Sorry, I don't get the slamming of other royal women to obfuscate the subject at hand, namely Catherine's Eveningwear and what posters think about it. That is what this thread is for and, if you don't like what people are saying then respond with an on topic evaluation or rebuttal of your own.
Denigrating people like HGD Stephanie, Princess Anne and the Duchess of Cornwall in an attempt to derail the discussion is merely muddying the waters and causing discord.
I think the people who do this already know that, and find some pleasure in being catty about others.
Personally, I think had she merely worn her hair behind her shoulders (as some others have said), it would have shown off the jewels (and she should pay some attention to her posture, I'm guessing most of us do). In her case, standing tall and finding out what she does want to do with her hands, if not carry an evening bag - which I agree is an excellent prop and provides contrast and an extra styling that Kate seems to abjure - is an important thing for her to figure out. Since she's constantly photographed and has so many still pictures, she'd do well to figure out the hands thing (and while I have always defended her long hair, I have to agree that in these pictures it does start to seem like a "curtain of hair" and that she's hiding back there somewhere).
Which is okay, if that's how she wants to come off and be seen, but not okay if she's hoping for a different appearance.
Although I like seeing Kate wearing her hair up, I'm not too keen on this style, although I haven't seen a picture of the back view yet. I can't quite put my finger on why I'm not liking it. Also Kate's eye makeup is particularly heavy - First time I feel there's evidence of the tour taking its toll. As for the dress, I quite like it, but I was expecting something special for this final reception. The accessories aren't helping either - a more delicate touch would have helped the overall impression.
I couldn't look at that dress for long, at first, and now I'm thinking it's because the shoulders make her look like a running back, there's something sort of military about the silhouette and it's the shoulders of the dress that are bothering me, too much attention drawn to them by the design.
I do like her hair up in this dress, but the eye make-up is still awfully strong for the overall look. If the dress had been simpler, though, I think hair and make-up would have been a bit more in balance.
