Ever since the announcement of the wedding of prince William and Kate Middleton, Kate has been hyped as the most fashionable in royal circles. Some even consider her to be a true style icon. Is Kate really following into Lady Di’s fashion steps, can we compare them and how did her taste for fashion develop over the years… let’s find out more about one of the prides of the British royal family: royal style icon Kate Middleton.
At the age of 14 Kate Middleton was a bit awkward, in the way that fellow students at her former school used to tease her at the time. It was only when she started to attend school at Marlborough College, in Wiltshire (GB), that she could start being herself again. Rumor has it that she was graded two out of ten by the boys for her attractiveness at this time. Her reaction was to immediately go home at the end of the summer term, to tell her mother Carol and to transform herself over the summer holiday. This transformation was an extraordinary success, according to Ollie Baines (former classmate and tenor of Blake (band)). He claims that he is “not hugely surprised that she will be the next princess, she always had a regal character and held herself very well.” As Kate became an adult she gained confidence which allowed her to become the “style icon” she is considered to be now.
Prince William proposed in Kenya using his mother’s sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring, some might find that a bit eerie, since Lady Di’s marriage wasn’t an extremely happy one, but I love the idea of the ring being a symbol of a new chapter without renouncing the past. Middleton wore a sapphire blue dress for the press conference that was held to announce the engagement, just as Diana did in 1981. However when it comes to style, these two women couldn’t be more different from each other. Diana was known for her seamed stockings with the bows in the back, frilly blouses, sexy monochrome suits, turquoise eyeliner, jeans and driving moccasins worn without socks, while Kate is more of a less-is-more kind of girl. Her makeup usually consists of natural, earthy shades and her style isn’t too aggressive, too sexy or indeed too fashionable, despite the fact that she has worked as an accessories buyer at the British chain Jigsaw.
Kate Middleton often wears short skirts with boots to show off her long legs, and she favors body-conscious dresses. All of this suggests that her wedding dress will be decidedly more low-key than Diana’s height-of-the-’80s lace confection by British designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Perhaps Middleton will turn to British designer Alice Temperley, whose style tends toward retro-romantic, but without the frills.
Now let’s talk about the role of a modern day princess. A princess is supposed to be an ambassador of her country, to be a spokesperson for numerous occasions and help to ensure the succession of the monarchy by giving birth to an heir to the throne. So if I consider all of this… I would say that I do believe that Kate Middleton could be a “royal style icon”. However to us, chic fashionista’s, although we could be inspired by her once and a while, in my opinion Kate doesn’t have everything one needs in order to be a universal style icon. This woman will be an inspiration for a lot of people in royal and classy circles, but in my opinion we, fashionista’s, need more daring, free personalities in order to arouse us on a daily basis. Because, let’s face it, this young woman will have way too much royal responsibilities which cannot be combined with the role of a real-life fashion forward style icon.
I will conclude with: the story of Kate is one of a woman that has grew into her role of ambassador of Great-Britain. She managed to do this in most fashionable way, inspiring us with her class, intelligence and beauty. Therefore she will be considered to be one of the most stylish princess in the world and to some of us she will be an excellent style icon.
