Kate Wears Strapless Black Velvet McQueen to Military Awards

You know friends, nothing troubles us more than when we're not exactly sure if we like something or not. We much prefer it when we can look at an outfit and either fall in love instantly or dismiss it out of hand right away. We find that when it comes to the Duchess of Cambridge we're often teetering on the fence. There are times when it seems like a lot of Kate's outfits lack that one essential ingredient to make us totally swoon, or are just nice enough that we can't hate them. It's all very troubling.

Take the black velvet (or what appears to be velvet) Alexander McQueen gown that Kate sported at the Sun Military Awards held at the Imperial War Museum in London. At first glance we were a little underwhelmed. Black - yawn. Strapless - yawn. Velvet - well, it's almost Christmas, so we're inclined to give her a pass...

And then we looked closer. Like many a McQueen garment this dress is really all about the construction. The fitted bodice and dropped waist, the expert fall of the skirt. We also liked the sweetheart shape of the neckline and the added interest of the the pleated frill detailing. What we liked even more was that K-Midd was actually sporting some serious bling, apparently one of her wedding presents. The earrings were the same diamond ones we've seen before, most notably on Canada Day with that purple Issa number.

Kate's black platform pumps have been suggested to be Prada or Jimmy Choo, both brands that the Duchess has worn often. As for the black velvet bag with bow? It's the Pretty Ballerina clutch lined with Jamie Mascaro fabric.

So, overall, we're going to judge this velvet number a win, especially on Kate's tall and shapely frame. The only thing that may have been miscalculated is just how quickly a black velvet dress would get Kate compared to her late mother-in-law. Maybe that was the objective in the first place, but we can't help but think that if the Duchess wants to carve out her own identity within the royal family she'd do well not to encourage the inevitable Diana comparisons.