Wedding Kate: Velvet & Sheer

Kate Middleton and some of the young royals were seen out and about this weekend at the wedding of Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Louise Stourton. While William was busy being an usher (and driving himself to the reception) Kate hung out with future in-laws like Prince Harry.

Kate has taken quite a bit of flak in the press for the sheer panel on her black dress and for the fact that she wore black at all. The sheer doesn't bother us, future princess or not, and neither does the black. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but who doesn't wear black to weddings? The boring, however, does bug. Something about the whole outfit just makes us want to close our eyes and...What?! Oh! Sorry...we must have dozed off there for a second.

As we were saying, even with the risque panel and the addition of velvet (such a very hot fabric this season) the outfit doesn't wow. We do like Kate wearing up-and-coming designers, though. The only thing we loooved about this outfit were those kicky purple shoes with bows on top (and clutch to match). And usually the shoes are the one part of Kate's outfits we don't really care for (they tend to be pretty staid and, dare we say, boring).

The Libélula silk velvet Dulwich frock coat that Kate wore was held together by a sparkly pin. Designed by Sophie Cranston, who has previously worked under Alexander McQueen and another Kate favorite Alice Temperley, the Dulwich coat is sold for £310.

The sheer dress that caused such a stir is an oldie, one that Kate also wore to Peter Phillips' wedding to Autumn Kelly (that time under a pink blazer). The dress is designed by Issa. Kate is quite well known for recycling pieces, pairing them with other things and making whole new outfits. You know, like us regular people do.

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Engaged! Prince William & Kate Middleton Make the Big Announcement

After nine years of dating Prince William announced his engagement to Kate Middleton. These photos of William and Kate at the official engagement announcement were beamed around the world; the press finally getting the news they've been salivating over for so long.

Us? We were interested in the important stuff. Namely what is Kate wearing? Answer: Issa London, one of the future princess' favorite designers.  Congrats to Daniella Issa Helayel, who just hit the sartorial jackpot. We give Kate two big thumbs up for this deep blue jersey number, which was gathered in all the right places. Of course, the dress also perfectly matched Kate's new--and most important--accessory.

Which brings us to Big Question Numero Dos. WHAT DOES THE RING LOOK LIKE?! And then we saw it. And we were all, "Oh, well, that looks awfully familiar..." Yup. Kate is now the proud owner of Princess Diana's sapphire-and-diamond stunner. We're kind of, well, stunned. More on that later, lovelies. We need to gather our thoughts.

Kate Admiring Her New Bling

We were also keen to know just where and how William popped the question. Apparently the smitten prince asked for his lady's hand in a remote cabin in Kenya. We say better Kate than us. That girl sure is a trooper--long wait and all--and deserves whatever diamonds and sapphires have come her way.

The date of the royal nuptials is still unknown. We're doing our best Waity Katie impersonation and patiently anticipating the announcement so we can clear our calendars. There's not much more in this world that we love as much as a good wedding.

Except maybe shoes. And chocolate. Definitely chocolate.


Photos by Getty Images