Princess Kate’s ‘substance over style’ dictate is all about Duchess Meghan?

Over the weekend, Kensington Palace told royal reporters that they (KP) would no longer provide information or designer IDs on the Princess of Wales’s clothes. While the Times was the first to report the “news,” many other outlets independently got the story too. It was a real thing, a real briefing from KP, that Kate is demanding that everyone talk about her “work” and not her style. People had a lot of theories as to why this message, why now, and what was behind it. I agree that something weird has been happening with Kate’s wardrobe budget – it’s been noticeably slashed. I also think the “no IDs” thing is an admission of defeat, as in: Kate is not a fashionista and she’s tired of trying to compete at that level. Still, the usual suspects are trying to massage this into a victory for Kate, because at least she’s not like the very fashionable and chic Meghan! So predictable.

The Princess of Wales is reportedly making an important change as she returns slowly to royal duties after being treated for cancer, and will no longer release details of the outfits she wears on public engagements. Explaining the decision, a Kensington Palace source told the Sunday Times that there is ‘an absolute feeling that it [the public work] is not about what the princess is wearing.’

This desire to keep the focus totally on her work is in direct contrast to the approach taken by her sister-in-law Meghan Markle who has spoken about how she wears outfits by brands she’s invested in, knowing they will get a sales boost.

The Duchess of Sussex has been building her investment portfolio since she left the Firm with Prince Harry in 2020, and has put money into five to ten brands – including handbag label Cesta Collective, whose designs she’s sported on mulitple occasions.

With Kate determined for the focus to be on her work, it raises the question of whether she wants to distance herself from her sister-in-law’s approach of putting the focus on her outfits. While the future Queen hasn’t invested money in any of the brands she wears, she is fully aware that her endorsement will give labels a welcome sales boost. Kate is often seen supporting her favourite British brands such as Sarah Burton, who designed her wedding dress, Jenny Packham, Boden, LK Bennett and Whistles.

Since Kate officially became a member of the Royal Family in 2011, Kensington Palace would routinely issue press with details of the garments she wore to events. But it seems that the mother-of-three is hoping to shine the spotlight away from her clothes and more on the work she does to help charities and other causes.

The Duchess of Sussex, also known for her stylish and elegant ensembles, often dons accessories and clothing from ‘smaller, up-coming’ brands, before investing in a handful. Her wardrobe, like Kate’s, holds influential power, as a bag from the Scottish brand Strathberry sold out 11 minutes after Meghan was seen proudly sporting it on an engagement with Harry.

[From The Daily Mail]

Actually a bit surprised that the Mail admitted that Meghan drives fashion sales and that people are fascinated by what she wears. I mean, yeah, there’s a difference between the two women. Meghan has a great eye for fashion and accessories and she wears clothes well. Kate… used to have a large budget for fussy, button-covered coatdresses. Meghan uses her money and stardom to invest in smaller, female-owned brands and bring more attention to the brands. Kate wanders around in Sister Wife dresses and she apparently doesn’t want those brands to get any attention or boost from her style patronage. You can really tell that the British media isn’t crazy about Kate’s new “substance over style” tantrum. They can’t even gin up any rage over Meghan in their comparison.

Also: the Telegraph had a piece about Kate’s “substance over style” thing, and they quote Bethan Holt, the newspaper’s Fashion Director. Holt hilariously said this: “Fashion has always been a delicate subject for Kate. It was obvious from the beginning of her relationship with William that her style choices would be closely scrutinised and there was almost no way that she couldn’t play into that. It was reported that she was keen not to become an instant style icon in the way that Princess Diana had.” You guys, she never wanted to be a style icon like Diana! She never wanted to be fashionable or fun or iconic!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.