Kate in Purple Issa Dress

Back to Issa for Kate. The purple dress she wore to a concert in Ottowa last night, was very similar to the navy dress worn back in November at her engagement announcement.

photos via Daily Mail

Let's start with the positives. I'm giving Kate a big gold star for wearing something other than white or navy (or a combination of both). Purple is a really flattering color and she certainly is glowing. Kate chose black accessories - on the whole I'm glad because it would have been very bad if she tried to go all matchy with purple accessories. Very, very bad. That being said, this ensemble is a perfect example of why it would be so much more fun and interesting for all of us if Kate understood how to accessorize. The beauty of these Issa dresses is that they are so simple and sophisticated and BEG to accessorize interestingly - a strappy shoe, a chunky bracelet, a statement necklace. She is a young, beautiful woman who accessorizes like a woman twice her age. Observe:

Now, I realize Olivia Palermo is probably the most stylish person on the planet, but who better to turn to for inspiration? Maybe Kate just feels she needs to be super conservative, and maybe she does need to be. Perhaps being more interesting would open her up to too much criticism. Playing it safe means everyone can just say - "She looks nice" or "She looks beautiful", because she does. She just doesn't look very interesting.

Kate in Issa Bird Dress

The Duchess wore a black and white bird print Issa dress to a barbeque in Ottawa last evening. It's Ok, but not necessarily what I wanted to wake up to this morning.

photo via Daily Mail

photo via Daily mail

She paired the dress with simple gold jewelry and black espadrille wedges. She wore this same dress just before her wedding. Yikes - looks like she is also wearing pantyhose. She is, right? Someone needs to talk to her about this. Modern women do not wear pantyhose. They especially do not wear pantyhose to barbecues in middle of the summer. I know she is all confident about "who she is" and "her sense of style", I get it, but sometimes even the most self-assured among us can use a few words of advice right? Trust me on this one Kate - lose the hosier. Also, love the whole "I'm a new bride, so I'm wearing white" and "my signature color is blue" thing, but we're going to need some other colors thrown in there every once in a while. Ok. Carry on. Hope you got some sleep. See you in a few hours. 3 outfits down, 27 to go.

Pippa in Animal Prints

Pippa has redeemed herself every so slightly with this outfit. Unfortunately, she is still carrying my grandmother's handbag.

photo via Celebuzz

Perhaps she feels indebted to Modalu, who has renamed an entire handbag collection in her honor.

photo via Celebuzz

I am partial to animal prints as they are both timeless and edgy. I love the sequin zebra dress, by Issa, that Pippa wore to a Saatchi Gallery party in 2007. But, again, the shoes - so conservative. The dress deserves better.

photo via Vogue UK

The Blue Dress

photo via

As soon as Kate walked into the room in that blue Issa dress, I realized a fashion icon was born. She may be more conservative than we are used to in our fashionistas. I'm thinking that might be a GOOD thing. Not to mention, she is entering into royalty! But, there is no question, we will be watching Kate - ahem, Princess Catherine's style for years to come. Kate bought her Issa dress at Fenwick in Bond Street. The dress sold out online within hours of the engagement announcement. The world is watching Kate - let the fun begin!