How lucky are we, royally obsessed fashionistas?? In just a few short months, we’ll have TWO beautiful British duchesses to inspire us every day. I’ve adored the Duchess of Cambridge for years. And now I’m thrilled that at last we’ll have an American princess. (Even if Meghan is given a duchess title, as Prince Harry’s wife she’ll still sort of be a princess. Remember Kate’s occupation on Prince George’s birth certificate was listed as “princess of the United Kingdom.” It totally counts.) So many American little girls dream of one day becoming princesses, and it’s especially exciting to see the fairy tale actually play out.
I’m also looking forward to seeing Kate and Meghan interact, especially in joint engagements. It’s double the fun! Their Christmas Day church visit was a gift in itself to us royal watchers.
Sadly, my Meghan Mania isn’t shared across the board. Since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement announcement, there’s been a lot of truly ugly online chatter. Some of it’s been from internet trolls, which I suppose is to be expected in this day and age. (Still…yuck.) But what’s shocked me has been a number of negative comments I’ve seen from fans of the Duchess of Cambridge, as well as articles from popular magazines and newspapers comparing the two women.
First of all, it’s not a contest. Kate and Meghan aren’t competing for some kind of prize. They’ve both fallen in love with men who happen to be British princes (dreamy sigh), and they’ve both signed on for a lifetime of service to the Crown. They shouldn’t be compared to one another and judged against one another in any way. This never happens with William and Harry. It shouldn’t happen with Kate and Meghan. Also, this sort of journalism and online commenting goes against everything the royal themselves stand for. With their Heads Together campaign, William, Kate and Harry have been working hard to combat bullying behavior. Before Meghan ever met Harry, she was very outspoken about acceptance and kindness through her website, The Tig, as well as her humanitarian work.
Kate and Meghan are different in a lot of ways, but you can like them both. Fashion-wise, their styles are polar opposites. Kate tends to choose more conservative styles with classic silhouettes. Everything about her says DUCHESS from head to toe. She favors a feminine color palette, as opposed to Meghan’s sleek neutrals. Meghan’s style choices are often more structural. She has a laid back California-girl vibe and even on official engagements, has made some unexpectedly edgy choices, such as mixing up her earrings, wearing multiple rings at a time, forgoing hosiery and rocking a messy bun. I like to think of it as a very modern princess look.
Personally, I love the fact that Kate and Meghan are so different fashion-wise. How boring would it be if they dressed alike all the time? It’s fun to try and predict what designers they’ll choose for different occasions. As a royal enthusiast and fashion lover, it’s really fun to incorporate both of their styles into my own personal look. My closet is filled with items inspired by Kate and Meghan, and oftentimes, I’ll wear them together. When we use the word RepliKate here at WWKD, we’re referring to drawing inspiration from Kate’s style and making it your own, not always trying to be a duplicate duchess. That’s what makes following the RepliKate community fun. It’s interesting to see how royally chic fashionistas chooses to rock a princess vibe in their own unique way.
Like Kate, I tend to wear a lot of dresses. I’m also a very girly girl. I love Kate Spade, and I have several Kate Spade dresses that have been worn by either Kate or Pippa. Oftentimes, I’ll style them a bit differently, but I love the feeling that comes with wearing an item that was chosen by one of the Middletons. It’s special.
Meghan wears fewer girly dresses, but she wore a toile dress that I absolutely loved to one of her promotional appearances for Suits a while back and I snapped it up right away. Again, I put my own spin on the dress by pairing it with rose-gold glitter shoes with little pom-pom details instead of the sleek red stilettos that Meghan chose.
One of the things I really love about Meghan’s style is her handbag selection. Kate is most often seen carrying a clutch. Clutches are very elegant and princessy, but usually don’t work for me because I like to tote a book around in my bag. Even my iPhone 7 plus wouldn’t fit into a lot of Kate’s bags. So I really love that Meghan has opted for larger bags on her engagements and appearances. Like everyone else, I fell in love with the Strathberry bag she carried in Nottingham. I immediately ordered one, but chose a softer color palette that better matched my aesthetic–powder blue, pearl and light dove grey. I have a few Meghan bags, and they’re all in different color varieties than Meghan’s. Again, that’s one of the things I love about following royal fashion. Putting your own spin on RepliKates and Mirror Megs is creative and fun.
When it comes to my feet, let’s just say I’d happily live in either Kate or Meghan’s shoe closet. They both have impeccable taste in shoes, whether they’re wearing flats, heels or even athletic shoes. I guess what I’m saying is GIVE ME ALL THE PRINCESS SHOES. Something tells me if you’re reading this, you can relate.
Every so often, Kate and Meghan take us by surprise and wear something similar. They’re both fans of Erdem and have rocked floral frocks by this designer on several occasions. They also have the same Diane Von Furstenberg lace dress. Kate’s is floor-length, while Meghan’s is a minidress. I snagged a very similar lace dress, and mine seems to be a perfect blend of both looks.
Are you inspired by both Kate and Meghan when it comes to fashion? Tell us how you incorporate both of their looks into your royal wardrobe below!
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