How Kate Middleton’s Years of ‘Dressing Too Old for Her Age’ Has Become a Good Thing, According to a Historian
TL;DR:
- “For years,” Kate Middleton’s “looked like she was dressing too old for her age,” according to a royal historian.
- Kate Middleton’s “timeless” approach to fashion makes for a “constant” and “unchanging” look.
- It’s similar to Queen Elizabeth II’s “’steady at the helm’ kind of approach to her appearance.”
A royal historian says Kate Middleton’s years of “dressing too old for her age” has paid off. How the voted-most-stylish Princess of Wales uses “timelessness” to appear “unchanging” like another royal before her.
Kate Middleton is a ‘reassuring presence’ in ‘timeless’ clothing
She may occasionally experiment — ahem, BAFTAs glove moment — but Kate’s style is “timelessness,” according to royal historian Tessa Dunlop.
“She knows about the imaging around timelessness,” Dunlop (via OK! Magazine). This is why Kate’s perhaps seemingly mature outfits now give off an “unchanging” air.
“For years Kate looked like she was dressing too old for her age,” she explained. “But now it is timeless, unchanging, constant Kate.”
Essentially, whatever is going on, whether it’s drama over the upcoming coronation or something on a global stage, Kate — and her “timeless” image — remains the same.
“Britain’s going through a rough time but there’s Kate supporting Wales as she should be at the rugby,” the historian said. “Or there she is doing the right thing at the beginning of the term with her three children.”
“She’s a reassuring presence,” Dunlop added.
Kate’s ‘unchanging’ style echos Queen Elizabeth’s ‘approach to her appearance’
Dressing the same way and developing a signature look doesn’t make Kate a royal first. What was once “dressing too old for her age” has now made her an “unchanging” figure similar to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The queen had a “’steady at the helm’ kind of approach to her appearance,” Kate Strasdin, PhD, aid (via Marie Claire). “It’s that … which was part of the appeal.”
“Her identity was rooted in precisely that consistency,” the fashion historian and royal dress expert explained. “So that while everything else was tumultuous, and the world was doing all sorts of things, that actually you could look at her at any point and she looked herself.”
Queen Elizabeth famously wore colorful ensembles to be easily recognizable. A handbag from the British brand Launer also became part of her iconic look, along with black Anello & Davide shoes and coordinating hats.
Kate Middleton wore a ‘very familiar’ look for Easter 2023
The 41-year-old put her “unchanging” style on full display during the annual royal family Easter appearance on April 9, 2023. She headed to church with Prince William and their children — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 — in a blue outfit.
“We saw Kate return to one of her very familiar silhouettes,” Miranda Holder, a royal fashion expert and celebrity stylist, said (via Express). “This time wearing an electric cobalt blue dress coat by Catherine Walker which, as the queen of sustainability in the family, Kate wore this last year to the Commonwealth Day service.”
“This year she gave it a sleek monochromatic makeover, with a matching clutch bag from Emil London, and a lovely pillbox hat from the British institution Lock and Coat.”
Next up is King Charles III’s coronation where Kate’s expected not to upstage her father-in-law with her outfit.
