Weighty Katy! Duchess of Cambridge should weight her hems like the Queen to avoid Marilyn Monroe moments
The Duchess almost suffered a major wardrobe malfunction yesterday as she arrived in a short pleated navy skirt and matching jacket at Place2Be, a London-based anti-bullying charity.
As she bent down to accept a posy from nine-year-old Tierney Potter, a pupil at St Edmund's School in Tower Hamlets, her skirt blew up in a gust of wind.
And it's not the first time Kate's had a Marilyn moment: a feather-light Jenny Packham yellow frock almost cost Kate her modesty at Calgary Airport in September 2011, and she almost came a cropper in a floral Project D dress as she arrived at Brisbane airport in 2012.
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The Duchess of Cambridge almost suffered a wardrobe malfunction as she arrived at a forum for the charity Place2Be
As she bent down to accept a posy from local schoolgirl Tierney Potter outside the offices of Clifford Chance, her skirt blew up in a gust of wind
Kate wore a specially designed Jenny Packham primrose yellow shift dress during her tour of Canada, and had a slight wardrobe malfunction on the windy runway at Calgary Airport.
And in May this year, when seven months pregnant, the Duchess of Cambridge was hit by another unfortunate gust of wind as she arrived at the wedding of friends Willian van Cutsem and Rosie Ruck Keene, in south Oxfordshire.
Kate was left red-faced after a breeze lifted up her £38 Topshop polka-dot dress.
This time, the offending skirt was by Orla Kiely skirt and her jacket by MaxMara. She also wore a pair of gloves by Cornelia James, a £245 Russell and Bromley blue suede Muse bag and Alexander McQueen heels.
Kate should perhaps take a leaf out of the Queen's book.
Last year the Mail revealed how, despite conducting thousands of public engagements in her 60 years on the throne, the Queen’s decorum has almost never slipped.
Slipped inside the lining of each of the Queen’s exquisite hand-made outfits are a couple of small lead curtain weights, costing just £1.50 for a packet of four.
Whoops: A seven months pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was hit by an unfortunate gust of wind which blew up her skirt and exposed her thighs
The small circular weights, measure just 1.2inches (32mm) across and weigh less than an ounce each - but prevent the royal hemline from flying away in a gust of wind.
Jenny Packham revealed that she'd received a letter recommending that very trick after pictures of Kate in her billowing yellow dress surfaced last year.
'I had a little handwritten letter from a lady in Wisconsin passionately criticising me for the primrose yellow shift dress I made for the duchess,' says Packham, who was born in Southampton, told London's Evening Standard at the time.
'She said didn't I know about putting weights around the bottom of a hem so it can't blow up?
'Well, I didn't know it was going to be worn on a windy runway - but I did think maybe in future I will put in more weighting, just in case...'
Disembarking: The Duchess looked elegant in the pretty floral Project D dress when arriving at Brisbane aiport - and successfully managed to contain her skirt when a gust of wind threatened to pick up the hem
Stuart Parvin sews Peter Jones lead curtain weights into the Queen's hems
Not the first time Kate's dresses have misbehaved
Jenny Packham frock went flying during 2011 Canada trip
The Duchess has mastered the fall skirt look- & so can you!
While whipsmart readers will be all over fall's most exciting trends this season, we think it's mega important to have the basics covered. Here the Duchess of Cambridge shows us that a classic navy skirt is a timeless essential as she steps out in this pleated A-line Orla Kiely Resort 13 crepe number which she has expertly teamed with a Max Mara fitted jacket and suede pumps.
Pleated midi-skirts may seem like a sartorial challenge, but they are actually a really easy way to show off your chic credentials in an insouciant fashion. Unfortunately Catherine's Orla Kiely skirt is no longer available so if you want to work the feminine look, without being mistaken for a schoolgirl, the shop our pick of the best folds to be found below.
From ASOS to Reiss, these navy skirts are a fashion-forward take on your standard black number and will look ideal slipped on with more masculine shapes for a strong ensemble. Opt for an all-over navy palette for a perfectly polished princess finish. By Nevel
http://www.jaeger.co.uk/Pleated%20Mini%20Skirt/750046G,en_GB,pd.html?dwvar_750046G_color=05500&dwvar_750046G_size=8&start=2&cgid=women-skirts&prefn1=refinementColor&prefv1=Navy&WT.mc_id=AW09~Affiliates~link&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=linkshare&utm_campaign=8/btisdd0hQ