The Kate Effect

at birth i was bestowed the honor of having four names (five initials). when my father happily shared the news of the good fortune of a healthy baby girl, with a larger than life moniker, the overwhelming response from friends was "what do you think she's a princess or something?". i believe i can trace my royal obsession back to that moment. it's fair to say most little girls appreciate the pomp and circumstance of one particularly inbred family's lineage. which is why millions woke up at ungodly hours to witness the nuptials of two people they'll never meet. it's magic. it's mythology come to life. 

while most normal people appreciated that glorious moment for the tradition in which it was intended and managed to carry on with their lives, a select few of us just cannot let it go. which is why i have expended far too much valuable brain space on the tiniest royal minutiae. 

since it's been several months since my last diatribe, i have many many thoughts to share. you can rest easy knowing i will keep you abrest of all of my outfit analysis in real time on instagram. and while we do have a great deal of catchup to cover (in due time, i promise) today i'm choosing to focus on an egregious offense committed this weekend and how i believe it to be a symptom of what i fear to be a pathological issue. 

this weekend four out of five cambridges attended the wedding of a close friend of kate and will's. george and charlotte continued their national tour as pageboy and bridesmaid, respectively. but what kate wore shook me to my core. long gone are the days of architectural fascinators and sleek blazers, and in are the days of kiosk jewelry and retirement home hatbands. 

i would like to preface my tirade by saying that i absolutely adore kate middleton. i struggled with the natural jealousy during their courtship for that fact that she had snagged such a prize piece, but the instant she stepped out with that fist sized sapphire on her left ring finger i was #teamkate all the way. i'm ride or die in a way that no real housewife will ever understand. but for the past year/year and a half i have been having major pause re: several of her style choices. 

i could see hints as far back as the india tour, in 2016, of the missteps that were to come. the most noteworthy grievances being this and this   

my biggest concern is that she has gone full "mom mode" now; boxy blazers  longer hems  thick curls  at this point it's racy to see her clavical. as a traditionalist myself, i always appreciate appropriate and conservative dress. kate is extremely reverent to her position and that is one of her qualities i appreciate and respect most. but i fear that with the obvious comparison to the shiny new royal, kate is going to be come the matronly step child. where meghan is just beginning the journey, kate has mastered proper etiquette and decorum, but after birthing three i'm concerned she has stepped a toe over the line of frumpy (like this assault on my vision) . she's much more of a wildcard as of late, and where meghan is concerning regarding what's appropriate, kate's the opposite end of the spectrum. how can two women, the same age, be so strikingly different? in this media produced rivalry, my loyalties will always be with kate which is why it's so painful to witness this devation from the style icon we had all come to know and love. 

it's important to note, i love when she takes risks and the majority of my disappointments come from when she plays it safe. way safe  and even in cases when the gambles aren't my personal style, i can usually acknowledge the gumption behind the change. (like this gown  while it's not my personal favorite of mine- i find the fabric better left to geriatric living room settees, i can applaud the effort). they always say "sometimes the beauty is in the attempt".

i found the third pregnancy to be particularly challenging for the duchess. never having been pregnant myself, i'm not sure what hormones do to the rational thought process but whoever allowed these two gaffs (this and this to transpired is no friend of hers. but now that she's on the cusp of returning to royal duties (and fitting back into pre louis clothing as evidenced by this weekends abomination) i'm hoping to see a turning of the tides and i can only hope this inevitable competition with meg to have a positive effect on her wardrobe.