Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Princess Kate..... frumpy clothes?

251 replies

CriticalAlert · 28/05/2023 18:10

I was looking at some pictures of Kate before she got married. She looked stunning, had style, was really chic and sexy.
Now she looks quite frumpy. The pink dress she wore at the Chelsea Flower show looked better on her mum, because it's a dress for a middle aged woman! WHY is Kate forced into dowdiness? She looks great in trousers and well cut jackets. She's a beautiful woman, are 'they' concerned she might look a bit too good and not be taken seriously? It's like queen Elizabeth. She was beautiful but her clothes were dreadful. Obviously this is my opinion but I'd like to know what others think.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
NancyJoan · 28/05/2023 19:32

I never think she looks stylish. She’s tall, and rail-thin, and always looks entirely appropriate, but never takes my breath away with her fashion choices.

gingercat02 · 28/05/2023 19:34

I am much less "fashionable" than I was in my 20s, but I dress much better (imo). Less fast fashion, better quality, and more sustainable brands. Yes, less sexy but definitely more in keeping with a middle-aged woman.
Also, I will never be Queen, and my photos won't be dredged up for the rest of my life and longer

BriarHare · 28/05/2023 19:34

She is a boring dresser, but she always has been and I can’t see her getting away with being stylish or cutting edge.

Meghan is fashionable and I enjoyed seeing her style choices when she was a working royal.

It’s Kate’s ‘job’ to look staid and appropriate and she does it very well. If you look at photos of her pre-royal life she dressed in a sloane uniform which was dull, dull, dull. She’s never going to be a style maven.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Clothing General shopping General style & beauty The royal family
RoseAdage · 28/05/2023 19:39

She dresses beautifully and appropriately given her role. She's not in bloody Pussy Cat Dolls.

SallyWD · 28/05/2023 19:41

Kate is middle aged and the senior royals always dress frumpily, in my opinion. Look at the Queen. She always wore these awful 2 piece outfits with a matching hat. Senior royal women can never look sexy but Kate looks as good as she can in that role.

ICalledYouLastNightFromGlasgow · 28/05/2023 19:44

I agree that she always looks a bit frumpy. MM or European royals always manage to look a bit younger. She's so gorgeous, it's a shame she dresses like a 60 year old.

Myworldjusthim · 28/05/2023 19:54

CriticalAlert · 28/05/2023 18:10

I was looking at some pictures of Kate before she got married. She looked stunning, had style, was really chic and sexy.
Now she looks quite frumpy. The pink dress she wore at the Chelsea Flower show looked better on her mum, because it's a dress for a middle aged woman! WHY is Kate forced into dowdiness? She looks great in trousers and well cut jackets. She's a beautiful woman, are 'they' concerned she might look a bit too good and not be taken seriously? It's like queen Elizabeth. She was beautiful but her clothes were dreadful. Obviously this is my opinion but I'd like to know what others think.

That’s because she is middle age and also doesn’t want to look like mutton in dressed as lamb by wearing the dresses and outfits she wore in her twenties. Of course, she could probably pull it off, but I personally think she dresses really elegantly most of the time.

Persiana · 28/05/2023 19:59

I actually loved the cfs dress, didn't look frumpy or tacky

KirstenBlest · 28/05/2023 20:26

I don't think she is middle aged.
She looks great in anything.
Sometimes she wears terrific outfits, but an event like CFS she probably needs to wear something demure but eye-catching.

Princess Di used to wear some awful clothes, but she also wore fabulous ones

Ozgirl75 · 28/05/2023 20:30

The dress at the CFS was so frumpy, but what do you expect from a button up shirt dress? I don’t love her style of really high neck and mid calf length. I mean, she looks very appropriate but it is a bit of a frumpy look. Even a different neck line or something more fitted or interesting would be better. She sometimes looks totally lovely, normally in evening wear and she looks nice in normal clothes like trousers and jackets but the mid length high neck dress just looks boring.

FloofCloud · 28/05/2023 20:32

Some clothes she wears are really frumpy but others are lovely too. I really hate the older fashioned look the kids get/got ... hideous!!

PickAChew · 28/05/2023 20:32

I loved the CFS dress but then, I’m middle aged, so what do I know?

CountessBathorysBeautySecrets · 28/05/2023 20:32

Sometimes she can look great (gold dress at Bond premier, and jeans and tshirt when she was photographed being vaccinated) but as for the Anne Boleyn headpieces and the awful frock coats. The vibes they give are frumpy vibes.

Alighttouchonthetiller · 28/05/2023 20:34

RoseAdage · 28/05/2023 19:39

She dresses beautifully and appropriately given her role. She's not in bloody Pussy Cat Dolls.

This.

CountessBathorysBeautySecrets · 28/05/2023 20:35

ourflagmeansdeath · 28/05/2023 19:29

She looks amazing for being in her 40s, can't really expect her to dress the same as she did when she was younger. I personally quite liked the pink dress she wore but each to their own. She's a pretty woman anyway. 😊

Lol

She's 40, she's not exactly rivalling Methuselah.

FloofCloud · 28/05/2023 20:36

The CFS dress was 'ok, I thought the different shades made it much less
Frumpy. Her shape is so very slim that she doesn't wear clothes well that suit a more shapely figure. Don't get me wrong I'd LOVE to be as slim as she is but as with more portly people, really skinny people need to chose their clothes accordingly

Alighttouchonthetiller · 28/05/2023 20:36

I hate the word 'frumpy'.

I think it's often used by people who don't know what 'classy and tasteful' looks like.

Thistooshallpass. · 28/05/2023 20:40

I agree - always looks like she's wearing things that are too old for her .
She is tall and slender and could look amazing but the choices are far too safe . I think you could still be appropriate for the role but dress more youthfully / imaginatively.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 28/05/2023 20:40

NancyJoan · 28/05/2023 19:32

I never think she looks stylish. She’s tall, and rail-thin, and always looks entirely appropriate, but never takes my breath away with her fashion choices.

I think that's the whole point, she has a work wardrobe and doesn't want to distract form the charity/ event she's visiting.

Creamyoda · 28/05/2023 20:40

fyn · 28/05/2023 19:21

I think realistically most people dress differently in their late 30s/40s that they did in their early/mid 20s.

Indeed. I don't think she looks frumpy personally, but technically events and appearances like that are work for her- from the (few) photos that have been released of her at home she seems to wear more casual clothes like jeans, long sleeve tops; the same as many other mums in their 40s!

Aslanplustwo · 28/05/2023 20:42

Why do any of you care what she wears? Maybe you would all like to attach a photo of yourselves to your posts so we can all judge your choice of clothes? Seriously, is this all some women have to think about.......

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 28/05/2023 20:43

I've just googled the CFS dress,it's lovely and entirely appropriate for the occasion.

dontgobaconmyheart · 28/05/2023 20:46

Conversations around what women should be wearing or not in accordance to their age are a bit wearing.

I can't say I overly care what she wears but in so far as I do consider it, I'd just take what she wears to essentially be a work uniform, wherein which her workplace dictates that she dress conservatively and in the a general expected style for her rank and role and striking the right mood for the occasion - outfits which I'm sure she has had a place in curating and in which someone else made sure were culturally/historically appropriate and endeared the public/evoked or gave homage to Princess Diana at appropriate times because this curries favour with the public and promotes positive press.

I'm not sure there's a great deal more to it than that, what she actually wears in her home or to socialise with her close friends and family outside of work we will undoubtedly never really know.

BeverlyHa · 28/05/2023 20:47

She can wear what she wants and apparently what her social role requires

KirstenBlest · 28/05/2023 20:50

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor me too and it looks appropriate and she looks great in it.
Her DH dresses a bit 'frumpily' but that doesn't seem to matter on here.

Swipe left for the next trending thread