2011 in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge

Best of the Year

Boom! The late entry wins the game at the buzzer! Yeah, I lurve it. The dress is just divine, I think this is the most flattering thing she wore the whole year. Like so many of you noted, I have some reservations about the necklace (I'd take the ruby flower deals off, that's too wee and twee for my tastes), but: she wore it. And what did I say about that? Step 1: put the diamonds on. Step 2: do other things. Here's hoping for a blingy new year!

Runners Up

I love a killer shoe and I love purple - these are not secrets well kept. Therefore, the very first Kate appearance of the year must make my list of runners up. Nods also go to what I found to be two of her most young, fresh, and feminine takes on the old school jacket and dress/skirt combo, the blue and black and the crochet look (which I know some of you will very much disagree with me on). At the time of the big tour, I favored her lilac Roksanda Ilicnic dress, but fickle me has now switched my affections to the twirly purple McQueen. The pink Jenny Packham was actually going to be my #1 until the black velvet slinked in at the buzzer because, well, I love a sparkly "Look at me!" number. I just do. Sue me.

And then there's the wedding gown. The wedding gown is in here simply because I recognize that it would be ludicrous not to include it, though I still agree with my first impressions. Thus, I include my favorite view: the train, which is and was perfection.

Worst of the Year

Nobody has a perfect year, alas. I thought about the Salmon Stella, which is probably the only thing I'd call an actual hot mess for the Duchess' whole year, and I thought about a couple of the entirely oatmeal ones - seriously, contrast is your friend - but I'm giving my title to the Alexander McQueen outfit worn to visit the aftermath of the riots. And that actually has nothing to do with how the thing looks (though I do stand by my initial assessment, which was: work it or go home).

No, this is about public relations. Katemania dictates that everything she wears will be analyzed to death and just a hair beyond that, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. It's a monster, and it's coming for all of us. But the newest Duchess on the block is a careful player in the sartorial game. She's done her best to restrain the debate over her outfits...except for this one. Debuting a pricey ensemble on this particular occasion was a misstep. I don't care if it personally offended you or not (it didn't bother me), but it was a rare PR mistake, and for that, I hereby dub it the Worst of the Year.

Which outfits make your best and worst lists for Catherine in 2011?

Photos: Daylife/Getty Images/Hello/AP

Week in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, 4-10 December

Here's what Catherine wore from 4-10 December:

1. a) Attending a Gary Barlow charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall, 6 December, in b) a Zara dress and Ralph Lauren jacket (last seen leaving after the wedding). Basic party dress, royal-ed up with the addition of the jacket and tights. I've seen a lot of people clutching their pearls over the length, but that didn't bother me; she's covered up everywhere else, and it's the only concession she's making here to the fact that she's a 29-year-old at a rock concert. What do you wear to a concert at which your husband and his father are wearing suits and ties, anyway?

Photos: Ian Jones/Daily Mail/Zara

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 13-19 November

Here's what Máxima wore from 13-19 November:

1. Visiting Deventer Home Entrepreneurs, 15 November.
2. Opening the Amsterdam Participation Market, 17 November.
3. Making a school visit, 18 November.
4. Attending the world premiere of a Dutch documentary, 18 November. The best in an extraordinarily typical Máxima week, I suppose.

Photos: PPE/Buys/Het Koninklijk Huis/ANP/Dutch Photo Press

Week in Review: Princess Máxima, 6-12 November

Here's what Máxima wore from 6-12 November:

1. Opening Money Week 2011, 7 November. A cape! Yay! I hope she swooped it around a bit, if so then I will forgive the matchy-matchy shoes.
2. At the opening conference of the European Office of the Sustainability Consortium, 8 November. A thoroughly typical outfit, topped with a new Natan coat.
3. Attending the Erasmus Prize award ceremony, 9 November. This is a little...lackluster, no?
4. Receiving the first coin made for Money Week, 10 November.
5. Welcoming Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) with her daughters, 12 November. My, my, I'm not sure when the last time was our colorful Máx was this monochrome for whole week (leave it to her to go with a reddish week instead of a grayish one, at least - bless!). We need some color variety, and for that we turn to the A-Team and their jaunty chapeaux:

Well done ladies, well done.

Photos: PPE/v.d. Werf/Dutch Photo Press/Nieboer

Week in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, 6-12 November

Here's what Catherine wore from 6-12 November:

1. a) Attending a dinner for the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal, 10 November, in a custom version of this (b) Jenny Packham gown and (c) a pair of earrings which have been identified as silver with "crystal paste stones" by Beaut Jewellery who supplied this design to Jenny Packham. I won't lie and say I wasn't disappointed to learn she didn't have a new set of diamonds in her jewel box, but they sparkled on video nevertheless, and they're a great Deco-esque design. As for the toga dress, I think it's great but I wish she'd done her hair up (it was only sort of half up on the one side) because I think there's too much going on with the flutter sleeve and the asymmetrical neckline plus all the hair. In other words: an utterly typical assessment from one who is permanently on Team Updo.
2. a) At a meeting for the Prince's Charities Forum, 11 November, in a b) blazer from Zara. Basic wool blazer with an interesting detail: I like it. Can't really make out what she had on underneath, though.

Outside our regular time frame, but no doubt this is fresh on everyone's minds:

1. At the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph with fellow royal family members (top row includes the Duchess of Cornwall, the Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne's husband Vice Admiral Tim Laurence; bottom row is Princess Alexandra of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester), 13 November, wearing a Diane von Furstenberg coat and Jane Corbett hat. Not a huge fan of the forward tilt on Kate's hat or of Sophie's choice to repeat the flamboyant gray hat she wore to Monaco's royal wedding for this particular event; however, it doesn't matter. That's just not what this event is about. 

Members of the royal family that lay wreaths at the Cenotaph. (Front: the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Second: the Duke of York and the Princess Royal. Third: the Duke of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales. Fourth: the Duke of Kent and the Earl of Wessex.)

Photos: Paul Rogers/Daily Mail/Just Jared/British Monarchy Flickr/Zara/Getty Images/Daylife

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 28 August - 3 September

Here's what Mette-Marit wore from 28 August - 3 September:

1. Attending a relative's confirmation, 28 August. Back in national dress, just like I like her.
2. At the welcome ceremony beginning the state visit from South Africa to Norway, 31 August. What a difference a red lip makes, am I right?
3. a) The state banquet, 31 August, in b) Valentino. Well, it's a different take on the ruffles she's so fond of, I'll give her that. Actually, I'm digging the dress, I'm just not sure about the hippie-esque vibe alongside her orders and tiara. Even if her tiara is made of daisies.
4. Visiting Zurich International School, 1 September.
5. At the opening of the One Young World Summit in Zurich, 1 September. LOVE. Perfect LBD for her.

It's a state visit, so we'd better do a tiara roundup:

Mette-Marit in her Diamond Daisy Tiara, Queen Sonja in her massive emeralds, and Astrid...oh, Astrid! These are her wings. (See also: horns, antennae, and feathers - which is what they're actually supposed to be.) Every time she wears this, she takes another step up on my list of royals I'd like to have a drink with. You just can't sport something like that without a great sense of humor.

Gown check:

I think that's a new gown for Sonja, and a passable one at that; and a multi-repeat from Astrid, per usual. Plus a rather...erm...bountiful gown for the South African First Lady there. Wow.

Photos: fvn.no/Kristin Ellefsen/siste.no/Valentino/blich.ch/Schweizer Illustrierte

Week in Review: Princess Letizia, 19-25 June

Here's what Letizia wore from 19-25 June:

1. At a meeting for the Prince of Girona Foundation, 21 June a) the Zara dress, and b) the purse. This is a cute little dress, but I think one of the girls accidentally had a craft hour with that bag...
2. Attending a dinner, 21 June.
3. At the opening of the Foro Impulsa conference, 22 June. The blue suit is back (again), but at least she shook up the top she wore it with this time, I guess?
4. Awarding the IMPULSA Prizes, 22 June. Now here's a repeat I can get behind! Viva la mod Mango dress!

Photos: Terra/Hola

Week in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, 12-18 June

Here's what Catherine wore from 12-18 June:

1. Attending Prince Philip's birthday service, 12 June, a) on Kate with Jane Corbett fascinator and LK Bennett shoes, b) the Zara dress underneath, c) the first appearance of the Jane Troughton coat, and d) her earrings.

Some of you said this was a bit of a blue overdose, with the blue brocade coat over the blue dress and topped with a blue fascinator. And while I won't disagree with you on that, I'm not docking her for it. My reasons are threefold: 1) she wore a color, and I'll take it, 2) she's not wearing the coat in exactly the same way she did when she first wore it, and you know how annoyed I get when people repeat the exact same outfit - mixing it up is good for the soul, and 3) she resisted the bridesmaid urge to stick blue shoes with the thing, so we know that she did in fact exercise some Smurf restraint. I threw the earrings in there too; lots of people are suspecting she's wearing a pair that used to belong to Diana - pretty generic earring form to have a definite identification on that, but it's a definite possibility.

2. Prince Philip's birthday dinner, 12 June, a) the best view, b) the full view, behind Zara, c) the dress from Stella McCartney, and d) the dress as worn by Madonna.

THIS IS SO SAD. I mean, she wears something with color and it's shiny and it's Stella Freaking McCartney and it's...this. With all due apologies to Kate's army of admirers, somebody has to call it: we've got her first official Hot Mess on our hands. I'd say we need to give it another outing with better lighting and better photography, but sadly that outing can obviously not be anything involving such strenuous activities as, uh, sitting without this thing getting creased to bugger and back. (Also: I strongly object to the choice of black pumps - court shoes, if you please - with this. Give me a little metallic strappy number and we'll talk.)

3. Garter Day, 13 June, a) on Kate with a Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat, and b) from Katherine Hooker.

I love that she's not just sticking with Philip Treacy as her main hat boyfriend, by the way. Clearly that strategy isn't working out so well for Beatrice and Eugenie, so a little variety is just what the milliner ordered.  With regards to the rest of it, I stand by my original assessment of this outfit: aging? Yes. Timeless/princessish/eminently appropriate? Also yes. Of this week, I'd have to declare this one my favorite.

Do you have a favorite this week?

Photos: Daylife/Getty/Robin Bell/Daily Mail/Katherine Hooker/Zara

Week in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge, 24-30 April

Here's what Catherine wore from 24-30 April:

1. Outside Clarence House, 27 April. Love the cowl neck/blazer combo.
2. Wedding rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, 27 April. Of all the half shots of Kate in cars from this week, this is the only one I'm including. Doesn't it look like she's wearing outfit 6?
3. Last rehearsal and arrival at the Goring Hotel, 28 April. Daily Mail says this dress is Issa.
4. At the wedding, 29 April.
5. Evening wedding party, 29 April.
6. Departing from Buckingham Palace, 30 April, a) on Kate, and b) from Zara. So much better than her usual dress + jacket combos. I think it's the neckline of the jacket that's really making this work.

Best and Worst of the Week

Honestly, I really really liked outfit 6, but sort of felt it would be ludicrous to have that one as best over the wedding dress. Still stand by my original assessment of the gown, though. There's not much to pick from on the bad side, so I'll go with the printed dress that just looked a little messy to me.

Which are your favorites for Kate this week?

Photos: Splash/DailyMail/Zimbio/PacificCoastNews.com/HugoBurnand/royal.gov.uk/PA

Week in Review: Crown Princess Mary, 20-26 February

Here's what Mary wore from 20-26 February:

1.  a) First official photos of the twins, released 25 February, and b) Mary's top from Zara. Aw. Little monkeys!

Photos: Kongehuset.dk/Zara.com