Kate Middleton Wears Military-Inspired McQueen in Birmingham

Photo: Getty

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge were spotted out and about in Birmingham, meeting with area residents and families of the victims of the London riots. Kate's attire sombre enough, another military-inspired ensemble from Alexander McQueen (Pre Fall 2011). We'll just say, straight off the bat that this isn't our fave McQueen military look on Kate. We love the skirt, but we're thinking a little more simple on the blouse would have been good. Yes, a girl can have to many gold epaulets. And we're not entirely loving the match of the blue suede mystery pumps with this outfit, either.

Photo: style.com

You can see that Kate has done away with the belt and made the slits in the skirt much lower. The military silk-georgette blouse and the embellished wool crepe skirt are both available on net-a-porter.com. Kate also added her sapphire cabochon earrings (thought to be Tiffany) to the outfit.

Sartorial opinions aside, many have raised the question as to whether a military-inspired outfit--let alone one costing thousands--was really appropriate for the occasion. Kate's usually pretty diplomatic in what she wears, and conscious of the message she's sending, do you think this was a misstep?

Royal Tour of North America: Day 1 - Landing in Ottawa

The Eagle has landed!

Ehrm...well...the Duchess has, anyway.

William and Kate just arrived in Ottawa for the start

of their tour of Canada and Los Angeles.

Gone was Kate's version of stewardess chic, replaced by a stylish lace shift--the Erdem Cecile dress. We heartily approva of this choice. Photos via The Daily Mail UK.

Erdem Resort 2011 via style.com

Accessory-wise Kate went with the L.K. Bennett Sledge2 pumps, that mystery nude clutch and her hair styled half up, likely a real help in the wind.

Kate also wore the cabochon sapphire earrings she sported at her official engagement announcement at Clarence House (worn with that iconic blue Issa dress). We're thinking that the earrings and matching necklace may be from Elsa Peretti's collection for Tiffany's. According to Diana's Jewels these earrings feature "a sapphire oval cabochon set in yellow gold bezel hangs from a bezel set diamond stud."

The site also points out that this isn't the first time we've seen the earrings. Also, they're part of a set--Kate sported the necklace to the wedding of Lady Rose Windsor in 2008. And, seriously, we know there's been a lot of Waifey Katey talk lately, but the girl has never been big. What we can't get over is her face. Sometimes she looks like a completely different person. No? Just us?

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