It was Kate Middleton’s 31st birthday the other day, and to mark the occasion (other than, you know, with a stamp) we thought we’d lay out our five top K.Mid inspirations. There are plenty, but we’ll go with five.
#1: There are 3.8 million Google responses for “Kate Middleton nude shoes.” Nude shoes: The ultimate neutral. These are officially the LK Bennett Sledge ($345), which have a four-inch heel. Unsurprisingly, Jessica Simpson has a slightly tarted-up version for $89 (with a five-inch heel and a 1 1/2-inch platform), while Topshop has a cooler version with a shorter, glitter heel and a peep toe:
for $124.
#2: Dress for the occasion without putting on a costume. So, yes, there’s a big shamrock on her lapel, but this look for a St. Patrick’s Day parade last year is one of our faves. (And the shamrock pin belonged to the Queen Mother, so we’re betting that heritage trumped style in that case.) The shoes are Emmy and the dress Emilia Wickstead. Wickstead has, in our opinion, also designed the best First Lady dress we’ve ever seen:
#3: Even princesses (/duchesses) make mistakes. We’re not convinced she’s quite figured out scarves? Are we wrong?
#4: A Balenciaga (or fill-in-the-blank designer) handbag isn’t the only true path. Consider the clutch.
For our money, the great thing about clutches is that it’s impossible (well, difficult) to tell when they’re cheap, relative to a handbag. Forever 21 has loads—including this one, in rose gold, plus a million more. Forever 21 clutch, $24.80
#5: Fascinators are totally awesome. We’re not convinced an American can wear them without it looking costume-y (see #2) … but maybe things are changing? It’s like, we get first-run Peep Show here now, so maybe.
We think the problem with fascinators is when they start to look heavy. See:
Yikes. That’s also the problem we see with most of the bridal fascinators on Etsy. It’s not quite a fascinator, but we do love this…
which is by the very intriguing-looking Yestadt Millinery.
