Kate Middleton- copying her clothes, srsly who does that?

[Evelight]

Disclaimer: Canadian here, but lived in UK for several years a while ago.

So flipping through tabloids, or net-surfing, I come across these articles absolutely raving over Kate Middleton's style. Apparently whoever makes whatever she wears immediately becomes inundated with orders, their websites crash, their shops are mobbed etc.

Seriously? Who does that? irl I have never met one woman who actually says- oh wow, I need to have that pink coat or spotted blue dress or whatever she's wearing and rush out and buy it. And I know some women who are really heavy shoppers. I really don't get the appeal of her style, and I don't understand why anyone would copy it. I mean, Kate Moss a few years ago, yes. Nowadays I am watching the Good Wife on netflix, and oh my god Diane Lockhart's outfits, yes, yes. Kate Middleton? Do you actually know any women who rush out and mob the shops for the same dress she's been snapped wearing?

[JoanHickson]

Wedding dresses were dreadful for while. How those brides paced the Vicar, her Dad and FIL with a pushed up half exposed breast and the guests a back fat roll, is beyond me.

[dogelove]

Tellmemore - I actually disagree. If you look at pictures of Kate when she was a student, she had pretty much exactly the same figure. Her sister is also slim. I agree she probably does sport, but I don't think it makes a huge change.

I think her figure is very much just how she is genetically. If she was exercising and half starving herself, she would look much bonier. Her arms and legs are both long and slim. I am really very jealous of her!!!

I personally really love her style (she could be a complete bitch for all I know - I just like the way she dresses!). People forget that as a member of the royals, she HAS to dress quite conservatively. I think she does a really good job of towing the line with super old "rules" on respectability, whilst managing to not look "stiff" or uptight.

And I would pay good money for her hair. It's so long and thick and the perfect level of curly//not out of control curly.

I have never bought anything she wore though. I pretty much assume it's going to be well out of my price range. Also, what is appropriate for her going to some international ball, is not appropriate for me to go down the pub with mates.

[JoanHickson]

The Middletons have short legs and a masculling triangle figure of broad shoulders and narrow hips.

[FrankelandFilly]

I buy a lot of Issa dresses second-hand on EBay as they fit me well and I like them, but I will admit that it was Kate that drew my attention to the designer.

I also wear a fair bit of LK Bennett because my job calls for me to be smartly dressed and a lot of their tailored dresses, jackets, etc fit the bill.

At the same time my wardrobe also contains a lot of TK Maxx, George & F+F so it's all about what works for me.

[SaucyJack]

She does look quite bony to me these days. She looked much healthier back in her youth.

Anyway.... I don't mind her style tho it wouldn't suit me. It suits her role without looking completely mumsy.

Love, love, love Prince George's little rompers and shoes tho. He is utterly adorable.

[Bellerina2]

Her clothes and shoes are perfectly appropriate for the job she does but her makeup could use a refresh - that heavy eyeliner has got to go! Perhaps a smoky eye or a red lip for nighttime events?

[sparechange]

I have similar colouring to her and am also pregnant.
I occasionally see things she wears and think 'ooh, that might look nice on me' and try it. No different to when I see a model in a magazine feature and thing the same.
That's why companies give free stuff to people who appear in magazines.

I'd be more concerned about people who rush out and buy things after Kim Kardashian wears them, to be honest.

[TwoOddSocks]

I think with a few exceptions it's not that people set out to look exactly like Kate Middleton so much as she acts like a very effective advertising campaign.

People see an attractive woman who has her pick of any designer she wants to wear, she usually looks well put together with her hair and make up done professionally so obviously she looks good and people think "hey that's a nice dress".

It's probably most effective on women who have a similar style to hers, care about how they look but don't want to go out on a limb with their own fashion statement.

It's not my style personally (fortunately for me because I couldn't afford anything she wears) but I don't necessarily look down on people for being affected by what they see other people wearing.

[OttiliaVonBCup]

Her legs aren't very long TBH.
She does have slim hips and legs but not they are not long, that's why she's wedded to her wedges, even on the beach.

[Fruityb]

I'd never seen a coat dress till Kate came along. I always wonder if that's the dress or whether she's wearing anything underneath it, and how boiling she must be. Not in a pervy way, just wondering if she just wears the coat as her dress. I'd be absolutely roasting but there's a bit more or me than her I suppose.

I do wish she'd do something

[squoosh]

I think her legs are her best feature.

[trilbydoll]

I think she always looks nice but I am realistic enough to know the same dress on me will not magically remove a couple if stone and make my hair shiny! I think some people hope clothes have the power to totally transform them.

[squoosh]

I've just had a thought, I bet loads of the people who buy wholesale into her look are American women with a crush on all things royal and English.

[Egog]

I'd love to have the cash to be able to copy what she wears. I'm also about 4 stone too heavy, anyway! I do love her swishy hair though.

[onemiddlefinger]

And I would pay good money for her hair. It's so long and thick and the perfect level of curly//not out of control curly.

I think she does pay good money for her hair!

And yes, I wish I could afford hair like that (or a wardrobe).
I like a lot of her clothes and i'm similar build so i could wear this, but so far i haven't actually bought anything she has worn, either because, not bothered enough, or it's already sold out, or too expensive.

I don't think most people who buy these clothes set out to copy her, more like a PP said, they see it and think this would look good on me too.

[Ems1812]

I think she always looks lovely. Not sure about her mother & sister though, they just look like they are trying too hard.

I would love to have her hair.

[squoosh]

Yes, she pays very good money for those subtle and swishy extensions.

[Cariad007]

I will say this for Kate though, she's made it very easy for me to go to the hairdresser for a blow dry. Before I had to specify "voluminous and smooth but with some bounce and curl and the end" etc and now I just say "like Kate Middleton please"!!

[Britbird]

I think she has great legs. She's tall and slim and has worked out what shape of clothes suits her. She has a long body, very narrow hips and small boobs but she dresses so that she looks in proportion. I think her look is quite easy to copy and is sort of timeless so I can imagine people buying things she wears. Also, the clothes are more expensive than I'd ever spend but not outrageously so.
Her hair is fantastic, but it seems much thicker than it did from when she was younger. I do wonder if it's just a good cut or whether she also uses extensions. Her mum and sister don't have hair anywhere near as thick.

[dogelove]

onemiddle - oh yea, when it's all blowdried and styled I'm sure she pays good money for that.

But even when you look at pictures of her hair when she visits somewhere humid, and it basically goes "hey, fuck you, we want to be FREE and CURLY" it somehow still looks absolutely stunning.

It's quite easy to tell the difference between "styled blow dry" and "I can't do anything with this humidity"

[Aherdofmims]

People are crazy. I wouldn't really want to copy anyone to the extent of buying the exact item.

I did like the dress she wore when the Obamas came over (I think it was Reiss - a beige/brown one).

But I wouldn't have rushed to buy it.

She has a tendency to theme her outfits to the event she is attending, which I don't really like (i.e. tennis dress at Wimbledon, Maple Leaf hat in Canada).

[FrankelandFilly]

I'm pretty sure she's told to wear certain things to official engagements, like the Maple leaf hat. Or at least told to wear something "themed", be it jewellery, hats or whatever.

[Bellerina2]

She wore some reasonably trendy stuff when she was pregnant with George but is looking far more matronly this pregnancy. Perhaps the stories about the Palace advising her to dress more conservatively are true. Shame, as it would've been nice for her to retain a little individuality and she's still only about 32 or 33.

[SuperFlyHigh]

Her style is very safe and a bit dated. from the eyeliner under the eyes to the dress lengths...

however she's marrying future King of England so is dressed by a stylist...

I have never seen anyone in similar clothes, I did like an Orla Kiely dress/coat she wore.