August 20, 2013: Royal Dresses

A favorite dress...with my royal baby, Zachary

I have never been one to follow celebrities, reality shows, or the royalty; but I do have a declaration contrary to this statement. I like Kate Middleton. I like this princess (technically duchess?) a lot.

I can't tell you much about her personal life, other than she has a similarly pretty sister and dated the prince for years. I can tell you that her genuine smile and warm and friendly way of interacting with commoners is commendable. But where Kate has really won me over is with her recent clothing choices.

Princess Kate first caught my attention as she exited the hospital showing her new baby to the world. Her dress of choice was clearly maternity wear and her post-baby-bump, both obvious and worn with pride.

The press responding by continuously commenting on Kate's protruding tummy instead of the glow of her new motherhood. There was no attempt by Kate in hiding her post-baby changed figure. The young princess appropriately could have cared less.

Today as I scanned MSN.com, a picture of this cute royal family popped up. I gave the picture a glance, but it was the headline that caught my eye. "Kate's $72 Portrait Dress". Yep, I love this princess. She's my kind of girl.

Duchess Kate really did wear a $72 dress for the official royal photo. And not any ordinary inexpensive dress, a maternity dress purchased from an on-line retailer. Sure looks like she is making a point. To the insensitive criticism of the press on her figure, she gave them a message back.

I am guessing she didn't need to wear a maternity dress based on her small frame. Her choice. And obviously she can afford the most luxurious and expensive garments. She chose the $72 model. Again, my kind of girl.

I, too, have a weakness for dresses. True story. You may call it an obsession. Just last night I found an on-line site with the most adorable inexpensive dresses. I bought three. I remember past events by what I wore. I rarely forget these seemingly insignificant details. The picture above was my version of a royal baby photo.

I loved that wrap dress. I bought it for under $30 in 1993 from Casual Corner. It was edged with a dark brown slip stitch and had medium sized shoulder pads. These special details accentuated my big hair and post-baby round face.

I am sure if you looked close, you would also see a pooch under the wrap tie of this favored dress. But now I know something I didn't know then; what's good enough for royalty is good enough for a commoner like me.