142 thoughts on “Kate in Gucci to open V&A exhibition”

1. I am torn on Kate’s dress. I think I like it, but I’m not sure if it was right for the season. Maybe it’s more suited to the fall? The waist seems to be sitting a little high, but that’s not new. I didn’t realize her shoes were navy. Is there navy accent in her dress? I didn’t notice that.

   Dear lord what is Rebecca wearing? That looks like a mini dress with slits on the sides? In what world is that appropriate for work?

   1. Yes, next to the red piping, there is navy piping.

      I can’t decide if Rebecca’s outfit is a dress or if she forgot her pants. Because the garment looks like an oversized shirt.

      1. Rebecca dresses like that a lot. Short, tunic like dresses. Btw, is that really the plaque? It looks unfinished, like they had someone write on the concrete. Kate looks fine to me but it’s interesting that she chose a shorter dress this time. It’s been a while since she did that.

         1. Agree yuhki, it was the first thing I noticed, the shorter dress. But when I think about how much the dress cost I get astonished. I know its Gucci but OMG what to say?

            1. $3,000!!!! for that dress ??? Yikes! I really dislike all the braid—especially that around the armholes. I don’t like the flaps either–and Kate’s posture is terrible. I do like her shoes very much.

   2. Rebecca’s dress is waaay too short. I guess she’s out the door and doesn’t care tho.
      Have they announced her replacement?

2. I have to say that I really love this look. I like the mod look of it. Her hair looks good, I like the change of the block heal shoe, and I’m happy about the not matching accessories. I’m also happy about all the shots of her with her arms my her sides, not as much crotch guarding this time 😉

   1. +1

   2. I’m just going to say +1 because you said almost verbatim what I would. But I love tweed, and piping, and sometimes even flaps. I know, le sigh.

3. I noticed that in some photos, more on DM, that there are parts of the tweed that stick out a hair beneath the piping on the hem of the dress. This isn’t Kate’s fault, but Gucci’s. For $3000 I would expect perfection. There should be nothing below the piping on the hem.

   I also don’t know why Kate’s version doesn’t have the buttons on the sleeves like the dress for sale. I actually prefer the current dress for sale with the buttons on the sleeves. So, did Kate change it? I never understand some of her changes. I think I like this dress, though I am also torn. I think it would be better in the fall. I think it would also look better with a kitten heel, that might make it less twee.

   Yay for a different clutch color vs shoes. That is finally a change. But once again, new dress, new clutch that looks like others she own. Every appearance she has to wear something new. She has some great older pieces she should try re-wearing. Like finally re-wearing these heels. It makes me think she forgot she had them. For a woman who supposedly doesn’t like fashion she sure buys a lot of new clothing.

   Btw, how great it would it be to visit a museum privately? That would be so enjoyable

   1. I seriously think she forgets what all she has in her wardrobes considering there must be SO much in there and at least 2, 3 places she’d have things. So she just buys more instead?

      1. I am hoping that every purchase she makes is logged and curated onto a online document with photos to accompany it and details of when it was worn etc?

         Even I do that on a small scale with make up, skincare, accessories, shoes and bags and I doubt I have a smidgen of what she does. I curate everything I buy because if I ever had a fire or got burgled again, I wouldn’t know where to start with an insurance claim…….I learnt that the hard way.

         For Kate it’s surely imperative if only not to turn up at the same event two years running in the same outfit like she did at the annual diplomats ball at BP.

         1. Mrs. BBV – what a great idea!

            1. Oh I am so anally retentive it’s a joke. All my underwear is put in clear sandwich bags. So one bra and two matching pairs of pants go into one clear sandwich bag and then into my underwear drawers. That way I can always find a co ordinating set of underwear. Tragic eh? ???

            2. Umm I should do this, I love that idea, Mrs BBV! I’ll buy matching sets and think how cute it looks then totally forget about it!

   2. Yeah I noticed the piping was done badly as well – just placed over tweed and sewn down and would have expected a better finish. It reminds me of a twiggy dress but the fit on the arms is off. Its a dated looking dress. Nice shoes though.
      I would love to go to the museum on a private tour!

4. That poor wee girl must be heartbroken over having her flowers handed on while she was still standing there.
   Also, Rebecca’s dress is waaaaayyyyyyy too short to be ok for a royal visit. Sheesh.
   Otherwise I don’t mind the new dress and agree: less matchy matchy is good.

   1. To be fair to Kate, the guy asked to take the flowers from Kate, Kate didn’t ask the guy to take them from her. So it was the guy snatching the flowers away so quickly, not Kate handing them off.

      1. I saw it on the video, the man basically Held his empty hands towards kate twice to make her realize that she ought to be handing him the flowers. He appears to be part of the museum staff, so maybe they took the flowers to exhibit (probably the wrong word… show them off in the museum so everybody can look at the pretty flowers) them in the museum for the public to enjoy? Or they were donated and he took that immediately so that they could be donated while they are still fresh?

         1. Or he took them and handed them to someone who took them home with them. Or he took them and handed them to someone who threw them away. Who knows what happened to those flowers once that dude took them.

            1. Any pics of her leaving the V&A? Flowers in hand, or in the hands of Rebecca? If not, we have to accept they are gone now.

            2. There are some pics of Kate leaving. No she is not carrying the flowers. I haven’t seen any pics of Rebecca leaving. I wouldn’t expect the flowers to have ended up going home with Kate. The flowers never go home with the royal.

            3. Why bother with flowers and the obligatory child? Why bother with gifts that will end up being chucked? It puzzles me why these events take place at all, complete with plaque that is ultimately meaningless.

            4. I remember that I read during the NZ tour that all the flowers the royals receice will be donated to charity or given to pwople in hospital etc.
               So I like the gesture of a kid giving the royals flowers 🙂

            5. There is a photo online taken on the outdoor steps showing Rebecca with the flowers. She is on the far right. In many pics I’ve seen though the Queen seems to hold onto her flowers for longer than Kate ever does for whatever reason.

            6. “… the Queen seems to hold onto her flowers for longer than Kate ever does for whatever reason.”

               Good manners? Sensitivity to others?

            7. Oh I think the Queen has both good manners and sensitivity to others. When I was young we picked garden flowers for Diana who accepted them and were eventually passed to a lady in waiting who held them for the duration, following Diana. We were too shy to speak but my mum chatted to Charles about whether they were from our garden and he asked how long we had waited for them that morning.

            8. All I can say is that I am a flower fanatic. If it were me, I’d be gathering them all up and taking them back to my mansion while really being appreciative. Of course, if there are tons of bouquets I would send them to hospitals or charities with my compliments.

            9. lisa, what a wonderful anecdote! Charles is definitely a flower lover and flower grower. He always wears a buttonhole and it’s usually a pink in the photos and videos I’ve seen. I envy him beyond words. His organic garden at Highgrove is an engineering thing of beauty.

5. I don’t like this outfit at all on Kate. It’s a bit boring and GAHHH Rebecca! How do you sit in that thing without TMI??

   1. What is TMI, Ray?

      1. TMI- Too Much Information

   2. That’s what I was thinking! Walking its short enough but sitting or bending would be flat out indecent.

6. I see Kate’s supporting British fashion houses again, oh wait – she’s not. Another new outfit so Kate can leave the house?

   Please set Kate on a budget Charles!

   (if it wasn’t for the crazy spending so far this year and if I had seen this in a magazine or on anyone else I’d be first to say that I like this outfit. it’s just the crazy spending that Kate does is getting to me)

   And, blimey! Rebecca’s dress is short! Save it for the beach maybe?)

   1. Just had a thought, I would like the dress more on Kate if the waist line was sitting on her real waistline, the proportions would work better. I’d also like it to be smidgeon longer. I do like the shoes 🙂

   2. She has the long body to pull off a Victoria Beckham design too. She would slay in BV (if she accessorized properly, etc).

      1. One of her best designers has been Roland Mouret so VB would be perfect for her. I don’t know why she doesn’t make more use of Stella McCartney either because she’s pulled out some pretty classic pieces for Kate too. This repeated use of Prada, D & G, Armani and now Gucci baffles me. Apart from the fact they’re not British and are hugely expensive they just don’t suit her. The red Armani suit made her look like a stripper, D & G have some very questionable social opinions re. same sex parenting and I would not buy from them whilst they hold these opinions in public, all her Prada shoes are identical to Jimmy Choo suede courts so why buy Prada and whilst I love Gucci’s output at the moment it’s not really British Royal Family attire.

         She really does make some very odd decisions that really show a complete lack of guidance.

         1. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said they were hugely expensive. I feel like that is a large part of her choices of late. If the powers that be are going to force her to work, then she deserves high priced clothing to make going out palatable and she can’t possible be expected to work without something new.

         2. That stripper comment killed me. I almost woke my husband up laughing.

         3. Someone last year made the comment that Kate buys clothes like a lottery winner. ie goes for an expensive item with little thought if it suits her or is right for the occasion. At the time I thought it was a bit bitchy – but it sure seems like that person had it right?
            See Kate wear evening wear to day time engagements, see Kate wear new designer clothes days after a horrific fire in London. The list goes on.

7. I like the idea of the dress a lot but on Kate it seems a bit twee and young, and it’s rather short? Also tweed in summer is a bit strange. I do like she’s trying new things but spending that much money makes me balk. I’m trying not to be so negative so it’s nice to see her working. I do think she enjoys museums (who doesn’t? London has the world’s most amazing museums!). The V&A is a really fabulous place.

   1. I’m jealous she got a free bag of goodies from the museum. I live for museum gift shops. She probably doesn’t care.

      1. I share your love of museum gift shops. Sadly, I think you are right by the pinched look on her face.

      2. Me too! I try and go to ny right before the holidays so I can buy my Christmas cards from MOMA. They have great 3D type of cards. Plus it feed my love for stationery =)

      3. Me too! I have an exquisite pair of earrings that I adore from MOMA in NYC.

      4. Me too. I wonder if the bag had goodies for the children and colouring books for Kate? I often buy from the V & A website, they have lovely quirky pieces.

         1. If not for the £30 postage fee for international orders, I’d order from the V&A. Sigh. Postage is always the killer.

            1. If you want anything you could always ask me to get it and then I could send it to you at the commercial Royal Mail rate. It would be a lot cheaper. Xxx

            2. Oh, that’s so lovely of you! I’ll definitely keep that in mind when next tempted. I would happily have made off with Kate’s gift bag, sight unseen.

8. Love, love the dress (it’s been on my Net-A-Porter wish list since it was released albeit waiting for the sale) boob flaps and all but not on Kate. It’s too small, too short, too expensive and too Italian. The shoes are wrong too…..she needed a slingback for this. But she did look fresh and her age which makes a change instead of trying to dress like HMTQ. Rebecca…..I have no words beyond WTF was she thinking?

   Interestingly this news story was halfway down the sidebar of shame on the DM yesterday and never moved any higher. Katie fatigue perhaps? It wasn’t a busy news day and yet the day before Pippa not wearing her wedding ring was headline news until the DM got a grip of itself.

   1. Literally 3 centimeters of the knees are short to you? Too young? She is young. Too Italian? What’s the problem with that?

      1. She is a British royal and ought to be showing off British fashion, for the most part, instead of blowing thousands on Gucci and D&G.

         It does look too short on her figure. Makes her look like she’s trying to play dress up? It’s a cute dress.

         1. Given the high quality of British design, it’s a wonder that Kate has not sought the advice of those who could advise her how she could be an ambassador for UK fashion, from established brands through to emerging designers. And not confine herself to clothes and accessories, but also to selected home furnishings eg I love the work of Eleanor Pritchard (blankets, throws, cushions – all woven in the UK from different breeds of sheep). It could be a tremendous boost. I’m always thrilled to discover independent weavers and artisans.

      2. Young? She’s in her mid-30s. When are we going to decide she’s a grown woman?

         1. It’s curious that media keep referring to W+H as ‘the boys’, and along with Kate, ‘the young royals’. These descriptors infiltrate almost all articles. It’s almost as if the trio is set in aspic at a certain age, mid-20’s at a guess: just fresh enough for foibles to be excused, but never accountable.

            Granted their elders are retiree age and beyond. And granted the trio’s clumsy performances, petulance and overall clueless attitudes indicate a certain arrested development. Kate’s most recent Wimbledon soundbite, she alludes to her supposed youth, “‘It inspires young people including myself.” I wonder when people will twig that the trio collectively presents as having Peter Pan Syndrome.

            1. I call them ‘the boys’ because I don’t think they deserve to be called men.

            2. Yes Jen, and in his speech at the Buckingham Palace yesterday, Harry said he doesn’t consider himself young anymore. I hope he and William , and Kate, take those words seriously.

            3. “I wonder when people will twig that the trio collectively presents as having Peter Pan Syndrome.”

               +1

      3. Did you see her bend to receive the flowers? Half her thighs were visible. As Ellie says, it’s about the wearing of British on public engagements. She can wear what she wants in private but it’s expected that in U.K. that she fly the British flag not promote another country’s fashion industry.

   2. The dress is fine (though a bit twee), but it doesn’t fit her. It looks like she accidentally got a petite size instead of a regular or tall. All the proportions are off.
      But I really like her shoe and clutch pairing.

      1. Yes, you are right! All her clothes look like a petite size and just a smidge too short in length, arms and waist. I like this dress but it looks too small.

   3. I think the length is fine. I also don’t think it looks too small.

      1. Looks to me like she should have bought the next size up……tops of the arms and the chest area in particular are very snug fits. I’m thinking she has the sample size as some of the detail is slightly different to the actual piece that has been retailed. If she’s wearing sample sizes I suspect she will be borrowing or renting and not buying. As I’ve said all along I’ve never believed she is paying full retail price. Even Net-A-Porter give their VIP’s a 30% discount card. Discounts she’s allowed, freebies not although I still think gifting is a whole other unexplored and unexplained area with the Royals.

         1. Sample size would explain why many of her dresses always look like they belong on someone three inches shorter.

         2. If i had to change this dress, i would remove the boob flaps. Those look wierd on the model too. On Kate, they add to impression that she is wearing a too short dress as if she had a growth spurt.

            1. For some reason I thought of Alice and her “eat me” cake with that comment Hera!

   4. It does look as though she bought a petite size or it shrunk, as most of her clothes have appeared lately.

      And Rebecca–did KP ditch the dress code when Jason came on board? She has not a clue of what is appropriate, and this dress most certainly was not. Someone needs to tell her, and should have a long time ago. The fact that no one did suggests that Jason has allowed KP to become too loosey goosey and that Kate either did not recognize how inappropriate it was and/or still, after six years into her role, hasn’t developed any leadership skills with the staff to be comfortable telling Rebecca herself.

      Interesting point about the DM: If an article receives enough clicks, does it then move up the Sidebar of Shame (love that!)?

      1. Yes…..that’s exactly how the side bar of shame works. Although some articles are sponsored and so get artificially promoted those do say that they are sponsored. It’s a really good measure of what in popular interest is entertaining the great unwashed and at the moment Kate is slipping down the ranks whilst Love Island is running rings around her.

         Nothing frightens the Monarchy more than indifference.

         1. I had no idea. I only go there when someone talks about it here. Thanks, Mrs BBV. Good to know.

9. Kate just doesn’t have the style and confidence to pull off a bright dress like this- she looks like a little dress who wore her mom’s dress to her grade 8 graduation.

   And why does Rebecca look sloppy and angry always? She looked the same on her wedding day too, the one day that I think most women make the effort to clean up and look happy or at Least Pretend to.

   It makes me shake my head how people, far more talented and who contribute
   To society, have to bow to and kowtow to a useless person like Kate, because she is somehow “royal” & has “status”. Where’s the force of good in that? This silly little girl should’ve been patted on her head and told
   To scurry back to her caretakers, not be escorted around and seek her approval.

   I won’t even go into the fact that she bought a brand new dress and accessories for the occasion.

   1. It has become increasingly obvious that Thrifty Kate / High Street Kate has, long term, no intention of being either. I hope this state visit with Spain causes her to look inwardly at what can be achieved by making the worth ethic secondary to the clothes but I doubt it. Has she even worn any repeats this year? I’m hard pressed to think of any.

      I would have worn this outfit with bright red Louboutin lips and loved every minute of it.

      1. 1) I hope she sees letiza’s faboo hairstyles and realizes she needs a better hairstylist! Stat
         2) she clearly doesn’t just wear British designers so I’ve always thought it’s interesting that she’s never worn Louboutin. I now find the shoes a wee bit painful but I think some are true works of art, love the colors and designs (and still wear them)and she’s honestly not going to be wearing them long or walking miles in them.

   2. “It makes me shake my head how people, far more talented and who contribute to society, have to bow to and kowtow to a useless person like Kate, because she is somehow “royal” & has “status”. Where’s the force of good in that? ”

      There is no force for good in the above. None. It is galling that society has constructed such a false sense of value. A useless, time-wasting exercise of an event. Here she comes again, in a dress one size too small and the waist hiked up to alter proportions all for the sake of vacuous Kate’s vanity. Too expensive and totally unnecessary, both Kate and the dress.

   3. That is the concept of royalty/aristocracy. If I were from Sweden, I would also hate that I had to bow/curtsy to a woman like sofia who now gets to call herself a princess even though she does not have a princess/lady-like past at all… (sorry if I’m off topic, but this feeling concerns a lot of other royals as well)

   4. The forelock tugging astounds me. The aura of royalty really works! Respect for a know-nothing, do-nothing nobody. Amazing.

      She does look like a little girl, especially with the hair. The wacky proportions makes my right eye twitch. I kinda like the dress, if it were properly sized and shaped and if it weren’t on her. It’s the kind of dress that needs personal pizazz to make it great.

      1. Well, it’s generations of ingrained subservience, Maven. No-one stops to ask why it should be so. SMH.

         The outfit would be fine if the dress fit properly, the waist was lowered, the shoes were different, the hair was properly styled, the clutch disappeared. Kate tries to channel other women who had an intimate presence wherever they were; sadly, this woman has none of her own.

         1. But I do feel that with each generation, people begin to feel less and less connected to the monarchy and maybe by the time I’m an old old woman, monarch everywhere will be abolished?

            1. I just wrote elsewhere that media keeps describing the three amigos as young, no doubt a ploy to package them attractively to a younger generation. But the ‘young royals’ don’t behave in a manner to deserve much thought, let alone loyalty. Millennials may not be disposed to humour the Gilded Slackers* at the expense of their own diminished opportunities.

               * term courtesy of Maven the First

10. I am really excited about this look because it’s quite different to her usual look. Lots of bold colours with the piping and clutch, black shoes and hair half-up. And she is looking quite relaxed so overall, a win for me. I only wish she had paid more attention to her posture. The pictures of her laughing (6 &7 i think) would have looked so much nicer.

11. Stupid question but as HM and Philip will be in Scotland next week, I wonder if William and Kate will be there for the Order of the Thistle service and whatnot.

12. I liked everything about Kate’s look today except for her shoes.
    I thought her dress very smart but the shoes were to ‘heavy’.
    Perhaps sling-backs as Mrs BBV has suggested.
    I don’t have a problem with the length of the dress or that it is Gucci.

13. Well, I may be in the minority but I absolutely love this dress! I really like this vintage 60s/Jackie Kennedy vibe, it is classical chic for me, so this is a win.

    The only thing that I find strange is that it looks more like a fall dress to me…but regarding the chilly and inconsistent English summer weather, I don’t mind 😉

    Funny what you said about the clitch and pumps not matching. I was looking at photos of this engagement with my mom and she said that in her opinion, the shoes didn’t match and she should have wirn red ones to match the clutch – tastes are so different!

    1. I just could not take this dress at all. It did not suit Kate in any way. And, why not red shoes? The ones she chose were dark and very, very chunky! If she could have chosen red clutch or red shoes, I would have said, “Go with red the shoes!”

       Daily Mail yesterday said in their headline that Kate was channeling Jackie Kennedy. In her dreams! Then, they ran a photo of Jackie in a ghastly suit, so maybe, she was!

       I agree wtih those who said, “Why bother with the flowers, if she’s not going to keep them?”
       If the guy kept holding his hands out to Kate, how much nicer if the little girl was still t here, to have smiled at him and shaken her head, “No.” She could have handed them off at a later time.

       And, oh, Rebecca! Your short dress with those slits was very inappropriate. Where were your trousers? Or, as Cathy said, why not save that look for the beach?.

       It never changes, does it?

14. The V&A is such an amazing place. I wonder how long Kate was there as I’ve never managed to get out in less than 3 hours. I always find something new to look at! It is a shame that she bought another new dress and that it wasn’t British – the V&A was established to celebrate the best in design, art and craft so it might have been a nice opportunity to showcase an emerging British fashion designer or jewellery designer.

    1. I know what you mean. If I could, I would live there. Just give me a little cot in the lunch room. It’s so wasted on her, IMO.

15. I *do* like the dress but I also kind of don’t. I like the idea and design (I ❤ retro/vintage items) and the colors look good together (and on Kate) but something is a bit off, like it’s too short or should’ve been saved for the Autumn season (perhaps saved for a state visit to Italy?) or along those lines.

    Also, she should’ve definitely worn some red lipstick to make the outfit pop.

    Edit: I just had a look at Rebecca’s outfit. Yikes!!! ?
    That looks like a cover-up you wear to the beach!!! Why the flip would she wear that to an official engagement?!

    1. Kimothy, Happy travel thoughts for you this wkend! Hope you brought lots of Kleenex and it goes well for you

    2. Have a great time Kimothy we all look forward to an update . We are all so proud of you here on KMR.

       1. +1

    3. Sarah & Birdy: thank you ladies! I’ll try to post pictures once I’m back!!So far, I know I’ll be meeting my donor mom, her fiancé, my donor sister, Lindy, her two children and my donor uncle and donor aunt! We’ll see if any more of my donor siblings will be there. (I have 2 donor sisters and 3 donor brothers! I always knew I had (at least) 1 donor sister and 1 donor brother but didn’t expect this many!)

       P.S. is it just me, or has 2017 just flown by? I can’t believe we’re already nearly halfway through the year!!

       1. Best wishes to you, dear Kimothy!

          1. thank you, sweet Rhiannon! I’m glad you’re doing so well! Running a 10 on Tuesday? Wow! Good luck! *insert thumbs up emoji*

             1. Thank you so much, my dear.?

             2. Oh cool! Running a 10K Rhiannon?

                That’s great 🙂 and it shows how much you have come since having GB.

                Best wishes for the race and have fun!

       2. Best wishes and virtual hugs to you both, Kimothy and Rhiannon. You are both truly courageous women.

          1. Thank you Jen! 🙂

          2. Thanks, Jen?

       3. Can’t wait for your update!!!

          Glad you’re doing well too Rhiannon

          <3

          1. Thank you Ellie! I’m all checked in and my boarding passes are printed out. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀 😀 😀

             1. Have a ball!

          2. Thank you, Ellie! ?

       4. All the best, Kimothy. You can’t have too much love.

          1. Thank you MavenTheFirst! I’m doing all kinds of odds and ends (ie., cleaning, choosing my outfit for tomorrow’s flight, checking off more things from my checklist, triple checking my meds regarding my insulin and whatnot, trying to find my crucifix necklace (grrrr), etc.)

             Missy has to be at the animal hospital by 10 am (wah!) and my flight leaves in the afternoon. Fingers crossed (and prayers, please!) that there are no complications with either flights (yes, I have to make a connection in Charlotte, NC).

       5. Good luck! I can’t wait for the update!

    4. Good luck for your meeting Kimothy! I hope it goes well.

       Best wishes to you and your donor family!

       🙂 🙂 🙂

       1. Thank you Cathy! 🙂

    5. A bit late from the convoy but I wish you good luck on your trip and hope that everything goes the way you wanted.

       1. Not late and thank you Ellana!! Going to contact Uber now so that I can drop my dog off at the animal hospital (wah!!!). She’s not dumb, she knows she’s going there and I’m gonna miss my Missy-Poo.

16. I had lots to say about Kate’s outfit. But i am rendered speechless by Rebecca’s outfit.

    Royal visit or not, dress down friday (or in this case dress down thursday), HOW DOES SHE THINK THIS IS APPROPRIATE????????

    Was she on her way to the beach or out with her friends and told to cut her free time short and get to the Museum pronto?!

    i get casual dressing for work, but this is taking it too far.

    1. Totally agree, as I said in a reply above. And as much as Rebecca is to blame for thinking that this bathing suit coverup was acceptable for work, I’ll also blame Jason and Kate for allowing it.

    2. Her dress is ridiculously inappropriate for anywhere. She knew she would be photographed.

    3. Agreed. Where are the pants? I think this exemplifies the Cambs’ (and Harry’s) style and attitude- anything goes. Bulldoze those traditions because modernisation means trashing etiquette and protocol. So stuffy. Let’s go for reality teevee! And WAGS!

17. I like the style of the dress but not the material. There is an almost identical Gucci dress that is white with blue and red trim on the bottom of the sleeves and around the waist. Plus it has buttons on the sleeves. It is, in my view, fantastic whilst this dress is just to busy with adornments that are not needed. I like the material. Also I would like to point out that with the weather here in England that dress was spot on. We are lucky if we hit above 70F right now. But somehow my wonderful husband still complains that it is too hot. Is he kidding?

    Back to fashion. I think the women who wore all black wrap dress was very chic and got the entire ensemble right. She looks summery and well put together over all. Whilst Rebecca’s dress is the on point fashion in the UK right now. All those types of dresses are that short. One girl on campus was wearing one and she was bending over and I was flashed her underwear. Well at least I was grateful she was wearing under garments. I know i am a prude at my age.

18. Have I missed something ? I thought Rebecca Deacon had left . Why was she there ?

    1. Rebecca is leaving sometime this summer. Probably during the royals’ summer break is my guess.

       1. Thank you KMR.

       2. I think she leaves after the tour of Poland & Germany

          1. I wonder what will take her place.

             1. I am hoping that a professional will be appointed to work with Kate. A Private Secretary is not someone to take dictation, type up letters or take notes like Kate once asked Rebecca to do. A Private Secretary is an important role. They act as advisors, a Private Secretary is the senior operational member of the Royal Household. They also have responsibility for the official programme and correspondence of their principal. Through these roles the position wields considerable influence. They are not there to hold Kate’s handbag or collect her flowers or take notes. I hope Kate will get someone who will be able to do the role and look the part. Private Secretaries usually come up through the ranks and I hope that Kate will get one who has been trained like this and not an outsider.

             2. Probably Sophie Agnew (if I spell her name right). I remember her as the secretary/personal assistant to Rebecca Deacon and even accompanied Kate to one engagement : it was sort of a gala thing because in the picture she had a long night blue gown : can anyone help me ?

19. I so agree that a sling back kitten heel would have been great. It would have gone with the Audrey Hepburn vibe. (I’m sorry DM, but I don’t see Jackie Kennedy at all.)

    Why does Kate wear such high heels always? Does she have to be the tallest person in the crowd? I was looking again at the Queen’s balcony appearance, and she towered over everyone, until I realized she must have been standing on whatever platform they have for the kids. Between that and the pink outfit, she screamed “look at me”. The Queen is petite, but she never gets lost in a crowd. Kate needs to relax.

    And yes, I am looking forward to the Spanish visit.

    1. Such a good point about HMTQ, She has such presence that everyone sees her.

    2. Yes, a sling back would be perfect. Or flats, even. The shoes are too heavy and clumpy for some reason.

20. SO many things that are ugh about this visit, but on balance:

    Pos: No crotch clutching! Good effort Kate

    Neg: George and Charlotte want to be architects when they grow up

    Everyone, have a great day!

21. Y’all know how I feel about Rebecca. From the shoulders up, she looks good. But that tunic or schmata she’s wearing is ridiculous. It’s way too short. Now if she wore a crisp,white crop pant, it would be perfect.

    I would love to visit this exhibit. It sounds like a lovely space.

    Kate’s dress was a no. All the way around. She needs to accentuate her actual waist versus wearing things that make her waist look off. I dislike the whole look. The front of her hair looks okay. But the sides and back show how bad of her hairstylist is. And the wiglet looks rough.

    I know I was tough but in light of all of the events in the UK, trotting out a Gucci frock was not smart. It screams of privilege and willful ignorance of current events. This makes it hard to justify the expense of the BRF while essential services are being cut.

    Thanks for the roundup, KMR!

    1. Oh, rhiannon, you are so right . The Gucci frock does indeed signify their royal arrogance and shows a lack of concern about recent sad events. They so want to be regular folk, She could dress respectfully and beautifully on far less money. You are 100 % right.

       Hope all is going well for you!

       1. Hi, Jenny! I am doing well! I celebrated my 1 year GBS anniversary!! I am running the Peachtree (10k) on the 4th to commemorate. How is Miss Madeleine doing? Sending a virtual hug your way.

          1. So great that you’re doing so well! Good luck on the Peachtree–I can barely walk a block in Atlanta in July without having heat exhaustion so I’ve always been impressed with anyone who could run that race. Good luck!

             1. I’m sweating already, lol!

       2. Rhiannon, you rock. All best wishes for your run! Try to drink lots of water!!!!!

          Baby is getting much bigger and doing fine. I splurged on an adorable 4th of July outfit for her. Could not resist. It will look so sweet throughout the summer!

          Wishing you and all the Americans on this site a Happy and Safe July 4th!

          And, Kimothy, wishing you the best on your trip. May all go well!! Eager to hear all about it!

22. I like Kate’s hair like this – I greatly prefer it to the hairnet look or wearing it loose and down. I can’t decide on the dress. I think the combination of the oddly placed waistline and the length makes it look ill-fitting. I like the pattern. But I don’t like all the pockets.

    1. IMO this is the hairdressing of a girl, not a mature woman. She’s 35. She doesn’t have to have a sophisticated do, she can even be wild and free, but this particular style looks girlish.

       1. +1
          I keep on saying, what is wrong with her stylist that she has girlish hair or veers to matronly upstyles with a hairnet?! A happy medium is possible!

23. Sorry, but it’s a “no” from me. I dislike the execution (hair not quite right,and the fit is off, although I do like the shoe/bag mis-match even if I agree with Hera that a different shoe would have worked better) and *especially* the concept: I have long been fed up with her constant need for new expensive clothes and this dress is an especially egregious example, especially because it is just so shouty and vulgar and just screams “GUCCI!!!”. I don’t even mind the style, but its obvious Gucci-ness is a turn off.

    I wouldn’t mind the spending as much if she was earning the money but she’s not. And I second every word of Red Tulip; it is offensive that people be bowing and scraping to this rather unimpressive girl.

24. Kate’s hair looks like a mop. She needs to stop with the extensions and get a big girl hair cut because she obviously cannot style it the length she has. It actually ruins the look of the mod dress she was trying to pull off.

    The hip flaps aren’t near Kate’s hips which along with the boob flaps make the dress look weird on her. Kate also has square shoulders and needs to stop wearing things that are busy on top because it makes her look thicker than she is. She still doesn’t understand what styles work for her body type.

    The dress on someone else would be fine, but on her it looks like dress up. And it’s really short considering that she almost flashed when bending down to pick up flowers. She knows these moments are photographed but doesn’t care. I am not giving her props for a slightly different style because it’s another new dress and tone deaf to current happenings in the U.K. She is a modern day Marie Antoinette at this point and her excessive wardrobe is a visual confirmation of the excess of the BRF in the times of austerity. Will and Harry may be spending a lot too, but their wardrobe doesn’t make it as obvious. Kate should know this in her previous life as a commoner, except she doesn’t care. Right now all she does is open museums and visit yachting events. She remains useless and too costly for taxpayers.

    1. +1 Marie Antoinette indeed

    2. My hairstylist goes to shows or whatever the technical terminology is in stylist world. where she learns about the latest and greatest dos and all things faboo coming up in the hair world. Kate’s needs to do something like that. She seems to have 3 styles she can do. This, her matronly up do and down
       Heck, I do better on myself from YouTube clips so I don’t know why she keeps this lady around.

    3. “all she does is open museums and visit yachting events. She remains useless and too costly for taxpayers.”

       Amen, sister!

25. Kate’s dress looks like my clothes do when I accidentally grab a petite vs. regular size. I’m one inch too tall and it makes a difference. The dress is seasonally inappropriate, too. Too heavy for summer. The shoes are a refreshing change, though. Still heavy for summer but not an effing court pump. Hallelujah for that. Hair is too twee but it’s not a matronly updo or Attack of the Wiglet, so eh. Nothing to see here. Bring on the spanish state visit. Pleeeease. I so hope Leti brings the full Joyas de Pasar and shows Kate how it’s done.

26. Kate’s silhouette looks exactly like my Barbie doll in the seventies. She had dresses exactly like this, and the bodily distortions (except Barbie had large breasts). But the hair, and so on evokes an artificial, idealized, under control female form. To me, she looks a little unreal. And that may be part of the intentional royal image making. I know that most people on this site think she does not have a stylist, but she does seem to be going for a rather contrived image, that does not look natural and comfortable, and her clothes and hair are not conducive to relaxed graciousness– the clothes stand out so much. I’m not sure I’m expressing myself well here, but to me, there is something so aesthetically awkward about her public presentation most of the time.

    It may be that the whole endeavor of trotting Kate out as if her mere presence is an honor is not a credible exercise. Will has something of the same problem—and after the unfortunate interview, Harry does too. As an American, I don’t have a feeling for what it would take for the British public to stop believing that the royals are special, and bring a nationalist “magic” with them. I know the finances are getting attention, and that they push back very hard, arguing that they help tourism and provide an intangible sense of national continuity and identity. But they are simply not inspiring people— it is impossible not to notice that they don’t embody anything particularly worthy or admirable, and the DNA fetishism must be getting threadbare by now in modern society. So some sort of image of believability, respectability, even likability — are crucial. And they don’t seem to be bringing any of that. Again as an American, where image creation and maintenance are promulgated by all manner of spin doctors and image consultants, I wonder why so many things that are brought up by thoughtful people here (many of whom are actually pro-monarchy) that are obvious problems, and discontents seem to make almost no difference. The need to champion British clothing and products of various kinds to advance British pride and economy seems so simple. It seems like the least Kate could do is wear British designers only and recycle her clothes. That’s so simple.

    It would be interesting to see how Meghan Markle would do if she married Harry and simply approached the whole royal wife thing strategically as an actress playing a part, who needs to look right, know public sensitivities, prepare well for appearances and to be warm and gracious.

    1. Kate did hardline British fashion at first. She was the High Street princess. And then… well. That timeline seems to coincide with George being born. You are correct in noticing the carefully crafted narrative that is not just Kate but the entire Cambridge clan. It’s artificial and transparent but it still sells. As a fellow American I admit to being a bit stumped, too.

27. No to the dress, hairstyle, and shoes. The dress is ill-fitting and the flaps are ugly. It’s too short on her for a Royal engagement. Rebecca is a real mess, completely inappropriate once again.

Comments are closed.