Copy-Kate

A few weeks ago I attended a friends wedding, and I spent months looking for the perfect dress! The wedding was at the end of June and I started shopping in February :)

My checklist for the perfect outfit was this:

1) Minimal, low-key accessories

2) Clutch

3) Dress that was understated and elegant with lines similar to those that Kate or Pippa might wear

4) Nude heels

5) Hair that had volume and wave to it (I opt not to curl, as I find my hair is not quite long enough without compromising length, and it never turns out looking like Kate's hair when I do it)

6) Makeup that focused on the eyes, with natural looking skin and lips

Here were my dress inspirations:

I wanted a dress that was fairly streamlined and that had good structure and shape to it. I can't pull off frilly things with lots of fabric - and that's just not Kate (although Pippa seems to like experimenting with different looks). I also wanted sleeves, as I didn't have much of a tan and I'm a bit self-conscious of my upper arms, and something that highlighted the waist.

Obviously in Canada we don't wear hats to weddings, unfortunately, so that was not something I needed to purchase

Here is the dress that I purchased from Dorothy Perkins at the Hudson's Bay:

Now, in order to wear this dress I had to have it altered slightly. I got the dress for a good price, but it cost me about $60 to alter it. On me, the sides or hips of the dress puffed out quite a lot, so there was too much fabric and it made me look far too hippy. Also, there was a lot of extra fabric that puffed out on the back from the pleats. After alterations though it fit quite well, and I felt like it made my shape more "Middleton", a.k.a. my hips appeared smaller. For instance, look at the picture below - Kate's shape is more plank-like (that sounds very unflattering, but I don't mean it to be) - she just doesn't have a ton of shape to her (which I prefer the look of).

And finally, here I am in my outfit :)

Unfortunately the feet are cut off in this picture, but I'm wearing these Nine West heels, called "Applaud":

I'm wearing some pearl drop earrings that I got from Etsy.com last summer, and I'm wearing a pendant necklace that I inherited, and my bag is a Mulberry clutch in chocolate brown.

I kept my makeup similar to Kate's - focusing on the eyes with liner, and making sure that my cheeks had that distinctive flush.

Have fun finding your own copy-Kate outfits!