Catherine, Princess of Wales (Kate Middleton)

[Boomer]

I don't know what the Queen wears other than the fact that she has her own dressmaker, so a lot of what she wears is one of a kind. I think I recall reading somewhere that she prefers wearing her designers designs, but I think that has more to do with her being frugal.

The Queen was devoted to Sir Hardy Amies for many years, but he is no longer with us...I don't know what she has been doing for a dressmaker since he passed away...I have several of his suits, btw, and they are among my favorites! I doubt Kate would want to adopt the Queen's style, but I am sure there are several English designers who would be very happy to help her out!

 

[Meg]

I agree! There is such a large wealth of English designers (other than Issa) to pull from who are interesting, but would not contradict sensibilities. Erdem would be an excellent choice. Or even Roksanda Ilinic for evening wear. Peter Jensen, Richard Nicholl - they both could produce pant suits that would be interesting and flattering.

 

[Lacroix]

I was looking through some old pictures and although the majority of the outfits were frumpy/bad/unflattering she has had a few well put together and stylish (for her) ensembles














stylesalt.com
dailygossipfwd.blogspot.com
osoblog.tv
dailymail.co.uk

 

[myown]

lets say: Maybe she needs a stylist?

 

[sethii]

^^Elizabeth Hurley would be proud

 

[ohlala]

^have never seen the the last picture! loved that dress!

 

[tigerrouge]

Kate is on the cover of the February 2011 issue of UK Tatler, in the style of an Andy Warhol print.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Link to that: http://forums.thefashionspot.com/f78/uk-tatler-february-2011-kate-middleton-120623.html

I really like the coat with the satin tie above.

 

[nicky25]

Get Rachel Zoe out she did wonders for Nicole Ritchie, it'd be a great way for Kate to add a bit sophistication to her style

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Last thing the poor Brits need is another Zoe clone ...

 

[Boomer]

^ With her slim hips and marvelous, long legs she will be able to pull off all sorts of looks- I think she will look great as time goes by! (I'm sure I could be beaten senseless in some circles for saying it, but she is prettier than Diana and she can't walk any worse...If Princess Di can become a legend- who knows what Kate will be able to put together!)

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Diana had charisma to burn ... not sure about Kate? Another thing about Diana is she was always interested in clothes ...

I think a lot of the things people are complaining about here will really help her fit into the royal circle. I don't care if she never gets her look right ... there are more important things she needs to do.

 

[Boomer]

^ Diana had very little personality when Charles started up with her- there was a big outcry about that in the beginning, that she was a frumpy little school teacher and was way too shy and withdrawn to be the Princess...
How things changed!!

 

[Chewsteraghi]

Yeah, very true, Boomer! She got the nickname "Shy Di" from her habit of leaning her head down and to the side, all demurely. She was just a cute Sloane Ranger in clothes off the rack from Harvey Nichols. Diana was very aristobrat and it was her experiences as a working royal that expanded her mind and got her thinking about serious things. Lady Diana in 1980/1981 wasn't anything like the activist for AIDS awareness or the activist against land mines that we knew later on. One was a spoiled rich girl. The other was a serious-minded woman.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Diana had very little personality when Charles started up with her- there was a big outcry about that in the beginning, that she was a frumpy little school teacher and was way too shy and withdrawn to be the Princess...
How things changed!!

Perhaps that was the perception of some, but she had the press & public eating out of her hand even then. I always thought it was that that prompted the proposal ...

It's certainly true that you can grow as a public figure ... I think Michelle Obama has done so in a somewhat similar way. But both women had the compassion and ability to connect with people on which the rest was based.

We can only see how Kate develops ...

It's interesting that they allowed her to do her own makeup for the Testino shoot. I really think a pro could give her a softer look ...

 

[Chewsteraghi]

^When Diana did her engagement photo shoot (blue dress, palace steps) she had a pro do her makeup except for the blue eye shadow! The makeup artist talked about this for some interview, which I don't remember now, though I remember the makeup lady say that she tried to put a different color of eye shadow on Diana, but Diana, when the lady's back was turned, wiped it off and replaced it with the blue!

 

[wild roses]

I remember after Princess Diana died, people were wondering if Countess Sophie of Wessex would fill the British Royal Fashionista spot, and Sophie ended up ....not doing much. (She always looks decent, but she's clearly not a fashion icon.) It goes to show just how much people are hungering for someone to fill Diana's shoes that Kate is being discussed as a potential style icon (if she would ever bother working on her fashion).

The British Royals have always seemed rather conservative about fashion though. I wish they would loosen up. (I think part of their uptightness is an over-reaction to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor who were extremely stylish but also extremely shallow and didn't do much for world matters on a diplomacy or government scale post-abdication. And perhaps even to Diana: even though she was stylish, she was also an attention stealer even when the issue was a genuine issue worth devoting time to)

 

[Harumi]

Perhaps that was the perception of some, but she had the press & public eating out of her hand even then.

Exactly. I don't know where Boomer got his info because Diana-mania is the the stuff of legend.

She was a media phenomenon and public obsession from day one. She actually made the sloaney style fashionable and her haircut was copied by thousands of British girls. There were Diana look-alike competitions all over the UK, she was on the cover of newspapers every other day, etc. It was insanity.
She wasn't considered frumpy at first, more like a sweet ingenue (especially after that nursery picture).The dress she wore at her first public gala was considered risque for a Royal at the time. The criticisms about her fashion sense (and her lapse in popularity) came much later.

What she lacked in self-confidence she more then made up in raw charisma. In comparison, Kate can barely shift copies and the British public is hardly obsessing.

Last thing the poor Brits need is another Zoe clone ...

I completely agree Kate has the potential to do so much better.
One cannot grow charisma but mystique and glamour can be manufactured (as Hollywood has shown us countless times). With the right team, she can create a memorable look.

The pictures I am talking about (both are iconic BTW


lisawallerrogers.files.wordpress.com, blogs.timeslive.co.za

 

[Paws]

Exactly. I don't know where Boomer got his info because Diana-mania is the the stuff of legend.


All legends start somewhere but it wasn't from day one, the people had to get to *know* her. Boomer is right with his info, he is remembering the facts.

 

[Harumi]

^I'm sorry but you are wrong about that. Diana-mania is History. Ask any media expert or journalist old enough to have covered her first media steps.
She wasn't always super popular by all means, and I'm not one of these loons who think she walked on water but the facts are undeniable. When she first came on the scene insanity ensued. All the stuff I've mentioned and more are easily verifiable.
Believe what you want though.