My, oh my. This British royal couple really knows how to generate news… and just by traveling somewhere. I’m starting to feel like the William and Kate coverage we’ve got on our local SoCal news is equivalent to the occasional “Storm Watch!” coverage that pops up at the slightest drop of rain (if you live in California, you know exactly what I mean).
I’m not really a William and Kate fanatic; I didn’t get up at 1 a.m. to watch the royal wedding, and I haven’t been following their Canadian tour. Well, with one exception… I’ve sort of gotten sucked into the whole “What will Kate wear next?” saga. I know, it’s sad. But it’s also sort of fascinating.
Princess Catherine has become Britain’s own Michelle Obama in terms of fashion. She occasionally wears affordable styles, she wears things more than once (gasp!), and she chooses local designers based upon her travel schedule. It’s totally refreshing to have a young, beautiful, intelligent woman as a worldwide fashion icon.
So upon arrival in California earlier today (3:30 p.m., to be exact – blame my precise knowledge on that pesky news coverage), William and Kate were whisked off to the Beverly Hilton for a business event. This evening they were to attend a reception in Hancock Park, and tomorrow William will play in a charity polo match where… blah, blah, blah. Who cares. Let’s get back to the fashion.
When the young couple arrived at LAX earlier today, Princess Kate was wearing a gorgeous grey-blue dress made by Roksanda Illincic (see photos of Kate’s California arrival). The London-based designer has also dressed the likes of Michelle Obama and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Earlier today, you would have been able to buy Kate’s exact dress on sale for a mere $761.00 from MatchesFashion.com. Guess what? It’s sold out now.
While I think Kate looked gorgeous in this Roksanda Illincic crepe dress and nude heels, I would never shell out the cash to buy the garment (apparently, many people did). I WOULD, however, totally knock it off on a mom’s budget.
Here’s how my fashion-loving mind works… The internal conversation I had with myself earlier today went as follows: “Oooo! I love that dress! Would I wear it? Yes. But probably in a style that’s a little more flirty and less formal. Too bad I don’t have anywhere to wear it. Wait! I have a summer wedding coming up! Can I convince my husband to let me buy a new dress? Maybe if I show him how much money I saved by comparing it to Kate’s dress. Nah, he probably won’t care about Kate’s dress. I just have to find something really cheap and then beg.” Now I was on a mission. I decided to draw inspiration from my favorite elements of Kate’s dress: the lightweight fabric, the pale color, the cowlneck, and the gathered waist.
All that lead to finding this little gem:
The Trouvé Cutout Back Silk Dress from Nordstrom. At $98, it isn’t exactly a steal, but it’s much cheaper than Kate’s look and something I could get a lot of use from. It’s definitely a little less “secretary” and a lot more “cocktail party,” which I love. It’s also got a small cutout in the back that keeps it youthful. Oh, how I want it!
In my search, I stumbled across these Mossimo patent nude pumps at Target for only $29.99… yes, please! They are really similar to the ones Kate was wearing today and would look fabulous with the Trouvé dress.
Now to present it all to my husband…
Tomorrow’s charity polo match will no doubt have Kate in something fabulous. “Kate Watch 2011” begins! Ugh. I’m annoying myself.
See what Kate wore on Saturday and how it inspired me.
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