Kate Middleton or Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, these days is seen as the perfect wife and a great example of how one eased beautifully into the royal family and took on the new traditions and responsibilities and other peculiarities of royal life in stride. But it hasn’t always been like that. While Kate has been dating William for years before he proposed and had more time to get used to his family and their unusual ways, she still wasn’t quite on board with a few things that only the royals really have to be very careful and obsessive about. Here are some lessons she’s learned over the years.
1. Know When To Replace An Item Of Clothing
Kate definitely had her favourites when it came to brands of clothing and shoes and would wear certain things over and over. It was particularly obvious with a pair of boots that she loves. But after it was pointed out in the papers a few times that her shoes were in less than perfect condition she learned to replace them for a new pair before they started looking worn down.
2. Buy Multiples Of The Same Outfit
This goes hand in hand with the previous lesson if you have a few of the same thing you can wear interchangeably and have the item still look good for ages. It’s also a great solution for favourite dresses. You can buy the same model that fits like a glove in multiple colors and have a perfect outfit for any occasion without having to spend ages thinking of what to wear.
3. Taylor Things To Fit With The Dress Code
Kate has a way more modern sense of style than the Queen, for example, and that means she might like certain designer dresses. However, modern designer dresses often have no sleeves, cut-outs and short skirts, which are all a big no-no for royals. But Kate found a way to still enjoy certain designer things by simply having them changed a little to fit her style, whether that means adding sleeves or making the skirt longer. And of course, that’s way easier to do when you’re a member of the royal family and can just contact the designer and ask them to make the changes.
4. Treat Coats Like Dresses
When you’re a royal you have to attend many events and you’ll be photographed a lot of the time on your way to those events and just generally outside. So while most of us can get one or two good goats and be set for a couple of years, Kate basically has to treat coats like a dress, and have many different ones so that it doesn’t look like she’s wearing the same thing all the time. She hasn’t always followed this rule and has been seen at multiple important events in the same coat, but over the years she learned to purchase many in various colors and styles.
5. Know That Trends Are Temporary
As a royal, you have to just let the trends pass you by sometimes. A lot of the time they’re very temporary and by next month people will have forgotten about it. Kate has way more official visits to do than she has days spent just chilling, so it makes sense for her to just build a wardrobe around what’s classic and will fit any occasion, rather than becoming a slave to the trends and having to constantly change her style.
6. Don’t Wear Light Fabrics In Windy Weather
It goes without saying that short skirts aren’t really a thing first for royals, but the same goes for wearing light flowy skirts or dresses on windy days. Sure there are less chances of an accidental gust of wind exposing you in a long dress, but it’s still not great to have your skirt blowing all around you and being worried about it the entire time instead of focusing on the event itself.
7. Don’t Be Afraid To Stand Out
When Kate first joined the royal family she tried her best to blend in, wear modest dresses in neutral colors and not draw too much attention to herself. However, over the years she learned that you’re definitely allowed to wear bright colors and stand out in a crowd, as long as your clothes are tailored to appropriate lengths and fits. We all know the Queen likes wearing very bright colors, she’s even worn a fully neon green outfit but you never see her with deep V-necks or short skirts.