Former editor-in-chief of Vogue France Carine Roitfeld has praised the Princess of Wales for looking polished and championing British design.
But the French fashion queen says she thinks Kate should wear ‘more black’ and is actually ‘a bit too polished’ for her taste.
“She only wears black to the funeral,” Roitfeld shared The times. ‘Maybe it’s a law within the royal family, but I would dress her more in black. Black eyeliner. More Saint Laurent, more Chanel, more French.”
Kate has donned a number of black ensembles in recent years, including a suit to the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton in September, but is usually seen in a stunning array of colours.
She wore a black coat dress, veiled hat and pearl jewelry to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
Catherine, Princess of Wales during the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022
The Princess of Wales will visit Nottingham Trent University on October 11 to hear how they are ensuring their students receive the right mental health care as they start the new university year
Carine Roitfeld attends the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize 2022 Awards Ceremony at the National Museum of Qatar on October 26, 2022 in Doha, Qatar
Roitfeld, who ran Vogue Paris between 2001 and 2010, said The Telegraph in 2019 that she would like Kate to be more ‘rock’n’roll’ because she is ‘really neat’.
If the Princess of Wales were to venture into fashion, Roitfeld said she would “take a little bit of the Kate Moss and put it into the Kate Middleton.”
In her most recent comments about the Royal’s style, she appears to have changed her stance, praising Kate for “dressing well for her body shape.”
The fashionista was also asked how she would style Queen Camilla.
She responded that the Queen should ditch the gowns and opt for trouser suits instead because she is “a woman who likes to ride horses and enjoy being in nature,” so when she wears dresses, “you won’t believe her.”
The suggestion comes as Kate herself has ditched the dresses in favor of suits, a move that shows she has become more confident in her role and is focusing on campaign work.
Together with her newly cut hairstyle with ‘curtain bangs’, the 41-year-old’s recent look exudes a purposeful, businesslike image and couldn’t be further from the primary-toned dresses she has favored thus far.
This led many to wonder if there is a new face on the princess team, or if there is a style advisor waiting in the wings.
But sources close to the future queen insist this is not the case, saying Kate’s resilience is simply down to the fact that she is a woman who has finally found her feet.
One explains that although the move to become Princess of Wales was challenging, she has now completed a year ‘in this job’.
Kate still works closely with her personal assistant Natasha Jackson, but insiders said portraying the princess as a “passive participant” would “grossly underestimate” her.
Her polished new wardrobe also ties in with her and William’s decision to appoint the first ‘CEO’ to lead their household.
The Princess of Wales visits Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton, one of the Royal Navy’s two main air stations, in a black suit in September
Kate is most often seen in a stunning array of colours, pictured left in a pink dress at the Chelsea Flower Show and right in an emerald green dress leaving the Anna Freud Center, both in May
Kate Middleton stunned in a camel suit as she visited a charity in East London on September 19
Another insider said: ‘There is a clear sense that the couple are carrying out their duties in a more business-like manner, with far less historical frills, and I suspect this is filtering down to other parts of their lives.’
The princess has publicly adopted new brands such as Samantha Carmeron’s Cefinn range, French label Sezane and luxury brand ME+EM.
She combines this with high-end outfits from long-term favorites such as Alexander McQueen, who also designed her wedding dress, and Roland Mouret.
The mother-of-three began the transition to corporate wear at the Rugby World Cup on September 9 in an Alexander McQueen suit.
The royal opted for her £1,945 white Alexander McQueen blazer and matching trousers.
She complemented her suit with a dazzling jewelery set that she first wore for Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015 – including her €3,750 pair of Mappin & Webb ‘Empress’ diamond carriage earrings and the matching Empress mini necklace in white gold and diamond pendant worth €2,000.