Because we’re bored and we always enjoy talking about the Duchess of Cambridge’s Victorian Button Cosplay, several outlets are doing crazy in-depth pieces about Kate’s “quarantine fashion.” Kate has not done a public event since March 20th, when she and William visited an emergency call center and didn’t practice social distancing (nor did they wear masks). After that, Kate took several weeks off, but lately she’s been doing more Zoom events from Anmer Hall, and to her credit – because she’s literally praised for it – she’s been wearing real clothes and not sweatpants/jeggings and stained t-shirts. And the colors! Apparently, she’s been wearing all of the colors of the rainbow:
Eagle-eyed fan account @CambridgeMums pointed out that the Duchess has actually been wearing the colours of the rainbow, which has become a national symbol of support for the NHS during the crisis. Kate is known for her love of literal dressing, and regularly gives a nod to the event she is attending and countries she is visiting with her clothing.
LMAO @ “Kate is known for her love of literal dressing.” I’m sorry, but did the Daily Mail really write that, I AM DYING. That’s Daily Mail-speak for “Ol’ girl is simple. So simple that this literal dresser cosplays the Irish flag in Ireland and thinks clown ruffles are the height of fashion. THAT KIND OF SIMPLE.”
Meanwhile, Us Weekly also had a “let’s praise Kate for wearing clothes again” story:
Kate Middleton is just like Us! She’s the queen — or duchess — of recycling outfits for special occasions, because a great outfit should never go to waste. On Friday, May 8, the Duchess of Cambridge wore a red L.K. Bennett dress to celebrate V-E Day over Zoom alongside Prince William, an elegant number she previously wore to a Wimbledon match in 2015.
“Like most people, Kate doesn’t think twice about recycling clothes,” a royal insider reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly. “She thinks it would be a waste to wear something once and then throw it away. And as the UK taxpayers contribute towards the royal family’s upkeep, it wouldn’t be a good look if she spent a fortune on clothing.”
The list of Middleton’s iconic fashion repeats goes on and on, to the surprise of many. “Everyone thinks that the royals live like wealthy celebrities, but if the truth be known they’re actually pretty frugal with money and don’t lead an extravagant lifestyle” the royal expert continues. “They try to be as normal and relatable to the public as possible.”
To retain the semblance of normalcy, the duchess doesn’t ask for help from a stylist on her days off. “She usually throws on a pair of jeans and a shirt or sweater,” says the source.
If you’re anything like Us, then you’re probably desperately wondering what her closet must look like. It’s certainly complete with designer labels and exquisite formalwear, but some of the affordable brand names in her closet might surprise you. “Kate doesn’t have a closet full of haute couture gowns” says the royal expert. “Yes, she has some designer pieces, but she mainly wears high-street brands like Zara, Marks & Spencer and TopShop when she isn’t attending a posh event.”
Except that Kate does spend a fortune on clothing. Just for the Irish tour, she spent £26,420 on new clothing and that doesn’t even include that hideous vintage clown-ruffle dress she wore. Kate has always spent too much money on clothes (so did Meghan). And now she’s being praised for re-wearing those expensive clothes on Zoom calls at home? I would sigh, but I’m still giggling to myself about Kate being a “literal dresser.”
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, KensingtonRoyal social media.
We’ve always said Kate is a “theme dresser” haha. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it as long as you look good and have /something/ that breaks up the block of colour (like a nude heel or something)
But her clothes on the Ireland tour were not good and dare I say, one of her worst tours outfit/wardrobe wise.
I really liked that super bright coral kind of sweater. But I agree completely with the need to break it up. There’s pretty much always something ‘off’ about her theme outfits that drag it down.
The theme dressing seems like a lack of imagination at this point. When she landed in Ireland and was wearing green, it was like, okay, she’s wearing green, its Ireland, whatever. But then she wore white and you could just SEE the thought process “I’m in Ireland, must represent flag, must wear white after green.” If she had worn orange after green, it wouldn’t have been as literal.
I loved that sweater! I also like the white coat but everything else? Blech.
YES. It’s just way too heavy handed at this point. I think she’d be much better served just wearing a lot of flattering colors and incorporating maybe a brooch or something of significance tied to whatever country she’s visiting. Like a wardrobe piece from an up and coming designer from that location. It’d look a lot more polished. Or hell, even if it was JUST a blouse in a specific color, paired with basic slacks or something. And definitely no more of the ‘shade of the day’ thing like the Ireland tour.
But that’s sadly not what she’ll do – we’ll probably see this kind of thing forever from her.
I liked the white coat also Lisa. I just wish she had opened or ended with it, really.
I’m in love with that sweater, too.
That headband, for starters…gag. 🤢
I don’t usually pay much attention to the fashion posts because my idea of high fashion is wearing jeans without holes. But that coral sweater from the Ireland tour is giving me life! I need it!!
I’m sure someone is going to tell me it costs several thousand dollars 🙁
Doing it on your own penny you deserve it, otherwise no.
Yeah this site has always noticed her theme dressing lol. I mean does she live in a bubble i wonder if she reads gossip sites and comments. Maybe not cause she wpyld have been less obvious with the theme dressing.
Wearing one expensive dress five years after you wore it the first time is hardly “recycling.” And don’t even with the “they’re actually quite frugal” nonsense. Lol that she doesn’t consult a stylist when she’s just hanging around the mansion.
It is certainly not frugal to purchase several bespoke coats that look almost exactly alike.
Maybe they also mean talking to her is like talking to a literal dresser. She sometimes has the personality of a block of wood, after all….
@Mumbles – thank you!
That “they’re just like us” crap pisses me off so much!
Her cosplaying the flag was iconic, I’m sorry. We’ll never remember Kate for her causes or events, only for her theme dressing.
I actually I’m intrigued about her closet, is she allowed to keep everything at home or are her work clothes (coat dresses mostly) stored separately?
I don’t think they’re stored separately, as some of what she wears when ‘on duty’ are items from her Royal GF days, like that white coat worn in Ireland or her various knee-high boots. I don’t think they’re the type of people to be concerned about keeping ‘work’ money and ‘personal’ money separate.
Once you see she’s a “literal dresser” it’s very hard to unsee and yeah, I think that it’s lazy & basic. So 💯 on brand
While her theme dressing is obvious, it remains ridiculous that they use the term recycling when she wears something more than once. For normal people, wearing clothes multiple times is just what you do. She’s clearly not normal if they have to praise her for wearing something twice.
They really have nothing to say about her don’t they? What a shallow existence that getting recognized for wearing clothing more than once is turned into an accomplishment.
Why….would she need a stylist for the days she’s just hanging out in her country mansion? Or the days she’s hanging out in her huge-ass apartment at Kensington Palace?
And LMAO that wearing a dress twice in 5 years is frugal and normal and relatable. Also, see above re: country mansion and KP apartment. and helicopters. And jewelry. And private planes. But sure. Frugal and normal.
I AM dying at “literal dressing” though. It’s actually funny to me now not just because she’s so obvious with it, but because her fans bend over backwards to find proof that she is “honoring” something by her clothes even it’s a rare occasion when she’s not. Like she wears yellow so it must be a nod to lemons and Diana loved lemonade OMG KATE IS HONORING DIANA!!!!
The rainbow thing is such a stretch, IMO.
The look on William’s face while she’s talking is priceless!
Honestly i think if it was up to him she wouldnt speak. All their interviews especially the radio countdown he is manicly blinking his eyes when he looks at her talking as if she would just be quiet.
He’s such a douche for doing that. I don’t even like Kate but William married her. He should be more supportive.
William seems like the kind of person who doesn’t listen to others so much as wait for his turn to talk again. Which is an interesting choice to make as a conversationalist given that he’s rarely saying much of anything when he IS talking.
If that conversation in Ireland about the virus is anything to go by, he’s just asking the other person to agree with him. Completely in love with himself.
The funny thing is it’s been him who has been putting his foot in it and not her. He seems like the kind of guy that even if she does an ok job, he’ll still give her hell over the tiniest thing afterwards. Meghan is actually very lucky to have a husband who supports and champions her.
I dress in the colors of the rainbow. Because it’s literally… colors. Except yellow. I don’t wear yellow because I’m the kind of ginger that gets all sallow and icky from yellow.
Wearing something more than once is “recycling”? Wow…
not just recycling – its thrifty and frugal and normal!
Frankly it’s stupid, she does not need to formally dress for her Zoom videos . You can only see her shoulder and her head on theirs videos. Secondly her videos not even exceed 50 min. So she just needs to wear a nice shirt and to have a correct hairstyle and makeup.
I’m not a Kate fan, but I appreciate she’s making the effort. As someone who has worked remotely for years, I don’t approach work video calls as an excuse for casual dress. Work is work. Video chat is not an automatic invitation to dress down. Social calls and informal chats with family are a completely different animal.
I get that during this pandemic things have become more relaxed — and that’s a good thing due to all the stress — but I don’t agree that it’s stupid to formally dress for Zoom calls.
She spends the money to buy expensive clothing (with UK taxpayer money right?), she should show some of that off. I mean, the royals are basically tourist attractions since they do not have any political power. It’s literally her job.
I’m not even sure she is “literal dressing” this time, as much as I love the new term for it!
Dressing like a rainbow? You mean… wearing some colours? Correct me if I’m wrong but she hasn’t worn them in order, so it seems a stretch.
Although I do have to laugh at the insta account who made the post calling her the “duchess of impact”! The fans are trying harder than their faves!
The Duchess of Lifelong Skills Like Bouldering. (Why did they leave that in?! Was that the best take?)
I recently saw a gif of Kate being a little snot about Lebron James putting his arm on her shoulder when posing for a picture but she had no problem putting her hand on Mary Berry when talking to her. It was cringe inducing.
What a boring story. They have hit the bottom if the barrel if this is all they got to praise Kate. Would even a Kate fan click on a headline that she is wearing rainbow colors? If that was a headline about Meghan I wouldn’t even bother.
So that’s all she’ll be known for? Dresses? Okay.
I try not to buy items that I’m circulating of the same colour, the colours I wear kind of reflect the season, brighter and lighter colors and fabrics for summer and heavier richer darker colours in the winter. I also love prints, but shy away from that since I dont have a stylist and dont think I can pull it off. Dressing like that puts me in a good mood, my kids like it too. We all have things we loved our moms (dads) in a blouse or a nice dress and how they organized themselves, we should all dress like that not just the famous people on screens for us to gah gah over, but people whose lives we touch everyday.
This is hilarious! And also the DM is signaling to KP that they need more insider info, or there is going to be more where this came from. Much much more.
She really seems daft. But I’d rather hang out with her than William.
Literal dressing? Well, I’m certainly glad she literally dresses because I can only imagine the alternative if she didn’t dress at all!😳
I’ll admit that I actually like that Kate leans into the inane cheesiness of her role. She turned herself into a caricature as quickly as possible. She knows she doesn’t bring substance to her role and noone in the palace really wants her to do so because their egos couldn’t handle it.
So she really goes for it in being this smiling theme-dressed cutout that can just be posed for whatever they need. It’s empty but still smart and a a little like she’s showing her sense of humor.
I don’t like the whole Hussar/Victorian cosplay thing though because at that point it feels like she thinks her costumes are more meaningful than they are. That’s when she needs to figure out how to actually contribute as more than an image.
Remember when they freaked out on Hillary Mantel for calling her a mannequin? Turns out Mantel was right all along.
That’s why they freaked out. Hillary Mantel had Kate and the media dead to rights.
I agree with you, @Silas. But I think Kate’s somewhat at a disadvantage (as has been mentioned here before), because she doesn’t know how a professional woman dresses. She really could learn a lot from Queen Letizia, who shows a range of looks: professional, feminine, modern, regal.
If Kate wants to embrace the cutesy, cosplay looks I think she needs a stylist who could help her pull it off with more charm.
Kates lack of work etchic before and afer becoming royal has fooled everyone in convincing shes a member of aristocracy and above working.
Kate has had nine years to figure out how women with jobs dress. This is an excuse she could have used in her first year, not almost ten years later. She’s wasteful, has bad style and has no clue what women who have to work should dress like. She’s not going to change at this point.
Are these articles supposed to be flattering? Because they make Kate sound like a simpleton. Like, Forrest Gump level.
“Can you test the smell by smelling it?”
We’ve been saying this for years! When she’s not cosplaying her dead mother in law she loves to dress up in god awful expensive frocks which matching local community/flag. One wonders what is the stylist doing or if she’s lowkey anti kate sabotaging her from the inside?!!! The outfits are becoming worst than the last..
This is one of those not so subtle attack articles that DM loves to print to nudge them/the palace to share more! I expect we’ll be hearing about some KeenKueen project soon (which might never come into fruition if not pre existing)🙄
I’m a bit of a literalist myself, so how is that baby-blue sweater she wore in one of her ZOOM meetings a rainbow color?
any reason to rag on said Duchess is enough. Doesn’t matter this is an invented story by a second rate tabloid.
Sorry, but until I can list her Zoom appearances and see a clear Roy G. Biv, I ain’t buying it. They’re just clothes. Literal clothes, but not literal rainbow clothes.
I wonder what has brought on the resurgence of “HRH Catherine, Princess of the High Street, Duchess of Recycling and Countess of Frugality” stories. Just the lack of news during quarantine or something else?
Despite the insistence of these puff pieces, Kate does indeed have a wardrobe full of expensive clothing, and does not reserve wearing them for “posh events” only. No matter how much these articles try to rewrite history, they cannot erase it, because anyone can look back on what Kate has worn on her engagements over the years and see that designer labels and pricey accessories have featured far more heavily in her ensembles than Zara and £8 earrings, and whilst great applause and fanfare has always been made (now, more than ever) over her “repeats”, they are actually minimal and far between when you consider the extent of her wardrobe, and the endless array of multiple identical and near-identical coats and coat dresses in all the colours of the rainbow. I love to watch royal fashion, but the press is one “She is Just. Like. US!” article away from claiming Kate is engaging in eBay bidding wars for used Topshop pussybow blouses.
As for the idea that the royal family does not live like wealthy celebrities, I’m sure if we just pretend we are not aware of the multi-millions, vast amounts of land, palaces with more rooms than one could count, multiple residences, tennis courts, swimming pools, helicopters, luxury vacations and the army of staff to cater to their every need, it’s quite easy to believe 😂
@Pearl-I died laughing at “from claiming Kate is engaging in Ebay bidding wars for used Topshop pussybow blouses.” Dead ☠💀☠💀☠💀
I know it’s been said before, but that picture of her in “Irish” green is the WORST I’ve ever seen of anyone. At best you could say she looks cold or anxious or scared; the worst you could say is she looks frail and/or truly mentally deranged. Yikes.