Kate Blends British and Pakistani Pieces for Midday Engagements

What a phenomenal look. The coat is classic Catherine Walker, and yet it works so perfectly in this setting! The fit and flare over the trousers and the Nehru collar echo traditional dress, but the coat is lovely enough on its own that Kate could easily re-wear it in the UK without looking out of place. I love the different shades of green carried throughout the coat, dupatta, earrings, and shoes/clutch (which I actually thought were black at first) – it's kept in balance with the addition of white trousers.

What a great photo wear Kate is walking with the Prime Minister, William, and other men all dressed in dark colours and she really pops with that bright green! Well done.

Please show us pictures of William & Kate at the dinner at their last night there...……….the colors were so pretty...……………I am sorry that you were sick during the tour...………..Thank you Mldred

Omg - Can we just enjoy her endeavors and her work as a duchess, she has three young children and still makes time for royal duties. I have honestly stopped focusing on what she wears and just look forward to her work and the value and meaning she brings in to people's lives she touches.

I love the lines of the coat, but not the color. I think a deeper green would suit her complexion better. I like the color of the cream pants, but not with the green of the coat. And perhaps a wider leg. This look reminds me of when my 6 year old wants to wear a dress, but it's cold out, so she puts pants ( not leggings or tights) on under it.

I seem to be in disagreement here but this outfit is a total miss for me. I normally subscribe to "if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all" but this outfit does make me want to comment about dressing for a particular cultural event, or when traveling in another country that has very different sartorial customs.

I think far and away Kate's best outfit on this tour (that Susan has written about so far) is the beautiful blue salwar kameez she wore while visiting the the park. The colour is stunning and the fit is great, and while some commented that is not as "fancy" as this type of outfit can be (the embroidery is beautiful but it's in no way elaborate), I think that given the context of where she is, i.e. daytime and out of doors, this outfit works perfectly.

In contrast, I think the outfit she wore on her arrival to Pakistan is just okay, while this outfit is a big miss. I believe that the turquoise Catherine Walker dress and this green dress were purchased with the mindset of "oh these will work for Pakistan and they can be worn again in a different context." The draping on the neckline of the turquoise dress is scarf-like but the dress itself is an odd length. It should have been shorter, to better show off the salwar/pants as in a traditional salwar kameez or full length like a gown. Why does this outfit not totally work? Because Catherine Walker is an UK designer, she does not design salwar kameez outfits. The same issue repeats itself with the green coat dress. Yes, the dress has a Nehru collar, which makes it appear vaguely south asian and it is done in green, which is the colour of the Pakistani flag but the accessories really do not work. I actually don't mind the white salwar pants with the dress. If she had gone with a nude suede pump and stopped there, and maybe added a sheer, white dupatta this totally could have worked. I can see what she is trying to do with matching the dark green pumps with the dark green dupatta but the shades of green completely clash (though to be fair, in some photos the colours look a little better than others depending on the lighting). Some have commented that they love this "east meets west look" but I totally disagree. I think it doesn't work because her stylist is trying to put together a look from various fashion lines, some very British in style (Catherine Walker, Emmy London) other genuinely Pakistani.

So this very long post is just to say, if you are going to travel to another country or to an event where the sartorial customs are very different from your own, please get help from someone from that culture. They will genuinely be happy to help. Maheen Khan and her team have the Duchess looking gorgeous in a traditional outfit, but this doesn't mean that you have to go fully traditional. Last summer I attended a Sikh wedding and my friend's auntie helped me select my outfits, one for the ceremony and one for the reception. We spent hours trying on differently styles, colours, and selecting jewelry, and I'm no celebrity. She steered me away from a true sari and into a more modern style because it takes skill and practice to drape a sari (there are no pins involved). I was able to re-wear both outfits to another Indian wedding later on but other than the bangles and earrings I was never able to incorporate these pieces into my day to day wardrobe. As beautiful as the blue salwar kameez was on the Duchess we'll never see her wear it again, barring another trip to Pakistan or perhaps a trip to a south asian cultural centre in the UK. And that's okay, it's okay to buy an outfit as a one time wear if it's for cultural reasons.

I can totally understand that the Duchess is under constant media scrutiny for how much she spends on clothes. On the one hand, the huge boost she gives to sales, particularly of UK brands is highly welcomed, but in a time with growing awareness of economic inequality she can experience backlash if she is perceived as spending too much. She is clearly aware of this, which is why she makes a deliberate effort to mix high and low and re-wears a lot of her outfits (though I also totally believe she re-wears outfits because she a busy mum and genuinely wears what she likes). But I think purchasing Catherine Walker pieces to try and create a Pakistani look led to awkward outfits. My apologies for the long post, but I feel this is such a thoughtful blog, I like to be thoughtful with my comments. NOTE: admin edit