For the most part, Duchess Kate’s jewelry choices depress me. It’s not that Kate’s jewelry style is bad or anything. It’s actually not bad at all. She mostly wears simple, small pieces. She rarely goes for anything garish or bold. She favors small drop earrings, buried under a mountain of hair, plus Diana’s sapphire ring, which Kate still flashes at every opportunity as if to say, “Waitying paid off, I GOT THE RING.” So, as I said, her jewelry isn’t so much bad as it is disappointing for all of us wanting some serious jewelry p0rn. The one time she tried to wear a major royal collection necklace, she hid it behind too much hair. If I have to pinpoint one problem with Kate’s jewelry, it’s that she wears it like a normal person, not a princess/duchess would. It’s like she doesn’t realize that we actually want to see great jewelry worn well.
This year, she’s added a new item to her accessories: a watch reportedly given to her by William. William has reportedly gifted her with several pairs of drop earrings from Kiki McDonough throughout the years as well, although there’s some good news/bad news. Good news: William “gets” Kate’s style (simple, small pieces). Bad news: he’s not spending crazy money are great pieces. Anyway, People Mag has a new interview with Kiki McDonough about Kate’s jewelry.
In between organizing Prince George’s first birthday party and keeping up with her royal duties in London, Scotland and Belgium over the last few weeks, the Duchess of Cambridge has also been busy planning her wardrobe for Malta in September — her first solo trip abroad on behalf of the Queen.
While we don’t know which dresses will earn a rewear or what bespoke pieces she’ll bring along on her trip (commemorating the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence) we can be sure she’ll pack at least one piece from her favorite jewelry designer, Kiki McDonough, in her travel case.
“Catherine is as chic when dressed down as she is at formal engagements,” McDonough tells PEOPLE of her A-list client. “My jewelry is designed to be worn every day and she does this beautifully.”
McDonough’s not overstating her case. In the last week alone, Kate has worn two of her favorite Kiki McDonough designs — the Kiki Classic green amethyst and diamond cushion drop earrings (seen at the Tower of London art installation she attended) as well as the Kiki Classic citrine pear drop earrings. With eight pieces total in Kate’s collection so far, McDonough’s designs could be on track to having their own place at the Tower of London crown jewels exhibit one day.
Kate has been wearing the British brand, known for its vibrant gemstones and unusual color combinations, for many years — as has her sister Pippa Middleton who often pops into the Sloane Square store to make purchases for herself. “Pippa has a great eye for design,” reveals McDonough (adds her spokesperson: “She picks really cool pieces”).
But it’s another famous McDonough fan that has the most poignant connection to Kate: her mother-in-law, the late Princess Diana. “I designed a pair of earrings for the Princess of Wales to meet Barbara Bush in the USA,” McDonough says with pride.
Ass-kissy, of course. Most people who want to have their stuff worn by Kate tend to rave about her style, like she’s the second coming. I like Kiki’s earrings on Kate, but let’s not pretend that this is the most exciting jewelry p0rn in the world, you know?
Also… considering Kate (over)reliance on shades of blue, it’s a little bit surprising that she doesn’t try to “match” her jewels with her clothes more often. I would expect MOAR sapphires and blue topazes and aquamarines, but my unofficial count, she only has two pairs of blue earrings. One is the sapphire-and-diamond set that matches her ring, which I believe also belonged to Diana. The other is pair of diamond and aquamarine (I think) drop earrings which she literally wears with every pale blue ensemble. Anyway, I had a lot of fun picking out jewelry photos for Kate. You’d be surprised at the sheer volume of photos which are useless for jewelry-watchers because of Kate’s hair.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmbHBga4N6e8CrnJicpZi1pr%2FSmKKarJWorKux1p6jq7GPmLWwtcKeqpiqlZa5rcW%2BmqOll6SdrrWr0Z6kmqqblq%2Btsb6oqZimn6myuLvRrZ%2ByZw%3D%3D