The Duchess of Cambridge's Daytime Fashion Part 6: December 2011 - March 2012

[martina]

I very like that coat. It´s lovely, elegant and classy. Catherine looked beautiful.

[fandesacs2003]

Originally Posted by EIIR

Yes, and all those people who met her yesterday were depressed when they met her and saw she had a brown coat on. The smiles and the laughing were obviously for just for show as deep down inside they must have been devastated at her choice in clothing. The children in the oncology unit must have been so disappointed at her 'depressing' hair.

Kate just cannot win. She was criticised for wearing a red coat in Copenhagen; people said it was insensitive given the seriousness of the cause. So, today, when she knew she was going to be meeting some extremely sick children, she wears a sober colour and is accused of being 'depressing'.

I just don't get it.

I do not get it either!!

She wanted the attention to be focused to the subject of the charity she visited, and NOT to her outfit, and she succedeed. Catherine is a royal on duty, not a top model in the red carpet!! What do people expect from her? To appear with a long red dress and tiara??? Senseless!!

[MichelleQ2]

I do not envy the thought and deliberation she must put into her wardrobe knowing every time she walks out of the house, she is subject to such intense scrutiny. Reading some comments I get the image of a mother who always feels compelled to comment on what her daughter is wearing:

"Black again?"
"you have such a pretty face, why not wear your hair back/up/differently?"
"Isn't that a bit too much make up?"

I can only imagine the stress in choosing what to wear for the fortnum & mason event with the queen and Camilla. You don't want to show up in the same color as the queen, but you don't want to clash... I imagine she rings up Angela Kelly a few days before to check on the color the queen is wearing, ditto with camilla's dresser. I think she is doing an admirable job assembling a working wardrobe from london designers both couture and the more accessible high street.

Btw... I thought she looked lovely and appropriate in Liverpool. And my guess is she wears her hair long because William likes it that way.

[NoorMeansLight]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

Here is a full view pic in all black
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...92_306x544.jpg

Its too black, some colourful accessory is missing.

By the way, the hospital is very used to such visits, not only from royalty but many (mainly sports) celebrities supporting a good cause.

I like the shoes and the skirt, but all in all this is a very dull outfit. And my Gosh, her head looks huge compared to her figure...

[Baroness of Books]

I wish this dress was in a bright color; Kate is so slender as it is and black slims her down even more. I know she wore the coat over this, but as an alternative a jacket in a jewel tone would have so brightened the look if she was going to wear solid black. Wearing something cheery would not have detracted from the purpose of the visit, I think, it's just that someone with her coloring can carry brighter tones and there are so many beautiful colors she could wear. There's nothing wrong with her wearing appropriate day attire in a colorful palette. Why shouldn't she stand out? She's the focus of all eyes, anyway, no matter what she wears and where she is.

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by fandesacs2003

I do not get it either!!

She wanted the attention to be focused to the subject of the charity she visited, and NOT to her outfit, and she succedeed. Catherine is a royal on duty, not a top model in the red carpet!! What do people expect from her? To appear with a long red dress and tiara??? Senseless!!

I felt the same while looking at pictures and videos yesterday. She wanted the attention to be on the people she was visiting, and the charities she was supporting, not her attire. I love the fact that she chooses things that don't stand out. She's not an attention seeker, and her clothing choices reflect that. However, as usual, the woman cannot win. People find something to complain about even when she does a flawless job at the engagement.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by EIIR

Yes, and all those people who met her yesterday were depressed when they met her and saw she had a brown coat on. The smiles and the laughing were obviously for just for show as deep down inside they must have been devastated at her choice in clothing. The children in the oncology unit must have been so disappointed at her 'depressing' hair.

Kate just cannot win. She was criticised for wearing a red coat in Copenhagen; people said it was insensitive given the seriousness of the cause. So, today, when she knew she was going to be meeting some extremely sick children, she wears a sober colour and is accused of being 'depressing'.

I just don't get it.

Originally Posted by fandesacs2003

I do not get it either!!

She wanted the attention to be focused to the subject of the charity she visited, and NOT to her outfit, and she succeeded. Catherine is a royal on duty, not a top model in the red carpet!! What do people expect from her? To appear with a long red dress and tiara??? Senseless!!

Originally Posted by Daria_S

I felt the same while looking at pictures and videos yesterday. She wanted the attention to be on the people she was visiting, and the charities she was supporting, not her attire. I love the fact that she chooses things that don't stand out. She's not an attention seeker, and her clothing choices reflect that.

To be honest, we do not know why she wore the clothes or the chose those colours. We just know that she did wear them and disliking her fashion choices is not treason. This is a fashion thread and we are discussing what she is wearing.

IMO the brown coat with the brown hair and total blackout underneath was dull and boring. Others may think it fabulous. Either way we are entitled to our differing opinions and this is the thread for those discussions.

Originally Posted by Daria_S

However, as usual, the woman cannot win. People find something to complain about even when she does a flawless job at the engagement.

Disliking Catherine's dress at an engagement is a personal opinion about her choice of clothing and obviously cannot reflect how flawlessly she performed her job at an engagement. It just means we didn't like the ensemble she wore whilst doing it.

I am a little concerned that those who do not rhapsodise about Catherine's dress are starting to be harassed for disrespecting her on a personal level which is an obvious nonsense.

From looking at other fashion threads it seems the total blackout is a current European fashion trend and we have seen Princess Mary, Princess Victoria and even Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall sporting the same "look" with varying degrees of success. Today Catherine wore all black with a brown coat . . . I thought it dull and uninspiring. Camilla also wore all black but with a purple wrap. I loved it.

Fashion is a subjective topic. It is all about personal preferences and perceptions, ideas and ideals. Inevitably we differ and that is what adds the spice to the discussion. IMO not only has Catherine come a long way fashion-wise, but she has a way to go to establish her own inimitable style and that journey is what I am here for.

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by MARG

Disliking Catherine's dress at an engagement is a personal opinion about her choice of clothing and obviously cannot reflect how flawlessly she performed her job at an engagement. It just means we didn't like the ensemble she wore whilst doing it.

I am a little concerned that those who do not rhapsodise about Catherine's dress are starting to be harassed for disrespecting her on a personal level which is an obvious nonsense.

Thanks for pointing this out MARG. Agree 100%.

Its something that comes up in most of the fashion threads these days, derailing the discussion about clothes

[Lumutqueen]

People constantly say "Catherine cannot win", well what exactly is she supposed to win? Our opinions on Catherine outfit mean absolutely nothing, they're just our opinions.

[cmbruno]

Yes, some people liked, some didn't. I really really liked both the coat and the dress. I would wear it anyday.

[fandesacs2003]

Originally Posted by cmbruno

Yes, some people liked, some didn't. I really really liked both the coat and the dress. I would wear it anyday.

Yes, me too! Without the heels! Too high!
I wonder why Catherine who is very tall (1.78cm) wears soo high heels. It is painfull and she does not need them! Of course it is nice.

[EIIR]

The issue is not negative comments about what Kate wears; I don't like everything that she wears and have said so.

The issue is the blatant and obvious hypocrisy of the exact same people who criticised Kate as 'insensitive' for wearing a bright colour in Copenhagen now criticising Kate for being 'drab' and 'depressing' when she wore a sober outfit to meet addicts and terminally ill children.

That's where the 'cannot win' point is clear as the nose on Kate's face.

[KittyAtlanta]

Hummm. This makes me think I could serve mankind better if I did more charity work and stayed out of here. Anyone care to join me.

[MARG]

Originally Posted by EIIR

The issue is not negative comments about what Kate wears; I don't like everything that she wears and have said so.

The issue is the blatant and obvious hypocrisy of the exact same people who criticised Kate as 'insensitive' for wearing a bright colour in Copenhagen now criticising Kate for being 'drab' and 'depressing' when she wore a sober outfit to meet addicts and terminally ill children.

That's where the 'cannot win' point is clear as the nose on Kate's face.

You miss the point. I did not like the cut or style of Catherine's red coat any more than I liked the colour of the brown one. Neither opinions are based on being "engagement appropriate". There are times when that issue will inevitably come up, but that is not happening now. It would not surprise me one whit if Catherine wore the same coats with either her hair up or with a hat and different accessories and everyone that loathed it this time round liked it then. That is fashion not hypocrisy!

[XeniaCasaraghi]

It's usually the same people criticizing Kate's style. I just tend to ignore what they have to say because there it is never anything positive. I suggest just not paying attention to their comments.

[Grandduchess24]

^ so true! I don't really pay attention to those who always criticize the duchess' style I for one love what she wears.

[Frelinghighness]

Very nice black dress, good length, good fit. Could have used a necklace or a scarf to brighten it up.
As far as the coat, I don't like brown and black mixed together, especially with the black tights.
but, I'm not a fan of opaque tights for women in heels. IMO tights belong on girls, or look well on women wearing a very casual look, like a mini with flats and UGG boots...

[EIIR]

Originally Posted by MARG

You miss the point. I did not like the cut or style of Catherine's red coat any more than I liked the colour of the brown one. Neither opinions are based on being "engagement appropriate". There are times when that issue will inevitably come up, but that is not happening now. It would not surprise me one whit if Catherine wore the same coats with either her hair up or with a hat and different accessories and everyone that loathed it this time round liked it then. That is fashion not hypocrisy!

No, I don't miss the point. I was referring to people who felt that the clothes Kate wore in Copenhagen and Liverpool were not 'engagement appropriate'. I really couldn't care less that you don't like the colour of Kate's coat.

As I said previously, it's totally unfair for people to say that a bright colour was inappropriate for Copenhagen while then saying that a more sober colour was depressing when meeting the terminally ill. But, then again, I probably shouldn't be surprised as I suspect the people who generally criticise literally everything Kate wears are fans of other royal ladies who combined don't get anything like the press coverage that Kate gets.

[Bine221]

Hey, calm down, all.
At every of the events she looked fantastic, her choice of dresses is really made with a great fashion sense, in both ways, with cost-expensive dresses as well as with Zara dresses, so what´s the point?
BYe Bine

[PrincessKaimi]

For those of us who are really into the specific and fashionable juxtapositions of black and brown, this was a great outfit. Black and brown are best worn by a brunette, and the exact shade of brown is crucial. She has a really warm but non-muted, non-muddied brown and she rocks it.

I like her block color choices in general and now that the block color, non-frou frou style is emerging clearly as her style, I like it even more. She totally avoids looking like a Barbie or a runway model or anything like that, good on her.