The Duchess Updates Familiar Dress with New Accessories for Garden Party – UPDATED

I am very late commenting on this, but I felt I had to write just to show my appreciation for the company behind Kate's earrings. I hope she'll continue to showcase more affordable, sustainable brands as William and Charles continue to support causes fighting climate change.

This is a perfectly appropriate look for the occasion, and all of the royal ladies coordinate well. It's not a particularly stand-out dress – Kate has many in a similar style – but it does have a timeless quality about it. I prefer the dress on this occasion to the previous one. And after so many years of various nude and beige shoes, I am liking this recent trend of Kate's to go with a slightly darker shoe; I particularly like the shade of these Jimmy Choos. As for the hat, I feel the flower-under-the-brim look works better with the "flying saucer" style – this wavy version, while more interesting from the non-flower side, does tend to look a bit droopy when looking at the wearer head-on. My favourite look of the day is Sophie's. I love her hat and the fact that she paired a monochrome outfit with a fun bag.

The photos and videos from garden parties are always so fascinating to me. I can imagine what a daunting task it is for the royals to have to mingle for hours among 8,000 people, all of whom want to see and speak to them. Well done to them for being such good sports about it (making so much small talk sounds like my worst nightmare). They always look genuinely interested in the conversations they are having and the small tidbits that are shared are a treat. I'm sure many women can relate to Kate's struggle of having to hold her dress, umbrella, and hat all at once!

With this outfit, I wonder: am I watching a period drama or this real modern life? Over the past few years, Kate has embraced the prairie/retro/matronly 70s vibe thing. Or maybe she is the muse behind it? Overall, I am supportive and I love fashion that embraces a 'lady like' look with the lack of skin showing and longer lengths.

But, this look takes it a bit too far, IMO. It looks like she is PLAYING duchess in a costume in her own Netflix drama. Someone mentioned earlier, though, perhaps it is fitting because the setting is a very old palace and the men are waltzing about in top hats in tails in the middle of the day. Perhaps the whole thing is play acting. Who else in the world is romping around like this except for the modern British royalty.

The fact that this dress is self designed (though possibly a knock off as shown in the post) contributes to my opinion that no one else is wearing something like this...except in a tv show. The only other dress that I can recall that matches this one in terms of its period look was a long aqua blue dress worn at a Royal Ascot about 4 years ago. But even that looked more modern with the sheer sleeves and other detailing. https://whatkatewore.com/2019/06/18/the-duchess-in-elie-saab-for-royal-ascot/

Again, I adore Kate fashion, but I am over the colors that are the same, but not really. She has hundreds of pairs of shoes, but I am baffled that she had to get another pair that is not even the same color as the dress. And the earrings have a vintage vibe that seems unnecessary with all of the other earrings that she has in this hue.

When I went to Prom in 1976, I wore a Gunne Sax dress in pale blue that looked a lot like this dress, only longer! It was in style then and i guess now, but even if I were 40 I'm not sure I would love wearing this style as an adult. So Victorian. I guess it's OK for her, but agree with commenters that she is almost too old for some of this girly girly stuff. I'd like to see her look a little more adult and sophisticated. Still, I guess for a British garden party it's not horrible.

LOVE THE HAT. The dress is beautiful and appropriate, just not my taste. In another 10+ years even Kate may not be able to pull off such old fashioned styles, so I say wear it while you can if you like it. Old fashioned styles on a young person are quaint or retro, but on an older person, hmmmm. I also love the earrings but find them a little busy beside the busy collar. I'd love to see this hat, earrings, clutch and shoes with very simple sheath dress in a neutral white, cream or tan so they are clearly the stars. My first thought when I saw the pictures was, lovely dress but so pale she doesn't stand out in the crowd, particularly on an overcast rainy day. She clearly isn't taking a page from HRH's "dress so that people can see you" rule book on this day. I suppose with Kate's height, sky high heels and a hat the adds several more inches, she would tower over everyone else and be easy enough to spot in the crowd. I loved the coral colour of the last garden party look, but prefer a flowy style like this for the event. Loved the colour of Sophie's dress and her purse was terrific and stood out against the simple lines of her dress. I think her hairstyle was excellent. Pinned back so no need to keep adjusting it while her hands were busy with the clutch and umbrella. Also, slight waves are probably sensible if the damp and rain causes it to frizz or curl more. No point in attempting a straight style when rain is on the menu.

Been a few comments about how Kate walks on the grass in high heels and does not sink. Most likely has the plastic clear tips over her heels. I use them all the time and just last week attended a wedding (Nightcap Ridge - hinterland, Byron Bay, Australia) and used the protectors for my heels. The ceremony was outside on the grass, but Australia's Eastern Seaboard had torrential rain, so the grass was extremely wet. I noticed a lot of the ladies wore the heel protectors and then took them off to go inside to the reception. They are fully transparent and you can't really see them.

Kate looks amazing for a garden party, very pretty dress and hat suitable for afternoon tea.