Monday Memory: December 25, 2011

I had family in for a long weekend. The day they all arrived, my little boy came down with his very first fever! It was wonderful to host family, but it was also quite the chaotic weekend. The last of the party left this afternoon, and my baby has recovered, so it is time to turn back to Kate the Great. Our delayed Monday Memory takes us back to December 25, 2011—Kate’s first Christmas as a royal.

I am trying to remember what I thought about this look at the time. I can’t quite recall. I know I really loved this hat. To me, it felt very 18th century in its style. It was by Jane Corbett, who was my favorite milliner at the time. Sadly, she retired from making hats some years ago—a huge disappointment to me. Her creations were alway feminine and so creative. She really was a talent.

I don’t think I ever really loved this coat. It was by an “independent British designer,” and then, as now, I think the coat looks awkwardly tight and lacking movement. I also think the color is just a little off— a tad too much brown mixed into the burgundy. You can really see the color difference when you contrast the coat with the hat. I just am not in love with it. Kate completed her look with her then-signature black stockings and Mascaro heels. It was a nice look, but perhaps not her very best.

The star of the show, at least at the time, was the debut of these beautiful Kiki McDonough drop earrings. It is believed that William custom ordered these in green amethyst, because they were not of sale on the site at the time. Since then, Kiki has added green amethyst in this style to her regular inventory. But, we all assumed that these were Kate’s Christmas present from William. As I have mentioned a few times, I miss seeing Kate wear Kiki McDonough.

Although I am not in love with the coat, I certainly do not hate it. I think this is a coat that has not aged well for me. In light of her choices today, it feels a little clunky, although I don’t know that I felt that way at the time. Even so—even viewed from the lens of today—I still don’t heavily dislike it. It just feels dated and not quite as sophisticated as her more recent Christmas looks. But it feels very much of the time, and that makes me smile. Her short skirt peeking out from underneath certainly is from another era!

What do you think? Did you like this at the time? What do you think now?