The Duchess of Cambridge's Daytime Fashion, Part 4: August 2011 - September 2011

[Baroness of Books]

Have to agree with you there, agami.pearl; Pippa had more pizzazz although it's another case of too much hair with a small hat.

BTW, I like your avatar. Is that the newly-wed Prince and Princess of Prussia at their wedding reception? That tiara is gorgeous!

 

[Dierna23]

I like the colors a lot. Personally, I just don't like this kind of lace dresses at all. They look too much like tablecloths in my book. The shoes are great, but not too great with this outfit.

My main critique would refer to her boring hairstyle (come on, a fascinator almost screams for an updo if you're older than 20) and most of all the make up. I don't like what happens to her face. Actually I looked through old pictures of her lately and I thought she looked really lovely with a few kilos more and softer make up. She should have worked on that: soften the look to appear younger, more feminine and fresher instead of that harsh and heavy eye make up and too much blush while her face has become rather haggard due to weight loss. She has a pretty face and a fab body, she should be more self-confident now. She doesn't need that much make up and it ruins most of her looks, IMHO. Less is more, in her case for sure.

 

[agami.pearl]

I like the colors a lot. Personally, I just don't like this kind of lace dresses at all. They look too much like tablecloths in my book. The shoes are great, but not too great with this outfit.

My main critique would refer to her boring hairstyle (come on, a fascinator almost screams for an updo if you're older than 20) and most of all the make up. I don't like what happens to her face. Actually I looked through old pictures of her lately and I thought she looked really lovely with a few kilos more and softer make up. She should have worked on that: soften the look to appear younger, more feminine and fresher instead of that harsh and heavy eye make up and too much blush while her face has become rather haggard due to weight loss. She has a pretty face and a fab body, she should be more self-confident now. She doesn't need that much make up and it ruins most of her looks, IMHO. Less is more, in her case for sure.

This is what I'm thinking too. More experiments with the hair (I have long hair too but I can't wear them loose all the time, I'm playing with them a lot), less make-up and she would look much more better.

 

[Baroness of Books]

If not fully up, Kate's hair could have been pulled back in that half-up, half-down look that she's worn on several occasions. It would show her pretty face more rather than the distraction of a curtain of hair, the fascinator may have looked better and a softer makeup palette would have completed a nicer look.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

My main critique would refer to her boring hairstyle (come on, a fascinator almost screams for an updo if you're older than 20) and most of all the make up. I don't like what happens to her face. Actually I looked through old pictures of her lately and I thought she looked really lovely with a few kilos more and softer make up. She should have worked on that: soften the look to appear younger, more feminine and fresher instead of that harsh and heavy eye make up and too much blush while her face has become rather haggard due to weight loss.

You took the words right out of my mouth! The outfit is ok but hairstyle and make-up are terrible. Kate looks very harsh and much older than her age, I wonder why she is ageing so much lately, I mean she isnt doing much in public and the understandable weight loss prior to the wedding should have recovered by now. Instead, it seems to be getting worse. HM at the age of 85 looks more relaxed and has softer facial features than Kate under 30.

 

[jdcharlie]

Kate looks fantastic in red. I really like the lace dress trend. Until recently, lace was so old-fashioned, but they've updated it nicely. I loved Kate's hair. She has ridiculously fantastic hair and it looks great down. I think the smaller hat (at least this one) begs for it to be down. At the races, Kate had her hair up with a small hat and everyone complained that she should have worn it down instead.... I also don't think a half-up look would have looked right with this hat.

Kate's make-up looks nice. But photos aren't the true measure of how she looks in person. The lighting on photos can make her make-up look darker and harsher.* (E.g., in one pic in the paper, Kate has burgundy shoes and hair and in the other pic, she has black shoes and dark hair). I bet her make-up looks different in person. Besides, this was a wedding, a real event...I wear much more make-up than I do on an every day basis at weddings.

She doesn't need to gain any weight. She looks very healthy. Regardless, she's already gained a few back since last time we saw her. And the shoes make her legs look fabulous! Her legs are to die for. These pics remind me a little of the last time she wore red to a wedding in St. Andrews. More pics from this wedding will be in this week's Hello!

 

[IloveCP]

I thought she looked elegant.

 

[la_noblesse]

In my humble opinion, the red dress must be a good quality piece and furthermore, it looks fantastic on Catherine. The lace dress trend is quite big this season as well, every woman must have at least a black lacey dress in her wardrobe, my dears. What astonishes me is the rather appalling appearance of her face's skin. Without any doubt a pretty face, but a face of a young woman who seems to neglect it and ages quickly. We can't realise the damage to our skin from day to day but before Catherine turns 40, she will be looking worse than other princesses who are older than her. The majority of the women in Britain look rather haggard and dehydrated to me from an early age, I blame it on the climate and diet, however we are talking about the wife of the future heir to the British throne. I am fairly certain that Darling Hubby can afford all the appropriate beauty treatments, she should start with Vitamin C facials and then move to collagen and other vital substances that could transform, nourish and smooth her skin. You are a Duchess now, honey. The sky is the limit! Farewell!

 

[Lumutqueen]

I am fairly certain that Darling Hubby can afford all the appropriate beauty treatments, she should start with Vitamin C facials and then move to collagen and other vital substances that could transform, nourish and smooth her skin. You are a Duchess now, honey. The sky is the limit! Farewell!

Oh yes, and the news that Prince William is spending thousands of pounds on facial for his dear princess will make him and the family a real laughing stock. She can sort herself out with that 'darling hubby' spending a penny IMO.

 

[CordeliaFitzgerald]

I love the colour on her, but not the lace itself (whoever said it's like a tablecloth nailed it!). And while I'm happy she left the nude heels in the closet for once, I don't like the colour of the Prada ones she chose. And the hat makes the outfit too matchy-matchy. But I'm glad she tried something different.

 

[Scarebaby]

Oh I'm so tired of these little hats perched at a stupid angle on the head/forehead, they remind me of that cleaning product that you "stamp" your toilet bowl with.

The lace dress is pretty but how is it Kate manages to make these outfits look boring and almost mousy? Is it just me? It's like she's not really wearing the dress, it's wearing her. Her fashion sense is confused - expensive pieces, not fitting together properly. I still get the feeling she's caught between wanting to look elegant and not wanting to be accused of being a fashionista.

 

[vittoria]

DScarebaby, I disagree. I think you picked up the "not wearing but wearing her" comment (often used for many years, in newspaper and fashion articles and even minor novels) without being quite sure what it meant.

It refers to an outfit that is so flashy, noticeable, sui generis, so progressive and fashion-forward, even avant-garde and high couture, that you can't even see the wearer for the dress -- or whatever it is. That she is utterly overwhelmed by it, more or less disappearing beneath it. That is not the case with the Duchess, and it certainly is NOT the case with this dress.

This a simple design, a cut of the type she has always liked. She's wearing it, not vice-versa.

I'm pleased by the strong color, since I was getting a bit tired of the neutrals she likes and since she wears reds and roses well. My only problem with the dress is that I'm not excited by heavy lace. However, the cut is sleek and to my taste, I love the chic little hat, and the dark-ruby shoes work, too.

Not my favorite look owing to the lace, but not bad at all.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Just want to say that I hope the fascinator trend doesn't die soon. I think it is fantastic and a great accessory for younger royals who aren't in love with the ancient hat tradition.

 

[Penny Royalty]

The lace and hat are attracting. Her hair flowed really well. I thought everything about her was wonderful. I can see why she is the majestical. She never appears to fail me and who I thought she was. I'm happy again to see her for it's not so often the grace. Thanks for the link. It's an honor reading here. Someday I won't shy away. Excuse me for now.

 

[grevinnan]

Catherine looked lovely. Very appropriate for a wedding. They sure have lots of friend getting married this summer.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Seriously what is up with that? The most my friends do is have babies. Seems W,K, n P always have some friend walking down the aisle.

 

[PrincessApple]

Lovely to see Catherine in red. I agree with those who have said she looks good in vibrant jewel tones. I'm eagerly waiting to see the additional pictures to form an opinion of her look at the wedding though. Her hair and the make up are what I've come to expect from Catherine -- part of her signature style! As for everything else, from the photos I've seen, something about it looks off to me -- the fabric, the undergarment, the shiny shoes, the matching red hat. Hopefully it's just a case of bad photography! Or perhaps it's not as delicate a look as I associate her with.

 

[Mermaid1962]

I think that a flesh-toned lining under that dress would have been nicer than the black one. A simpler hat would have been nice, too. Am I right in thinking that's the red hat that she wore on Canada Day? The reds don't quite match.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Only if the maple leaf she wore on the hat for Canada Day was removable. If so then it is probably the same hat.

 

[dazzling]

Apparently Kates red/raspberry lace dress is by Erdem and her shoes by Prada.
Erdem does have a great fit for Kate, hope to see her more in his designs.

 

[biboquinhas]

She really love lace dresses...she looks lovely in this dress, I really like it!

 

[Daisiesforever]

I agree. It is not so easy to "pull off" a lace dress, more especially a brilliant shade of raspberry. However, Kate quite obviously does this with absolute ease and elegance. I do believe she took a bit of a chance here.

 

[Mystiblue]

Apparently Kates red/raspberry lace dress is by Erdem and her shoes by Prada.
Erdem does have a great fit for Kate, hope to see her more in his designs.

I do believe the red lace dress is by Colette Dinnigan. To me Kate looks a healthy weight now - not quite so slim as before. Agree about the hat - not quite the same red, and the shoes - nah - dress is great thou

 

[MARG]

I personally think she waaaaaay missed the mark here. Dress is fine by itself but doesn't match shoes or hat from these pics and it looks like 3 pieces not an outfit.....I dislike this whole look myself aside from the dress color

I have to agree. Somehow she has managed to make this outfit look boring and yet the individual pieces are anything but.

If she had wanted to lift it out of the realm of boring I suggest a killer up do under that fascinator would have given a whole new look, a break between the dress and hat, instead of the usual pedestrian "sheep" look favoured by her friends and sister, of ever longer locks obscuring half the face, the neck and neckline of the dress.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

Front view
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fNJv7Uexr...8sepKwu7f0/s1600/2011-0924-suttonwedding2.jpg

 

[fandesacs2003]

I do believe the red lace dress is by Colette Dinnigan. To me Kate looks a healthy weight now - not quite so slim as before. Agree about the hat - not quite the same red, and the shoes - nah - dress is great thou

Erdem has a blue lace dress. Is that the same in red?

She wore also a similar in blue, on their Canada trip. SAme designer?

I do not like the shoes either. But the dress is super.

 

[Zonk]

For all you true fashionistas out here who are looking for something edgy as it relates to Catherine's style of dress, accessories and/or hair. I think you have a long wait.

Since the eyes of the world are on her (and I think we can all agree that they are) IMO Catherine isn't going to do anything (as evidenced by Zara's wedding as well as this wedding) to bring additional attention to herself. So as long as she is with other members of the BRF (like the Queen, Charles and/or Camilla) she isn't going to do something totally edgy in regards to fashion or her hair. At this point, the attention is on her because she is new, young and pretty. Similar to other people who have joined royal families At some point, they have to hope that this dies down.

Maybe when its just her and William but even than I doubt it...her role is to support her husband not to take attention from him.

And let's not forget that sometimes it takes a while to develop a style or feel comfortable in your new role that you can take risks. That's what happens when people lose weight for example. Now they can wear certain things and fashion is fun. Or when you have new actresses who are trying to develop a career. Does anyone remember the horrors that Halle Berry, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Renee, Z. and/or Sandra Bullock wore when they first started acting. I do, and it wasn't pretty.

So if she isn't going to do solo engagements until 2012 (that have nothing to do with the Jubilee) that's when you should expect to see a different Catherine IMO. Until than, she will fly under the radar so to speak.

 

[MRSJ]

I do believe the red lace dress is by Colette Dinnigan. :

I believe you're right. I think whatkatewore.com tracked it down officially even though DM said wrong designer.

Will and Kate are at that age where all there group is begining to marry, my husband and I once went to 12 weddings in 18 months due to everyone being 'that age'.... Can you imagine the baby showers to come?

 

[blauerengel]

MRSJ-I also see everyone around me getting married or pregnant *lol*
I didn´t visit so many weddings like you but it´s good to see that young people are not afraid to tie the knot and accept responsibility.

The red dress reminded me of her blue Erdem dress she wore in Canada but then I looked at the pictures and noticed that only the silhouette is the same while the design is a little bit different.
I looked up Colette Dinnigan (Collette Dinnigan) but I didn´t find Kate´s dress in the collection...I´never knew that designer before but now I´ve seen pictures of her dresses & I really like her designs a lot It would be great to see the duchess in some of her clothes,they would certainly look good on her!

 

[KittyAtlanta]

You next Pippa? Another Saturday, another wedding for Kate and her sister, who has the key to Alex's door | Mail Online

Love her dress and shoes! But could have done better with the hair.

The bride looked wonderful in her somewhat unique gown. Very pretty.

As for Kate's outfit, I'm hoping the color did not photograph true. If that was the color, the whole thing is awful...and the shoes are gorgeous, but not a good match.