Little Details, Big Statement

One of Kate’s most endearing qualities, in my opinion, is the little details that she puts into her different outfits that offer a nod to the people or place that she’s visiting or honouring.

 A great example is the lace Erdem dress she wore while she was on Tour in Canada back in June of 2011, as seen above. This dress is both stylish and incredibly fashion-forward which is reason enough that she would be interested in wearing it- but Erdem‘s namesake designer was born in Montreal (in Canada) so the dress was both a nod to the fashion gods as well as to Canada. She does this quite often and will probably continue to do so on her Southeast Asian tour in September 2012.

On that same Canadian trip, she often wore small Canadian trinkets to honour her host country such a brooch with a maple leaf or a cowboy hat and belt buckle. For really fantastic coverage of all of the outfits Kate wore on her Canadian trip, I’d recommend looking at The Mirror’s great coverage of all her outfits (and especially her accessories!)

So you need to add some flair to your style… What would Kate Do?

• Take time to think about where you’re going and plan, plan, plan. Planning is key when you’re trying to work details into your outfit because if the big picture doesn’t work then you can’t possibly expect to have the small details down either. Take the time to think about the w’s of your event: who is going, what are you doing, when in the day is it, where is the event and why are you going. Take, for example, a meeting with your new boss. While your best black suit is probably the only option it also might be a good time to break out a bright scarf to go with it to highlight your creative flair, a company pin/brooch (You know, those often tacky pins you get when you celebrate 1/3/5/10 year anniversaries?) which showcases your loyalty to the company or your small diamond solitaires to showcase how successful you’ve been in the past. These of course are all examples- and you’ll have to tailor it to your situation- but it’s these subtleties that you can tailor to work with your situation in order to amp up your style like Kate
• Do some research on where you’re going if you’re going somewhere that you’ve not been before. For example, there are very specific cultural preferences and customs which are to be adhered to when visiting certain countries. For example, if Kate (or you) were to visit China you would not want to wear a brightly colored outfit as that is considered to be rude. Or in other parts of China it’s considered offensive for women to wear high heels. It’s definitely worth a quick Google search before you head out.
• We like working pieces into all outfits that are personal and that are meaningful– and we also like looking for those pieces when we’re out on vacation. For example, one of our Editors recounts one of their favorite sentimental purchases as when they bought a Ferragamo bag from the Salvatore Ferragamo store in Florence while on their European honeymoon. The purse bought was in a classic style and will be worn for years to come; every time that she brings out the bag it reminds her of a very specific and happy time in her life. Kate does this every day by wearing her late mother-in-law Diana’s vintage engagement ring.