classic pieces for my wardrobe, unfortunately I can’t afford top designer items right now, still paying off my school debt at 30.
I agree with you Jane. Kate and Meghan need classic pieces in their wardrobes for the royal work, cashmere twin sets, pencil skirts, A line skirts, light wool pants and jackets, silk blouses, good quality cotton dress shirts, light cashmere crew necks and light cashmere turtle necks for the rainy and a bit chilly English fall/winter season.
Separates that can be worn with different tops and bottoms. I wore my short sleeve shell of the cashmere twin set I have under my wool suit jacket to work the other day and a few days before I wore the cardigan from the same cashmere twin set with my pencil skirt and over a very thin silk blouse.
They need style and not fashion.
This is not bad, tartan looks good on Kate, but I think she is stuck in these flared skirt outfits that look many times dated, not classic, but dated. She should venture out of her comfort zone sometimes and try a different silhouette, a pair of pants, little black booties. She looked great when she was going to Cyprus in those wide legged pants, next time she could maybe try a slim legged pants. I think she lacks style. I remember when I saw pics of Meghan in the black suite with Harry under the umbrella a few months ago, I thought to myself, she looks great, modern and classy, but not trendy and that would look great on Kate too.
@Beth she doesn’t look ridiculous today, but it’s jusr that she wears the same. exact. silhouette. constantly and that’s what gets so boring and ridiculous. She actually looks pretty today IMO but there is never any variation; she always looks exactly the same, all coatdresses in different colors.
I totally agree with you Kealeen. Overgrown school girl. Not 37 year old mother and future queen.
A school girl wouldn’t wear that skirt it’s too long.
@ Muffy :
I have 2 sets of 100% designer cashmere twin sets and one that is a silk/cashmere blend.
I just turned 28 years old and I can assure you that they are not matronly whatsoever.
They are very classic, beautifully made pieces that are not dated or dowdy.
Can be worn together or separate and with jeans, pencil skirts, pants, blouses, dresses, skirts and many things between.
A little black dress has been around a lot longer than cashmere twin sets, same goes for the black pump and neither have to be matronly…after all it’s not 1952, is it?
Kate doesn’t need fashion, she needs style appropriate to what she chose for herself – member of the BRF.
Fashion is for models and actresses.
Sorry Muffy, but Ann Taylor catalogue is far from the only place to see a cashmere twin sets.
And frankly Kate can afford many designer cashmere twin sets that would go very well with various pants and skirts, so she is not stuck in the same flare skirt, coat dress nightmare thing.
She looks nice and appropriate, but boring and twee. I agree with Kealeen about the overgrown schoolgirl and schoolmarm thing. She’s slim and has the height for a much sleeker look. I think she’s stuck in some sort of fashion arrested development.
The original coat from McQueen has some flair and this customized one seems a little bit like a uniform -something about the lack of detail on the front flap creates that feel for me. Add the full skirt and tights and it does feel like a cute, costumey uniform type of outfit.
I think it would have been better if there had been some kind of visible detail in the design of the bodice. I like the idea but it needs a little bit of something more.
Somewhat agree, but Just got to say one thing.
This is not a coat, dammit. This is a winter dress.
I don’t care if it’s supposed to be a coat or is listed as a coat. It looks like a DRESS. Not a coat!
I don’t know why but this really bugs me. As a dress it’s ok as she’s wearing it, But I would wear with boots or at least booties.
Agreed. I have the retail version of this dress from McQueen, and while it is a warm wool fabric, it is a dress. Definitely not a coat.
BOO, booties. BOOOOOOO!!!!
I think she looks great and I don’t think the skirt is too short at all – and I was about to defend her shorter flared dresses when I realized that I had to give up on shorter flared skirts at some point because they do start to look a little ridiculous on older women. The same length in a straight skirt is fine, but a short a-line looks a little silly after a certain age. It’s a shame, too, because it’s a flattering cut.
It fits her perfectly. She looks good.
Great dress!
I think she looks great! Love that coat on her.
Its a nice dress but why do the Royals think we need them to wear a tartan when they venture north of the border? A tartan scarf is enough for anyone.
It’s all part of some romanticized and idealized Scottish cos-play that they like to indulge in anytime they are in Scotland..I agree, it’s a bit weird
Yeah, it’s a bit on the nose, especially because Black Watch isn’t a family tartan (it’s a military one). It’s a lovely coat but if she only wears it in Scotland that’s a bit of waste!
I am Scottish and don’t know whether Kate is being flattering or condescending in wearing tartan so much when she comes to Scotland. Diana also used to wear tartan at Braemar Gathering but much less fashionable. Would love to see William in a kilt. Kate has worn Strathnairn tartan which I think is quite nice.
I am Scottish and don’t know whether Kate is being flattering or condescending in wearing tartan so much when she comes to Scotland. Diana also used to wear tartan at Braemar Gathering but much less fashionable. Would love to see William in a kilt. Kate has worn Strathearn tartan which I think is quite nice.
I was hoping she’d wear this McQueen again! I’m not sure it’s actually a coat dress, or if the skirt detaches? Also not sure about having it retailored, but she might have had the fit adjusted after 3 kids.
I thought that they both looked good and engaged today, minus Kate’s bronzer contour which remains unfortunate.
Whether altered or not, I would not expect a dress to fit exactly the same after 3 kids. No matter your resources, nothing is exactly the same again.
That’s kind of nutty that she wore a McQueen to visit St Andrews. But good to see she’s gotten two more wears out of it. And it’s aged well too.
The St Andrews in question is actually St Andrews prep school in Berkshire, not the university. It was either just before or after the Prince George pregnancy was announced.
I know it was St. Andrews school. I think it was her last engagement before her pregnancy was announced.
Maybe because she attended the school, wearing a McQueen was part of honoring the place? Overall, both Kate and Meghan need to reserve the McQueen and Givenchy for major events or major firsts. But Kate now has an eight year wardrobe to pull from and the McQueen has aged well. So there’s the argument that this is better than fast fashion like Zara. And hopefully when Meghan has a few more years under her belt, she’ll do the same and repeat her expensive items.
Oops, sorry Natalie! I assumed you were expressing surprise at her wearing McQueen while still in university. I need to drink more coffee before I comment!
Oh, no worries @Lexa! I can see how my comment could have been taken that way!
They look great together. I like that he matched the blue in her dress with his suit.
Ha ha ha! He only ever wears blue suits!
That’s not a strathearn tartan. However, she has carried a strathearn tartan shawl before. It’s red and yellow so I can’t imagine she would wear a whole outfit lol This tartan coat is beautiful and I’m glad to see it again.
I like blackwatch plaid, but I’m tired of the fit and flare style she always seems to favor. A little goes a long way, just like her love of peplums. But, at least she isn’t wearing this with those old suede boots as she did in the past. I like the opaque black tights, shoes, and gloves with this. Is the purse new?
Considering she first wore this when she was just pregnant with George, I think she’s had it tailored.
I have always liked this one. I get the criticism re: the silhouette, but I like the colors on her and the fit is nice. This is a repeat that I enjoy.
i’m not a fan of the flared skirts but i understand why she wears them, she’s almost built like princess charlene with broad shoulders and slim hips so the flared skirt does help balance out her silhouette.
Gorgeous repeat. I have always loved this look on Kate and it fits her impeccably. Her hair also looks fantastic and maybe a touch darker? A+ look for the Duchess.
Kate looks nice.
Love the print. Her whole look with the hair and cut of dress…she’s a 37 year old woman dressing like she’s a teenager. She doesn’t look professional, regal, or like a mature adult.
Sorry but not sorry.
Show me a teenager that dresses like this. I dare you.
I would wear this dress in a heartbeat and I am a 37 year old journalist who covers the Parliament.
what kind of teenagers are you meeting.
While the concept of a repeat is sound, it does seem a little touristy to be wearing plaid almost every time she is in Scotland. Maybe for her first visit as Countess of Strathearn eight years ago, but now this theme dressing seems a bit much. Camilla does a fair amount of engagements in Scotland and she isn’t wearing plaid every time.
Speaking of Camilla…. where has she been lately? I can’t recall any Camilla updates over the holidays or even this year.
Camilla’s been out and about, going to Aberdeen, Swindon, etc. There were some cute photos of her dancing to Hava Nagila with the residents at a Jewish care home last week.
Thanks Tina. I would love to see those, will have to google them up 🙂
Kate is always trying to upmanship Meghan as the frugal royal. Tired of it.
So she should spend more, then?
No. She should do it more modestly and not so thirsty about it in terms of media attention.
How would she do it more modestly? I mean, she either repeats or she doesn’t.
@Susan
How does one “modestly” repeat clothes?
I agree with you @Susan.
If she spends a lot, she’s criticized, if she repeats, she’s criticized.
I don’t know how one would modestly do rewears but Kate needs to repeat this coat. The original McQueen inspiration was priced at $7220! But to be fair, there is no way the royals are paying retail.
I think she looks like a mature, adult professional woman. I see literally hundreds of professional women wearing above the knee dresses with and without tights to work every day.
I mean xome on the criticism of what she wears is OTT sometimes.
Exactly. I always side eye the fashion critique comments. She’s dressed matronly, dowdy or she’s dressed like a teenager. All comments on the same outfit. Sure Jan.
Professional adult women wearing fit and flare above the knee coat dresses all the time ? Where do you live ? I only see little girls, QEII, Camilla, and Kate wear them consistently.
That’s the point. They aren’t meant to look just like everyone else, they are meant to look different to the norm.
@Rosie
Yeah, well, if you follow the other royal women in Europe – women Kate’s age – it becomes very obvious that they don’t do this dressing up to “look different from the norm.”
The BRF and Kate are into this cos-playing and I find it weird. I guess the UK public eats it up, though. Bully for them.
It suppose from the outside it is odd but at the same time I like it. It’s reassuring.
They both look good and I want Kate’s handbag.
She looks lovely and appropriate. Good professional look.
The flared skirt spoils this outfit.
Agree
I like it a lot, and think she’s very smart to be wearing repeats with the country’s financial difficulties foremost in the public’s mind.
No, this is not the Strathearn tartan. There are photos I have seen of her carrying a scarf on past Scotland trips. I think it’s sort of orangey? Sorry, no5 time to go look it up. This coat looks like Black Watch plaid. Good for her to still be able to wear it! She looks fabulous here.
It’s a nice outfit and worthy of a repeat. She must have been freezing in it though as it was very cold today in Scotland. I was wearing 2 cardigans and a heavy jacket. Lol
My only gripe is the fact that the royals feel the need to wear tartan almost every time they come north. As a Scot, I find it quite patronising. To be fair to Kate, she doesn’t do it on every visit. Charles and Camilla are worse.
@Cerys Quite agree – it’s a touchy subject from an historic viewpoint also, given that tartan was banned post-Culloden by the English, and the wearing of it engendered physical punishment. – Really living up to my screen name today….
What are you talking about? The royal family’s roots are at least as much Scottish as English, probably more so. James the Sixth of Scotland also became James the First of England on the death of Elizabeth. James IV of Scotland had married Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VIi and sister of Henry Vlll. Also, to those that say Culloden (I live 2 miles away) was a battle between the Scots and English is very much simplifying things.
@CarolinD The link between the Tudors and the current Queen are extremely tenuous, as you know. As you also know, I mentioned “post-Culloden” rather than referencing the battle itself – how very presumptuous of you to imagine that I know nothing of Scottish history, while in the same breath utterly missing the actual point. Perhaps living where you do trumps my own heritage.
Kate looks nice. Also congrats to her, she is officially a fave of royaldish. They just love her to bits now. Shes “finally grown into her role along with William” 🤔
They are so transparent over there.
I noticed that. Pretty sickening how that site has gone.
Suddenly, W+K are “the way royals should be” and “in love like mature adults”.
She looks well put together. Exhausted but put together. Even Will looks good today.
I love this look and I do love black tights. I mean, it’s cold and I like them.
It’s one of her best looks!
The best she’s ever looked and in no small part thanks to Megan’s style influence of purses and shoes god bless her
Hey can we talk about the earrings? (Meghan *coughs*)
She’s had those earrings for years. She had Diana’s sapphire studs reset shortly after the wedding. WTF does Meghan have to do with them?
I KNOW someone else has probably already explained this, but I’m such a nerd about these things so I’m gonna do it too. The tartan that Kate is wearing is, iirc, the Black Watch tartan. It’s one of the two tartans (along with the Hunting Stewart) that you can wear if you don’t have a clan/regimental affiliation of some sort. Kind of like a generic tartan almost, if you will.
There is a tartan for Strathearn, but I don’t think it’s the one for the earldom specifically, so that’s why I don’t think Kate or William will be wearing it. Queen Elizabeth II does have her own personal tartan, which is the Royal Stewart (not to be confused by the Hunting Stewart). They say you can only wear it with the express permission of the Queen, but I’ve heard all sorts of opinions on the subject, including one which states that any subject of the Queen can wear it without needing express permission for it.
Anyway, this has always been one of my favorite outfits that Kate has worn, especially in her early years. I’ve always thought it was rather on the nose for Kate to just get decked out in tartan head to toe for every visit to Scotland, but w/e, at least this outfit is actually pretty great and not objectionable, lol.
I mean, why would one need more than one designer tartan coat dress thingy when this one is perfectly cute/ticks all the boxes? My only critique of this look is as ever the makeup – I do wish she’d go with a lighter eye for daywear and I don’t know, go crazy and not do a nude lip. It would have brightened her complexion more against the darkness of the tartan to have a nice berry or red lip imo. Also the V&A in Dundee opened last year, they must be gracing it with the first royal visit or something. It was very cold in Scotland today, they must have still been pretty cold as the museum is right on the water – brrr.
Love this dress! Wish it was mine!
She looks the same as always. Neither bad or good.
Kaiser: wearing another clan’s tartan, particularly in her royal capacity, would be a HUGE no-no – a catastrophic gaffe. My own family’s tartan is as ugly as sin, but if someone of another clan wore it during an official event – well, one would be asking Why? And: what message are they trying to send? What do they have to hide/are they being deliberately provocative? Etc etc. Historically, tartan = surname = identity.