Kate Middleton
This is Kate on graduation day from St. Andrews, looking all cute and hopeful and bouncy of hair. You know, back before everyone was like WHY WON'T HE COMMIT TO HERRRRRRRRRRRR?!?!? Poor kid.
Kate Middleton
This was for a theme party. I hope Kate enjoyed it while it lasted, because I can't imagine she'll get to go to very many more -- or at least not in hot pants. VISIBLE hot pants.
Kate Middleton
Another thing she may kiss goodbye to: cleavage. Not that this is very cleavage-y; I have t-shirts that get stretched into something racier just by the dudes, when they're pulling me outside to play basketball (translation: throwing a ball of any shape and size, or even any random item, into a toddler hoop and then screaming YAAAAAAY). It's more of a nightie, while she leaves the cleav to Pippa. But still. This one's probably getting archived.
Kate Middleton
Another low-cut dress -- well, "low cut." But the queen's bigger problem with it might just be that it looks like she's wearing a fancy scarf. Wait, sorry, that's MY problem with it. I often confuse myself with QEII, on account of how we both have a personal mint that prints money with our faces on it.
Kate Middleton
Kate has become known for having an arsenal of cocktail dresses, which makes sense given that she's apt to be photographed at any second. Even more than your average celebrity, that's got to be a lot of pressure to make sure you look cute, whether you're at the pub with friends or out at a formal party or just running out to buy tampons.
Kate Middleton
Or even when she's popping out in the rain. She makes being drizzled on look cute. I want that skirt. But I suspect I also need her entire lower body in order to make it work.
Kate Middleton
This is cute TOO. It's very Miranda. I wonder if QEII watches Sex and the City and says things to her assistant like, "We believe William should end up with a Charlotte or a Miranda, except for that thing Miranda did with her finger that time."
Kate Middleton
I like this a lot -- cute and casual, so she can look like she wasn't trying even though she may well have been peering out the window panicking about whether she'd accidentally wear something the photographers had already seen. I repeat: poor kid. I know, I know, she made her bed, maybe, but boy, is that a lot of scrutiny when you're just dating a prince you met at university.
Kate Middleton
This was for a disco party, but I LOVE. I seem to recall Diana dabbling with sequins, but perhaps not until post-divorce. Do we think the Palace will frown upon a princess shining brighter than her bling, or will Kate get to bust a move in something glittery once she's part of the fam? I hope she doesn't have to go cold turkey on sequins. That would be so sad. Maybe she should ship her sequined stuff to me for safe-keeping, JUST IN CASE.
Kate Middleton
This is sweet. However, even her face says, "Yeah, this is... sweet."
Kate Middleton
This is a more casual floral look, like she's actually BEING relaxed and girly, and not trying to look like she coordinates Easter egg hunts for fun. Also, I can't believe she manages to look adorable while lugging a giant duffel bag. Where is the sweat? I'm sure princesses are supposed to glisten, but she doesn't even look dewy. I'd look like a deluge.
Kate Middleton
A bit of a cocktail of patterns. Not my favorite. I wonder if she'll have to kiss goodbye to patterns, too, in favor of monochrome power suits. Hmm. Well, I won't miss this outfit.
Kate Middleton
Girlfriend loves her boots, that's for damn sure. I can relate. I don't love this dress choice so much, though. It's a bit nightie-adjacent.
Kate Middleton
This was, perhaps, a miscalculation. I'm sure she's WEARING a shirt under the pashmina, but it looks like she got caught skinny-dipping.
Kate Middleton
If she hadn't handled herself with grace and class through all these endless years of paparazzi and speculation, it'd be easy to go all Hatey Katie on her. I mean, look how cute she can make Western gear look.
Kate Middleton
Seriously. I bet there was a run on cowboy hats after these photos were sold, and then a bunch of girls eagerly got them in the mail and tried them on and were like, "UUUUUUUGH I HATE HER THIS LOOKS TERRIBLE ON ME HOW DOES SHE DO IT."
Kate Middleton
She's also going to make everyone in the world buy blazers. Or buy stock in blazers. Or in the 'Blazers.
Kate Middleton
"Oh, hello England, how are you? I'm just hanging out here in my beret, managing to make it look super chic in a way that most of you probably could not."
Kate Middleton
Girlfriend even whipped out a fur turban with aplomb. I assume Joan Collins is doffing hers to Ms. Middleton right this second.
Kate Middleton
I suspect Kate cemented her place in royaldom, though, when she proved she could pull off a head corsage.
Kate Middleton
Oooh, and I love that coat, with the slightly understated hat. Parenthetically, I love that the hat in this photo is considered understated by England's standards. If I wore that to a party people would be like, "Nice lid, crackpot." Except for how I know nobody who uses the word "lid" or "crackpot" in that context.
Kate Middleton
Super cute. I wish my life required me to get togged up like this. Maybe it will. Maybe I will institute a Hats Only policy for all GFY related events, including but not limited to: typing.
Kate Middleton
Awesome. Not just the outfit, but also because she and Harry seem to be having a good time, and if she's in with the royal rapscallion, surely she's got to be kind of a bitchin' chick. This was taken in 2008, so clearly all the secrecy and having to make sure she's never photographed tipsy and probably never being able to wear the same outfit more than once (boots excluded) had not stripped her soul of its spark. Right? Let's hope that's right, and that Harry wasn't just being super polite, or that they were actually not laughing with each other, but rather AT some aristocrat who had smoked salmon on his lapel.
Kate Middleton
And, the engagement photo. And the famous dress that sold out, which I can understand. Kate looks great in it, and for such a critical shoot that would be so widely scrutinized, I think she nailed it. I say this a lot, but: Can you IMAGINE the pressure? I am going bald just thinking about it.
Kate Middleton
THIS might have been awkward. Kate looks great, but they're touring St. Andrews as an engaged couple. I'm sure it was all, "Hey, that's where we... AHEM... and that's where we .. you know... during the... never mind."
Kate Middleton
Another super cute dress. By now she probably had a shopping budget, but it makes you wonder in the past how much cash she had to shell out for outfits.
Kate Middleton
Oh dear. Sensible princess shoes. At least the rest of her looks nice -- I wish my hair looked that robust in a half-up, half-down 'do.
Kate Middleton
Booties! Loving it. Also, let's lament William's formerly lush thicket of hair. He can't help his genes -- he's still a good-looking dude -- but one wonders (in fact, many of our commenters wondered) whether HRH could afford some killer hair-plugs on the down-low. This might actually be the worst angle on him. I wonder if Kate's all, "So, what, you had to wait to get engaged until you had a hole in your ozone layer? THANKS."
Kate Middleton
But look how cute she is -- I mean, when you can be this cheeful while wearing part of a bird clipped to your head AND you're in a high wind, well, you are probably made of stern-enough stuff to be part of the royal family. Best of luck to both of them. That guy needs some lasting happiness. Sniffle.