While we wait for Kate Middleton to actually do something (on Jan 15 and 16, update below), here are a few year-end polls of Kate’s clothes from 2014 (I’ll have a look at other royal ladies’ 2014 fashion later). I separated Kate’s outfits into four categories: Dresses, Gowns, Coats, and Separates. I left out the pants outfits because they all look the same and there is no point picking a favorite out of those. In each category I separated the outfits by color, R-O-Y-G-B-V style (more like R-P-O-Y-G-T-B-V-W-Gr-Br-Bl actually). I’m splitting the polls into two installments. The first installment has polls for Kate’s dresses and gowns. The second installment will have polls for Kate’s coats and separates, as well as a poll for Kate’s hats.
I debated whether or not to include the pieces Kate wore during the NZ/OZ tour in April since we already voted on them, but I decided to go ahead and include them for a number of reasons, one being so you could see which colors Kate favored in 2014 (hint: they start with the letter B).
UPDATE: Shockingly, two new engagements have been announced for Kate on January 15 and 16. On January 15, Kate will officially name The Clore Art Room at Barlby Primary School – this is a rescheduled event she dropped in October due to her “HG”. Kate will greet staff and students, and apparently participate in a round table discussion about the work of the Art Room with educational professionals and potter Grayson Perry. Does that mean Kate will actually have to speak? Hm… I don’t know whether to be happy she’s speaking or nervous about what vague and/or dumb thing she’ll say. Anyway, on January 16, Kate will attend an event hosted by the Fostering Network to celebrate the work of foster care workers. I’m legitimately shocked. I wasn’t expecting Kate to do anything in the month of January – since she usually doesn’t do anything in the month of January – and here she is announcing two appearances. Yay? /UPDATE
Dresses
Red
1) Alexander McQueen bespoke red peplum dress worn on February 17 – repeat from 2012.
2) Katherine Hooker custom red “Ascot” dress worn on November 25 – new in 2014.
Pink
3) Goat “Scarlett pleat front dress” in geranium worn on May 29 and July 1 – new in 2014.
4) Alexander McQueen bespoke pink lace dress worn on June 10 – repeat from 2012.
Yellow
5) Roksanda Ilincic bespoke “Ryedale” yellow/white dress worn on April 16 – new in 2014.
6) No Id yellow broderie anglaise dress worn on April 20 – repeat from 2012.
Green
7) Suzannah “Budding Heart Silk Tea Dress” in green worn on April 12 and George’s 1st b-day photos – new in 2014.
Teal
8) Emilia Wickstead teal pleated dress worn on April 13 – new in 2014.
9) Jonathan Saunders “Evelyn” teal and black patterned dress worn on July 6 – repeat from 2012.
Blue
10) LK Bennett “Detroit” snorkel blue dress with built in lapels worn on February 14 and August 5 – new in 2014.
11) Diane von Furstenberg “Patrice” blue & white patterned wrap dress worn on April 17 – new in 2014.
12) LK Bennett “Lasa” blue & white poppy dress worn on April 19 – new in 2014.
13) Stella McCartney “Ridley Stretch Cady” blue dress worn on April 20 and July 29 – repeat from 2012.
Violet
14) Goat “Vreeland Dress” in Iris worn on November 12 – new in 2014.
White
15) Zimmermann white broderie anglaise “Roamer” day dress worn on April 18 and July 2 – new in 2014
16) Lela Rose “Circle Lace Trim” white lattice peplum dress worn on April 24 – new in 2014.
17) Jaeger “Crepe dress with trim” white dress with black trim worn on June 10 – new in 2014.
Grey
18) Hobbs Wessex dress – repeat from 2012.
Brown
19) Roksanda Ilincic bespoke “Lovina” coffee-colored dress worn on April 22 – new in 2014.
Black
20) Tory Burch “Paulina” B&W patterned dress worn on April 9 – new in 2014.
21) Jenny Packham bespoke black cocktail dress with fern embroidery worn on April 10 – new in 2014.
22) Temperley London black crochet cut out dress worn on October 23 – new in 2014.
23) Beulah London black lace “Amara” dress worn on December 7 – new in 2014.
24) Seraphine Maternity black “Vanessa” dress worn on December 9 – new in 2014.
Gowns
Blue
1) Jenny Packham “Ink Blue Silk Dress” worn on February 11 and December 9 – repeat from 2013.
2) Jenny Packham ice blue slit dress with modesty skirt worn on October 21 – new in 2014.
Black
3) Diane von Furstenberg black lace “Zarita” gown worn on November 13 and friend’s wedding – new in 2014.
Can we have one of these for Sophie Wessex too? I think she’s hit it out of the park recently, clothes wise.
Yes! She has been looking good!
I’m going to do a post for other royal ladies in a few days.
Thanks for the clothes show. The problem I have is that I look at these dresses and all I can think is… How better some would look with the correct underwear. Some of those dresses would hang more nicely with a petticoat or half slip underneath. For a start they would not stick to her pantihose.
I look at most of them and think they should be an inch longer! My favourites are probably the white Zimmerman dress she wore to the beach, which is a hard things for a princess to dress for, even if she did muck it up with wedges.
I also really like the black fern dress she wore in New Zealand, a nice nod to their national emblem, good length, but what’s with the fiddly belt? The dress shows her figure, no need for a belt.
In both of these she needs to get her hair off the dress details.
I’m glad you liked the fern dress but it didn’t come over all that well here in New Zealand. One NZ fashion designer who was at the event where Kate wore it said the dress was more dark dark navy than black and what was meant to be a silver fern actually looked like a creepy skeletal hand resting on Kate’s shoulder. When I saw it on tv the dark colour made Kate’s hands look huge and she definitely didn’t look comfortable. I don’t know if it was the dress or the event which made her look twitchy and uncomfortable.
She always looks twitchy and uncomfortable, so probably not the dress. Shame the dress wasn’t a hit, because with that one I felt that she at least tried.
The white dress I liked didn’t fit all that well either, but at least these were appropriate for the occasion. Unlike say, the DvF wrap dress getting out of a helicopter. Or the skirt and high heels at a children’s playgroup. Or bridal-esque lace dress at a wedding.
I like the Zimmermann dress as well. It’s very light and Spring-y, which was perfect for the Easter Show.
With the Zimmerman, to me it looks like another dress that is too young for her, especially with her hair flying everywhere. Put a pink ribbon around the waist and you have an Easter dress for a 5-year-old.
I think the fabric in a fitted sheath might work for a 32-year-old (plus a grown-up hairstyle), but not in this kiddie style with the artificially-raised waist. She could have copied HM from 1954 in Australia,
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02120/15_06_1954rex_2120545i.jpg
Or for the beach, she could have done a nice linen trouser suit with a white top.
I’ve given up on Kate wearing decent and elegant trousers. She loves to show her legs and her sky-high heels.
I like the white Zimmerman dress. I think it’s ok for the beach…
I agree that when she isn’t dressed too matronly she is dressed way too childish and looks awfully silly. The worse one, IMO, is the yellow NO ID dress she wore for the zoo. I liked it the previous time she wore it (with her hair up) but at the zoo with her hands in her private parts and her “good girl” face and the wedges she looked dorky.
I like the white Zimmerman dress. I think it’s ok for the beach…
I agree that when she isn’t dressed too matronly she is dressed way too childish and looks awfully silly. The worse one, IMO, is the yellow NO ID dress she wore for the zoo. I liked it the previous time she wore it (with her hair up) but at the zoo with her hands in her private parts and her “good girl” face and the wedges she looked dorky.
—– do not delete, please. I did want my reply here. Ugh. Too many windows. Sorry.
Thanks for the chance to vote. It looks like she doesn’t carry anything in any of her bags. I’ve always wanted to see what she puts in them.
There are two things I’m weirdly obsessive about knowing about Kate: whether she eats at the events she’s at, and what she keeps in her bag. It seems to me she just carries the bag to have something to do with her hands (and as a marker for that 747 she’s trying to land), and doesn’t actually keep anything in there. But then there was a pic of her looking through her bag when she was in Wales. So I don’t know. But I’d love to know what she keeps in there.
Exactly. She could shock us all by having a Jay-Z cd in there, lol.
I think watching her eat will be painful. I think that she would short circuit with trying to keep her accent, dining rules, and her own food issues/preferences. When they showed the video of her eating I was like ugh, close your mouth. My 4 year chews better than her.
I find it interesting that we never see photos of her eating (I don’t count the mini candy bar at the Scouts event). But like the dinner in NY for Saint Andrews, there were no photos of her eating. Which I always find odd when she attends a dinner. Either she does not eat or the photographers are being nice and not photographing her. I wonder if there is a rule about not taking photos of the royals eating?
Only three evening gowns all year? What about all those dresses she’s supposedly hoarding? Did she blow her budget on kitchens? BTW the pics of her hair covering up that diamond necklace annoy. Hey, Kate! Your sausage curls are not prettier than the Royal Jewels! Tie that shit back.
Actually the Crown Jewels are the Regalia worn by the Sovereign (King or Queen) during either the Coronation or the State Opening of Parliament. St. Edward the Confessor’s Crown, the Sceptre with the Cross and the Spectre with the Dove and the Sovereign’s Orb are only used at Coronations and are only permitted for the use of the Sovereign during the crowning ceremony itself. The Imperial State Crown is worn by the Sovereign at the State Opening of Parliament. Since Katie may at best, ever become a Queen Consort, she will never have the right to wear any of the Crown Jewels as such. The jewelry she would have access to is the Personal Jewelry Collection of the King, when Willy is King and she Queen. Even if she were to put her hair up, she would not be showing you the quote Royal Jewels unquote.
Not to be pedantic but the Crown Jewels and the Royal Jewelry Collection are two different things. Now that I think about it I’m not sure that the necklace in question is part of the Royal Collection, or if it’s a Queen owned private piece, but I’m sure about the sausage curls. Oh,yes.
Either way the necklace is NOT part of the Crown Jewels, which is what you eluded to. I agree she needs to wear her hair up or shorten it, like many adults do. Just make sure you know what is what.
Color me confused. My original post alluded to the Royal Jewels, not the Crown Jewels. Feel free to scroll up and check. I did.
The Royal Jewels belong to Prince Philip.
There were multiple occasions where she could/should have worn an evening gown and wore a cocktail dress instead. But yeah, I was surprised too that she only wore three different evening gowns all year (and one was a repeat that she wore twice in the same year).
KMR, I’m curious, was her over-usage of short dresses ever directly incorrect for the occasion? For a woman of her standing to only wear three long gowns is bizarre, but of course, she seems to take on more informal visit types. I’m just wondering if she ever gets in the soup on this as coming across too casual or trying to be sexy instead of representing.
I don’t like any of them. Can we vote on the worst?!
I find her choice in clothing as boring as she is. Really, not one of them sends me!
Agree. Her dull personality is clearly shown in her boring clothing choices.
You know the worst part for me was finding one I actually liked of her dresses. For me, her dresses were very boring this year.
I just want to know if you would have made a big deal if Kate had spent $3-4,000 on new a dress that would been worn onec.
My complaint, and I believe others’ as well, is not the amount of money spent, or who spends it. The complaint is that her clothes are dull, uninspired…boring. Because of her position she potentially influences many people, especially teens and young women. Wouldn’t it be nice if she wore some edgy British designers? She could be a shining example of a busy, engaged, responsible, and always beautifully dressed young woman. Of course she would have to do more than just change up her wardrobe, but that’s another post altogether….
Well said!
My complaint is the amount spent, who spends it, that her clothes are often inappropriate for her role or the engagement, AND that she’s lazy 🙂
Nope, don’t like any of them. As others have said, they are boring boring boring.
Yes, we need a “none of the above” choice! I couldn’t bring myself to vote for an evening gown.
Engagements on the 15th and 16th. Flight to Mustique on the 17th?
LoL, you took the words right out of my mouth. I bet she is only doing these two engagements because she is about to go on vacation. This is just PR so people don’t get upset. She will have probably 2 more in February and then go maternity leave.
She can’t go an entire month doing eff all and then eff off to Mustique.
She did last time she was pregnant. One event mid-December, one event mid-January, then not another one until around the end of February. Early February went to Mustique with William where a pap got pictures of her pregnant in a bikini.
This time period 2013 – 2014, she did one event on December 11th (watched a movie) and didn’t surface again until February 11th when she went to the portrait gallery for an hour. She went to Mustique the first week of February without William. Pap got a picture of her and the baby at an airport on the way to Mustique. W&K went to the Maldives a couple of weeks later.
If I recall she got a lot of flack in the press for it too. That may be why she’s booking January events – especially since it is her mother’s 60th birthday – she’s not going to miss it. It will be a month since she’s done any “work” – visiting with the Guides was her last engagement. She’s also probably going to be out of the spotlight beginning in March. I don’t think she will be back out in public until Trooping after the baby is born.
Yes, two beach holidays in 3 weeks plus dumping the baby. She can’t work because she’s a “full time stay at home mother” (with full-time stay at home nanny), but she can dump the baby for over a week to go on vacation.
If they’re counting the Scout/guides event in the Court Circular, that is new. It was announced that the scouting things were to be “on her personal time” and not as royal engagements. They’re playing fast and loose with accounting to add the recent scout thing in as an official engagement.
I hate the Packham ice blue slit dress the most. It’s two provocative elements – a slit and a mini skirt – and manages to make them look Grandmotherly. It just looks stupid. Right behind that is the Peter Pan white McQueen which looks like a Catholic school girl uniform. The lines underneath her breasts look like she didn’t have enough bosom to fill it out so they had to take it in. Matilda looks like a woman and Kate looks like a girl. A boy actually. I don’t care for her old lady ponytail either – in the goat dress and in the seraphina dress. The dress she wore to Wimbledon looks like lawn furniture.
There isn’t an outfit here that I would buy. I would, however, wear the jewelry.
Yep such a lazy boring, uninspiring woman at only 32, imagine what she will be at 40!!
Agree with you Adam., there is no motivation, or drive. The Duchess could really get out there and make such a difference, she has a privileged life, all that she requires she has at her disposal , what about getting up and out there helping the less fortunate , where is her motivation. She cannot sustain this just putting in an appearance here or there, it is showing her character to be boring, lazy and just has no get up and go. A 50 year old woman has more energy and drive than the Duchess. There are charities out there really struggling, not to mention the sick, and less fortunate. Her advisors are not doing her any favors, disgraceful really
My 90-year-old grandmother has more energy and drive than Duchess Do-Little.