Whether it’s wearing all black or adorned with a white rose-although, much to our chagrin, no seeming latex couture ever involved-the color of dresses seem to be of utmost importance when it comes to actresses standing in sartorial solidarity with #MeToo and “Time’s Up.” But at the just passed BAFTA Awards, none other the Kate Middleton did not adhere to the all-black dress code.
Kate and her royal consort, Prince William, came to the big UK show, dressed in their wardrobe choices for the night; a dark green gown and a black tux respectively. Stars like Angelina Jolie, Margot Robbie, Jennifer Lawrence, to name but a few, adhered to the 2018 Golden Globes stance of wearing all black (at the Grammy’s it was white roses). The Duchess of Cambridge drew mighty criticism for her haute couture faux pas at British Film and Television Awards, but critics of the criticism were quick to point out that this particular lady is held to a different standard than a Hollywood actress. While Kate Middleton’s dark green dress sporting its black ribbon round her pregnant stomach, might not have net with #MeToo and “Time’s Up” wardrobe specifics, what she wore did keep her in step with royal protocol.
In a country like America it is hard to understand how the wardrobe choices by England’s royalty are not only intensely scrutinized (we wrote about the “Kate Effect” before, see here) but also must be adhered to. Think what one will about the UK monarchy (and they have their detractors in England, as anywhere else) there are historic traditions being adhered to by the Queen and her sons (and their wives) that are taken very seriously indeed.
To be fair, Frances McDormand, winning Best Actress for her latest movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” wore a dress that was black but featured red lines. She said in her speech accepting the award this night that she has “a little trouble with compliance, while assuring the audience no matter what she was wearing “…I stand in full solidarity with my sisters tonight in black.”
Maybe a royal deserves such an assumption.
