Royal style and gossip: get yer crowns out for the lads!

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Previous thread.

Usual rules - say what you like about the clothes, keep it civil re the wearers.

Curly I'd pay good money to see Kate wear that . What a bloody hideous dress.

Or Meghan! Two fingers up to her haters.

Mother thank you! Not keen I have to say...

Kate passed the orange coat onto Carole.
Actually in the early days, I remember Kate wore a lot of her mum’s clothes too. Perhaps the budget is not that big for new brides into the royal family.
Apparently Diana’s mother took her shopping to Harrods, until Vogue stepped in and started styling the her.
I really do think Meghan has been gifted clothes , hence wearing a lot of American ones. I think she has her fco budget for foreign tours and Charles probably pays for official outfits like; Trooping the colour CH dress, the Dior RAF dress, Givenchy at Ascot and first outing with the Queen. After that, I think she has to scramble in her Canadian wardrobe or get Jessica Mulroney to pull in favours for her.
I bet Meghan saw VB at Great Tew and she gave her the full Christmas outfit. Apart from the hat, everything was VB, even the boots.

Carole in orange boden coat

Oops, thought it didn’t post.

Or perhaps Kate having grown up in the U.K. is slightly more aware what the papers are like & didn’t want to appear too extravagant.

Kate absolutely haunted Bicester Village too, even a good couple of years after her marriage there were reports of her shopping trips there. A lot of the Hobbs and Reiss stuff were Bicester finds.

Ooooo, I love Bicester! Carole looks like she’s off to the hairdresser with those roots (which are just like mine TBH). Carole has had work done - her face at Pippa’s wedding was erm.... round.

CurlyWurlyTwirly
"......Perhaps the budget is not that big for new brides into the Royal Family."

Two words and they both begin with M

Kate Bicester Village article and bonus slideshow from Oz / NZ tour in 2014.

@beanaseirann
Looking at how Ill fitting some of Meghan’s clothes have been, either too long before pregnancy or too tight during; I really do think they have been borrowed or gifted.
I really don’t think Charles pays for everything. He probably gives Harry an allowance from the Duchy and then they have to spend accordingly. Their only expenses will be consumables and clothes and food.
All the bills for KP will be paid by some central office.

There’s definitely some Bargains to be had but a lot of stuff is just made for Bicester.

I do think it is worth remembering that Thrifty Kate has her cheaper clothes (well, all of them) tailored to fit. This means they look better but also makes the "£75 Reiss dress" MUCH more expensive- more like £300 I would guess with man hours and expertise factored in. So maybe not that much more frugal than Meghan..?

I often have things altered to fit better. It’s certainly doesn’t cost me that much.

True, but with respect, I doubt you get chauffeured to the seamstress/ pay to have her brought to your house. I suspect Kate's is likely to charge quite a lot more per hour than a standard cost too.

What I'm saying is, I think Kate is v canny in the way she handles her wardrobe. Meghan less so - probably due to the new culture etc, but I suspect there is less of a gulf between costs in RL than there appears to be.

The posterwho said the alterations would add hugely to the cost of the high street item is correct.

There is a difference between having the length shortened etc and taking an item of clothing like a coat and having it lined, shortened, nipped in at the waist etc. A few years ago I found a coat in the sale but it wasn’t available in my size. I spoke to an alterations shop who told me that doing the alternatons I wanted to something like a coat was like remaking a cost and would cost more than the cost itself. And that was just a high street alterations shop. A personalised discreet service would cost a lot more again. Kate’s clothes usually are folds of material eg frock coats, They must cost a fortune to alter.

Kate does wear high street but some of her other clothes like all the custom made coat dresses and gowns cost ££££. She's canny though and pairs it with high street - that plaid skirt she wore recently was over £1k but I think she wore it wIth a £100 cashmere sweater from Pure, so naturally that was reported as an example of her thrift!

W&K were our at church this morning. Nice blue colour in her but another headband (I’m really not keen on them!).

I have said it before and I’ll say it again - Kate is increasingly looking very regal and a queen in the making

www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2019010666253/prince-william-kate-middleton-first-appearance-of-year-at-church-sandringham/

Those headbands are so frumpy! I can't imagine why she thinks they look good.

Re:Bicester - I buy Prada sunglasses from there because they’re £100 rather than £300 in John Lewis.

I also looked at the handbags which screamed PRADA rather than a tiny Pradawhich is on a friend’s genuine handbag.

I love the Boleyn headbands but then I've always had a thing about Anne Boleyn and what I imagine her wardrobe to have been.

Having said that, the black (or was it very dark green?) velvet one was definitely neck cushion territory.

I really do not like the head pieces.

The coat is nice but that's got to be the worst headband yet - those two bows on either side!

I buy nice things from Bicester village and have them tailored and it's not that expensive. E.G I got an LK Bennett formal coat in a larger size with an attached belt and my local amazing seamstress shortened the arms, nipped in the waist, removed the belt so now it looks great (well imo). She charged about £70 if I remember rightly so the coat was still cheaper than the original. I've got quite a dumpy figure too so I suspect with Kate's willowy one it's not that hard to make the clothes look good with a few tweaks.