The Kate-look: staid & stylish

In 2011 a tall and slim woman dressed in a classic white wedding gown walked down the aisle in one of the best known churches in the world to become a princess. Kate Middleton, a ‘commoner’ had married a prince — William, Duke of Cambridge and heir to the British Throne after his father, Prince Charles — and would be known as the Duchess of Cambridge from then on. But more than the spectacle that the royal wedding presented to onlookers all over the world, what interested people, especially fashion-watchers, was what the bride wore. Weeks of speculation led to the unveiling of the dress — a satin and lace confection by London-based Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. In spite of the fact that the moment of bridal glory was somewhat eclipsed by the sight of the bride’s sister in a slim white dress — an Internet-breaking phenomenon that will always be known as ‘Pippa’s posterior’ — the wedding was a kind of a turning point for the newest member of the royal family nee Ms Middleton. From then on, she would be in the public eye whenever she did whatever she did, her clothes, her shoes, her hair, her deportment scrutinised, analysed and criticised. 

Apropos that aspect of her life, her recent trip to India with Prince William was no different from any other outing to anywhere else. The paparazzi were out in full force and so were the critics, many of whom showed their abysmal ignorance of trend and appropriateness and clamoured for attention — if not from the royals, from readers who revel in fault-finding and a healthy dose of celebrity watching and bitching. Kate arrived in Mumbai to spend a night at the Taj Mahal hotel, strategically right across the road from the Gateway of India, built to commemorate the visit of Prince William’s ancestor King George V and his wife Queen Mary to the city in March 1911.

Will’s missus was seen in a deep red and orange paisley-printed fitted Alexander McQueen dress with a gentle peplum, teamed with nude pumps from LK Bennett. She adapted to the sticky-hot Mumbai weather and went more casual in a pink and aqua flowy tunic by Indian designer Anita Dongre for an impromptu game of cricket on the Oval Maidan with Sachin Tendulkar in attendance. Her taupe espadrilles from Monsoon let her run around with the children hosted by a city charity, and those grasshopper sunglasses were a la mode in the afternoon sun. But the statement look came in the evening, when Kate and William were special guests at a party where the who’s who of Bollywood lined up for attention. The Duchess wore a royal blue Jenny Packham gown with a sheer cape; the beading on the gown was finished in India, the media exulted. 

While India-inspired style showed Kate’s diplomatic finesse, her refusal of a bite of machine-made dosai made everyone wonder why her PR apparatus announced that the lentil pancakes were a favourite of the couple. Odd, that! Kate’s frock at the technology event evoked more smiles — Emilia Wickstead dressed her in a flap-pocketed cream dress with a swing skirt and demure collar, worn with Rupert Sanderson pumps in a neutral nude. And then came the proof of the fashion pudding — a stunning crystal beaded and crochet trimmed black and white silk organza long skirt and tulle tunic top from Temperley London. At a cost of almost £3000, it was totally en point for a celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday. 

Even a royal can have aching feet and blisters — foot faults mercilessly focussed on by a gossip publication. And Kate switched from her favourite heels to more comfortable flats from Russell & Bromley for a visit to a charity in New Delhi. They were perfect with a deep red printed maxi dress from Glamorous UK. The nude heels came out again at lunch with Narendra Modi, when the royals towered over the stocky Prime Minister at lunch, for which Kate fit her slim self into a vintage-style jade green frock by Temperley London, its lace pattern showing in the high neckline and panelled skirt. All very sober and staid, not showing off the sunny personality so familiar when the jeans-clad Duchess runs after her obstreperous young son!

But her more youthful side did make an appearance when Kate and William went on a safari to Kaziranga National Park in the northeast. She wore Zara stretch biker pants and a polka dotted top from RM Williams to watch the animals and enjoy some alone time with her broadly grinning husband. But the demure lady was soon back in a black-trimmed pink flowered sundress from Topshop, feeding a baby rhino and cuddling hungry elephant infants at the game reserve. The big smile was beaming as she held huge bottles of milk for the calves to slurp down. Memories of her own motherhood, perhaps? The day ended with a blue and green printed Anna Sui creation, the flavour of India coming through loud and clear. 

Much has been written about Kate’s choice in clothes being rather more matronly than needed. Why does she dress like an old lady in her below-the-knee length dresses and high necks? Why doesn’t she go all out and wear sexy stuff like her late mother-in-lay Diana did? Where is the girl who once grabbed William’s attention in miniskirts and wild hair? Thing is, Kate is now a member of Britain’s royal family and wants to fit in, where Diana and Sarah Ferguson and others from ‘outside’ did not, no matter how hard they tried. The new queen-in-waiting has her moments in mufti when she is playing with her children and probably sleeps in tatty T-shirts like women all over the world do, but she knows she has to put on a public face and she seems to prefer the classic version of that visage. Being very slender and almost curveless, she wears what she looks good in, not choosing to expose a possibly bony chest or a non-existent bottom. If that is what she is happy with, why not leave her to choose her own style that she continues to make statements wearing!