William & Kate

[viii]

In honour of William and Kate's ten year wedding anniversar, KP released two badly photoshopped pictures of them. 

They also released a video of William and Kate with their fecking adorable children. I know these children are often used as PR but it's a pretty darn endearing video of the family. 

 

[anjulibai]

That video looks like an ad.  

I think Kate looks good, though she has been photoshopped. But I've seen in other, non-photoshopped pics, and she still looks good. I think she's done something with her eyes, but I'm not sure what. 

[SweetJuly]

The video does look like an ad. You almost expect a message about wealth management or the autumn collection of Posh&Entitled Co. popping up at the end. These are definitely some gorgeous images, but I feel it would have helped to have the video be a little less polished.

 

[tabitha2]

That’s because everything they do from clothing to child rearing is planned and calculated to sell The monarchy and to make sure all scandal fades away when people are charmed by the “perfect”  family with beautiful dutiful wife, perfect modern Royal Prince and adorable precocious tots. “We are just like you, folks! Kate Bakes and the children help!” 
 

It’s an old tactic: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert wanted to show a perfect happy family to her subjects after the nasty scandalous extravagant morally corrupt Hanover’s and she succeeded mostly. 
 

That’s why Even if Charles does  William may not forgive his brother and SIL for pooping on everything the he  is trying to secure for himself and his son. 

[just_ordinary]

The video looks like a Gant or Barbour add. It’s extremely curated but definitely adorable. Love it. I think that is as „private“ as we are ever going to see them. A staged private look, but their real private life’s stay well hidden.

The photos are photoshopped, but that was to be expected. They have gone a bit overboard though. Lighting and fresh make up can also do wonders. We do know from less touched up photos she looks exactly her age in real life.  What I really hate is the dress. Another frumpy dust ruffle dress. I wish she would have forgotten about it by now. Playing relatable is nice when it fits (see exhibit A the video) but not for official portraits for the public when the only reason for a release it’s because that are the future of the monarchy. 

[WiseGirl]

I think I read some celebrity photographer took the pictures and the video. I think a Christmas card photo was taken at the same time.

Thanks for finally starting a thread on them. 

[LittleMy]

That video looks like the Boden Clothing catalogue come to life ?

I have a soft spot for Kate and those beach shots are taken about 30 miles away from where I live so of course I think they're rather nice!

[FluffySnowball]

I want all of Kate’s clothes from the video (not so much the blue dress in the photo though). To have money for that kind of wardrobe must be bliss. 

[LittleMy]

7 minutes ago, FluffySnowball said:

I want all of Kate’s clothes from the video (not so much the blue dress in the photo though). To have money for that kind of wardrobe must be bliss. 

I am old and not good at internet things, but if you go on Instagram there are quite a few people recreating Kate Middleton's outfits and some of them do it on a budget - the one that comes to mind is GreatRepliKate - the enthusiastic royal followers are actually quite an interesting rabbit hole to dive down!

[viii]

She generally has pretty good taste when it comes to clothes, but I think some of her outfits wouldn't look as good on other people. She's got that tall, willowy frame that suits some of these designs. 

[CanadianMamam]

That video was super cute. I mean it did seem a bit like a political ad or an insurance commercial, but it was still cute. The kids are adorable and they seem like a very loving family. I particularly relate to Kate’s joy in Louis, there is something about your last baby. 

[tabitha2]

Now if they can avoid the father son tribulations and bitterness and drama that have always plagued the British Monarchy from the literal beginning they will be great. 

[Xanariel]

I think the video was definitely very polished, but struck the balance between "here's the future of the monarchy" and still not overly exposing their actual private life. One of the royal reporters noted recently that Kate's been in the public eye for nearly 20 years now but her private self is still pretty guarded, and I think they want a clear line between what they show to people and what they keep quiet. 

I have to admit, considering Kate's love of cosplaying as an elderly Victorian ghost a lot of the time, I thought the dress wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been! She definitely pulls off some frankly hideous clothes by virtue of being very tall and slim. The colour suits her quite well and they look happy. 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Xanariel

[SweetJuly]

16 hours ago, viii said:

She generally has pretty good taste when it comes to clothes, but I think some of her outfits wouldn't look as good on other people. She's got that tall, willowy frame that suits some of these designs. 

Agreed, I like her style but I would look like a sausage in most of her outfits. I'm tall, but unfortunately willowy has been long gone since the birth of LittleJuly.

[DalmatianCat]

On 5/1/2021 at 2:37 PM, Xanariel said:

I have to admit, considering Kate's love of cosplaying as an elderly Victorian ghost a lot of the time, I thought the dress wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been! She definitely pulls off some frankly hideous clothes by virtue of being very tall and slim. The colour suits her quite well and they look happy. 

Kate dressed much more stylishly years ago. I wonder what happened. Now it’s much more hit-or-miss. I was excited to see what she would wear to her sister and Meghan’s weddings, but Meghan’s was meh and Philippa’s looked grandmotherly. Then for Archie’s christening she suddenly looked like she’d found her style sense again. 

[louisa05]

49 minutes ago, DalmatianCat said:

Kate dressed much more stylishly years ago. I wonder what happened. Now it’s much more hit-or-miss. I was excited to see what she would wear to her sister and Meghan’s weddings, but Meghan’s was meh and Philippa’s looked grandmotherly. Then for Archie’s christening she suddenly looked like she’d found her style sense again. 

Pippa’s was likely trying not to upstage the bride. Meghan’s, she was 3 weeks postpartum. Give her a break. 

[DalmatianCat]

1 hour ago, louisa05 said:

Pippa’s was likely trying not to upstage the bride. Meghan’s, she was 3 weeks postpartum. Give her a break. 

I considered the postpartum factor at Meghan’s wedding, but I loved every dress she wore when she stood on the steps of the hospital after giving birth (my personal ranking of the hospital dresses would be George, Louis, then Charlotte). Those were all lovely dresses. It had nothing to do with her being postpartum (I honestly couldn’t tell she’d just had a baby at Meghan’s wedding). The dress was just a cream-colored coat. I get that in England they don’t wear bridesmaids dresses the way they do in the states (and Kate wasn’t a bridesmaid anyway), but I’d been expecting something more like Kitty Spencer’s style and was disappointed to see another generic coat dress (same as Camilla, really). It seems like “coat dress” is the safe default for women in the royal family.

[louisa05]

7 hours ago, DalmatianCat said:

I considered the postpartum factor at Meghan’s wedding, but I loved every dress she wore when she stood on the steps of the hospital after giving birth (my personal ranking of the hospital dresses would be George, Louis, then Charlotte). Those were all lovely dresses. It had nothing to do with her being postpartum (I honestly couldn’t tell she’d just had a baby at Meghan’s wedding). The dress was just a cream-colored coat. I get that in England they don’t wear bridesmaids dresses the way they do in the states (and Kate wasn’t a bridesmaid anyway), but I’d been expecting something more like Kitty Spencer’s style and was disappointed to see another generic coat dress (same as Camilla, really). It seems like “coat dress” is the safe default for women in the royal family.

If she’d worn anything too trendy or glam everyone would have screamed bloody murder that she was trying to take attention away from Meghan. They’d still be screaming it. 
And just because you “couldn’t tell” she’d just had a baby doesn’t mean she hadn’t. I’m sure what she wore to that wedding wasn’t high on her agenda. 

[just_ordinary]

8 hours ago, DalmatianCat said:

I considered the postpartum factor at Meghan’s wedding, but I loved every dress she wore when she stood on the steps of the hospital after giving birth (my personal ranking of the hospital dresses would be George, Louis, then Charlotte). Those were all lovely dresses. It had nothing to do with her being postpartum (I honestly couldn’t tell she’d just had a baby at Meghan’s wedding). The dress was just a cream-colored coat. I get that in England they don’t wear bridesmaids dresses the way they do in the states (and Kate wasn’t a bridesmaid anyway), but I’d been expecting something more like Kitty Spencer’s style and was disappointed to see another generic coat dress (same as Camilla, really). It seems like “coat dress” is the safe default for women in the royal family.

I love her coat dresses. She has worn many of them in the beginning and she definitely looked fresh and classic. It suited her and she never looked as outdated as in her frumpy little prairie dresses. I think whenever she strays into a current style trend she goes completely overboard and doesn’t realise it might not be working for her. 
She never strayed too far in the beginning but I think this particular style suited her and she sprinkled in some unexpected choices that she pulled of amazingly.
The Dalmatian dress (never saw someone looking this fantastic in it), the petrol low back, the all glitter Jenny Packham (was a film premiere I think) or the strapless black velvet are the ones just off the top of my head. 
Somewhere along the way this easiness got lost. It was sometime after George and got really bad after Charlotte. She tries too hard to be fashionable. The “nightgown” at the Bond premiere, the red and white McQueen in Canada, the Erdem floral dust ruffle, most stuff on her India tour...
At the moment we see a lot of “business” clothes. The slimmer trousers and blazer suit her but again this doesn’t mean you cannot strike a balance. 

[DalmatianCat]

1 hour ago, just_ordinary said:

I love her coat dresses. She has worn many of them in the beginning and she definitely looked fresh and classic. It suited her and she never looked as outdated as in her frumpy little prairie dresses. I think whenever she strays into a current style trend she goes completely overboard and doesn’t realise it might not be working for her. 
She never strayed too far in the beginning but I think this particular style suited her and she sprinkled in some unexpected choices that she pulled of amazingly.
Somewhere along the way this easiness got lost. It was sometime after George and got really bad after Charlotte. She tries too hard to be fashionable. The “nightgown” at the Bond premiere, the red and white McQueen in Canada, the Erdem floral dust ruffle, most stuff on her India tour...

I know it’s mentioned that she shops for herself, but I do wonder if she used to have a stylist who helped her who no longer does, OR if the opposite is true and the palace assigned her someone in the last several years who doesn’t get Kate’s style.

 

2 hours ago, louisa05 said:

If she’d worn anything too trendy or glam everyone would have screamed bloody murder that she was trying to take attention away from Meghan. They’d still be screaming it. 
And just because you “couldn’t tell” she’d just had a baby doesn’t mean she hadn’t. I’m sure what she wore to that wedding wasn’t high on her agenda. 

This is why Kate seems superhuman sometimes...if I was three weeks postpartum I would not have worn heels and a light-colored dress to a wedding that was televised internationally ?

As to taking attention away...she wore a gorgeous dress in a beautiful berry color to Eugenie’s wedding and it suited her so much better I did wonder if she wasn’t as concerned about people thinking she was up-staging the bride.

Edited May 4, 2021 by DalmatianCat
Typo

[viii]

I don't think Kate can be faulted for her clothing choices at Pippa and Meghan's weddings. Playing the safe route was the smartest choice, because if she had tried anything too bold, there would have been so much negative publicity about it, especially regarding Meghan. The media already loves to compare the two of them, she probably didn't want to give them any more fodder. And for Pippa it just made sense... it was her sister's big day and it was probably already a bit of a shadow having Kate, George and Charlotte participate in the wedding party. 

Overall, I think Kate dresses the same way she does pretty much everything else in life - the safe way. 

[DalmatianCat]

1 hour ago, viii said:

Overall, I think Kate dresses the same way she does pretty much everything else in life - the safe way. 

True...she’s already the wife of one future king and the mother of another. It’s not like she has to prove anything (not that she has to...William and her kids all seem rather fond of her). I just like fashion and seeing pretty sparkly dresses and what people can come up with when money is not obstacle and designers would love to work with them.

[just_ordinary]

I don’t think there were any particular plans on “not upstaging” the bride. The three colours were pretty standard wedding dress colours for the season. Primrose yellow in spring, blush vintage rose in summer and a vibrant magenta in autumn.The dresses were all extremely classic, with the one at H&M’s wedding a tad more conservative. And perfectly coordinated with the flowers. Sadly the primrose didn’t translate to well on photos with the sun and people blamed her for wearing white- if you look at the white dresses it was obvious it wasn’t and it was pretty coordinated with the others if you look at the group photos (white, light green and yellow tones). If I had to rate them it would be magenta-primrose-blush.

Spoiler

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by just_ordinary

[viii]

@just_ordinary I don't think the colours themselves that are safe, just more the styles. Like the cut of the dress she wore at Pippa's wedding is ghastly. It belongs on a 74 year old woman. 

[Coconut Flan]

16 minutes ago, viii said:

It belongs on a 74 year old woman. 

I'm 69 and er, no.  I know no women my age who would get near that style.  Our bodies aren't designed for that low V or the peplum sides much less the front pleats.  The fitted waist is out, too.  I think it's a too busy style for most people and probably a miss for almost any or maybe all age groups.  

That is probably in the top 10 dresses Kate has worn that i dislike.