The Duchess of Cambridge's Daytime Fashion, Part 5: October 2011 - December 2011

[Lumutqueen]

Just going to let the Queen of Fashion speak for me:



So please, throw the term ''clothes horse'' away.

I think we all have our own Queens of Fashion, so we can all use our own terms.

 

[MARG]

Just going to let the Queen of Fashion speak for me:

“If you compare it with philosophy, [fashion] is frivolous. But frivolity may be something good, something that is part of our lives. So I don’t dislike it. And what I like is the mix — that in your life you can have serious things, more frivolous ones. Fashion is about beauty and the search for beauty, I think it’s a fundamental thing. No one criticizes if you want to do beautiful homes. No one criticizes if you want to buy a beautiful chair. But so many intellectuals still criticize why you want to wear beautiful clothes, and it’s only our body, so it must be important in a way.” (Miuccia Prada)

So please, throw the term ''clothes horse'' away.

I think we all have our own Queens of Fashion, so we can all use our own terms.

Thank you ladies. It is certainly past time when we can discuss Catherine's fashion and style without being beaten over the head by those who think what she wears is irrelevant. (although, to be honest, I have never understood why they lurk on fashion threads if they dislike it so much).

Yes, it is terrific to be able to say "Yes Catherine attended XYZ and looked fabulous" or even that she looked like a train wreck. That is what this thread is for and it has it's place. Catherine is allowed to wear lovely clothes and be beautifully coffered when on any official engagement. Her clothing does not trivialise the occasion, in fact the opposite is true. When we are going somewhere special we like to wear something special. To not do so looks like we don't understand the significance of the occasion. The one does not negate the other. It just is what it is!

Most importantly, it is essential for those reading our posts to understand that it is the "Style" we love to love, or hate and not "Catherine"!

 

[Frelinghighness]

I agree. I don't know where else a belt could be worn, unless you're wearing something that is low-rise.

Sorry, I'm off to a Christmas party and been trying to find the wonderful poster who put up the Ralph Lauren model who was wearing the wonderful belt. I can't find it!

 

[Mirabel]

Personally, I never want boring and predictable - from anyone I admire.

Being interesting does not make one a clothes horse.

But one person's boring is another person's classic.

 

[Susanna Wynne]

Catherine's classic style.

Catherine's style is classic, as Mirabel hints, and elegant and cautious -- with an occasional frisson of excitement. Let her step carefully into her role. It seems wise to me. She has many constituencies to please, and we are only one of them, although we are certainly among the toughest.

If she were Mabel-esque, imagine the uproar. Or Anne-esque. Or Duchess of York-esque. I for one am grateful for her understated good taste and careful approach. I would imagine the Queen and the Prince of Wales are glad, too. It must be daunting to her to constantly have to walk what is a very fine line. So I give her a great big "great work, Catherine" for her obvious good sense.

By the time she is the wife of the heir, I'm sure we will see some new patterns and trends accompanied by increased confidence. And I am happy that she wore more serious jewelry this week. I'm sure we will see more of this as the years go by.

And her hair is so beautiful! If she wants to wear it down while she is young, so what? The day will come, all too soon, when she will need to project a more serious image and I suspect that her hair will begin to change along with her wardrobe.

 

[Baroness of Books]

Sorry, I'm off to a Christmas party and been trying to find the wonderful poster who put up the Ralph Lauren model who was wearing the wonderful belt. I can't find it!

I didn't post this originally, but this is probably what you're looking for. And I really like the jacket with this dress, too:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aScp-DHyYEo/TvJXxod6BiI/AAAAAAAAlI8/R4JttW8_Vdk/s1600/DDDDDDDDD.jpg

 

[Thain]

Sorry, I'm off to a Christmas party and been trying to find the wonderful poster who put up the Ralph Lauren model who was wearing the wonderful belt. I can't find it!

The dress with a low-slung belt

Another look

I like both these looks.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

The dress with a low-slung belt

Another look

I like both these looks.

I must admit that the dress looks much better on the model and that she fills it out better and the low slung belt is a better look than Kate's tight belt.

 

[PrincessKaimi]

But one person's boring is another person's classic.

Which was not my point. If a person finds something boring, it's boring to them (I would hope that the terms "classic" and "boring" do not fit together - for anyone, but if they do for some people, then I'm sorry for that person, they're missing a lot in terms of fashion).

If it is boring, to me it's not truly classic (and what Kate wears rarely seems "classic" to me - the little details are missing, that would make it classic, and classic is never boring). Boring is what many people wear most of the time, btw (my opinion).

"Boring" like "clothes horse" is always a negative (was my point) whereas "classic" is never a negative.

BTW, I pretty much agree with what Susanna said above, only with the provision that I don't think Kate has quite mastered "classic" (nor should she be expected to, she's just starting out on her fashion adventure).

 

[avrilo]

The dress is appropiate for the ocassion and I think it was a great her choice, what keeps annoying me is that her hair is always the same.

With a turtle neck I think her hair up would have looked better and also less choking. I feel like I'm about to choke when I wear a turtle neck and my hair down...

 

[cmbruno]

I think the Duchess is the most beautiful princess around and has the most beautiful hair, eyes and smile. She dresses very well in a reasonable budget (for who her husband is) and if nobody knew who she was, everybody would look at her and think " what a very well dressed lady". She always dresses appropriatly and even when her dresses are not of my personal taste a I still have to admit she manages to look good. What can I say, I like her and her style. Compared with the other female members of the royal family alive she is far the best dressed (not considering the Queen). I think she dresses better than all the other eruopean royals around her age (but I don't include here princesses Victoria and Maxima who I am very fond of and Princesses Letizia and Charlene who I am biased against).

 

[Elly C]

She always dresses appropriatly and even when her dresses are not of my personal taste a I still have to admit she manages to look good.

I agree - her figure helps, but then Ann has a pretty good figure and she has had a few disasters in her time. Considering Catherine is still new to her role, I think she has tread the line between clothes horse and stylishly elegant well. Her casual attire is just that, and the visit to Centrepoint is a good example of her getting it right imo

 

[Patra]

I didn't post this originally, but this is probably what you're looking for. And I really like the jacket with this dress, too:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aScp-DHyYEo/TvJXxod6BiI/AAAAAAAAlI8/R4JttW8_Vdk/s1600/DDDDDDDDD.jpg

Personally, I like the olive green and carmel belt and boots combination in the Ralph Lauren Ad; However, I've never seen kate in brown boots with a heel (on in equestrian style), so I can see why she chose to wear the swede black boots and belt combination. A jacket would've been nice for fashion sake, however the way William was dressed, and the occasion at had, I can understand her forgoing a blazer.

 

[semisquare]

[URL="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aScp-DHyYE.../DDDDDDDDD.jpg"]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aScp-DHyYE.../DDDDDDDDD.jpg[/URL]
i love this look on her..not everyone can wear sweater dresses and look good while wearing one and i think the reason for the belt imo is that shes a little narrow in the hip area..she should enjoy that while she can cause once she starts having babies she might have to hang up that sweater dress

 

[Lumutqueen]

Christmas Day Church outfit;
Catherine Duchess Of Cambridge Leaves

- My only comment, is this woman incapable of wearing an actual hat? Same design at the Remembrance Day hat, it's a fascinator that tips over the front of the face making her IMO look silly.
Her coat is chic and practical.

 

[4Pam]

Love the color but would have preferred a real hat.

 

[life84]

Love the color and the hat, very nice outfit and she looks beautiful

 

[Dierna23]

The color is really lovely and it actually seems to match quite well with her make up. It's nice that she at least has that "half-updo", obviously she just doesn't like her hair up or simply isn't the type for experiments. The coat is quite pretty. The fabric of the hat looks like velvet, velvet almost always looks cheap to me - just a personal dislike - and the hat's shape is just old-fashioned (reminds me a bit of the hats Queen Alexandra used to wear, but by far not as exquisite and original). She seems to favor this kind of hats, this one looks very similar to the one she wore to Remembrance Sunday, must be the same designer. In some shots the brim does look quite nice, though.

So - overall she looks okay and elegant, but also old and boring. I prefer the York girls' outfits today and I assume that says a lot.

 

[Marika86]

Catherine looks pretty. The coat is good: nice colour and I like the neckline. The shoes are fine too. I'm not sure about the hat. The overall looks is lovely

Side view ** Close up 1 ** Close up 2 ** Details of the hat

 

[Duchessmary]

Nice outfit but that hat has got to go.

 

[ladongas]

I can't imagine how Catherine could have been lovelier or more appropriately dressed. That mulled wine shade was perfect for her, festive without being too bright. And I believe her hat was made from fur felt rather than velvet.
I think that she wears her hair down most of the time because she can manage it herself. If I require an up 'do, I must rely on a stylist. As long as she is still just a military wife, she probably doesn't need to have a stylist at her beck and call.

 

[soapstar]

Love the coat that Kate is wearing. The color is lovely and she looks quite elegant. I also thought it was cute that William's tie matched her outfit.

I know this style of hat isn't popular with many posters, but I really like it (I also liked the similar one she wore on Remeberance Day). I think it suits her well.

 

[Daria_S]

Well done, Your Highness . I love the style and color of the coat, and the hat too. Very understated and classy.

 

[Susanna Wynne]

In short, she looks lovely!

 

[Elly C]

A lovely colour and I like both the coat & hat - a good look all round

 

[tlklhm]

I think her hats alway cover the left side of her head, which her scar is. Maybe she is really conscious about it even though it had been revealed now.

 

[Kit]

My only comment, is this woman incapable of wearing an actual hat? Same design at the Remembrance Day hat, it's a fascinator that tips over the front of the face making her IMO look silly.
Her coat is chic and practical.

Couldn't agree more, my thoughts exactly the moment I saw this pic. Lovely colour but I prefer Cam's coat and its colour more than Kate's. I'm afraid Kate and I are worlds apart where fashion is concerned .... ;-)

 

[semisquare]

i thought she lovely in the wine color dress coat

 

[Lady74]

Christmas Day Church outfit;
Catherine Duchess Of Cambridge Leaves

- My only comment, is this woman incapable of wearing an actual hat? Same design at the Remembrance Day hat, it's a fascinator that tips over the front of the face making her IMO look silly.
Her coat is chic and practical.

I think she looks beautiful her hat is the same type as the others. Her makeup is toned down and hair out of her face. I couldn't ask for more. Well done Kate

 

[IloveCP]

I love the color but the hat is strange.