Style lessons from Kate Middleton
Everyone loves the style of Kate Middleton: every outfit she wear is analyzed and copied worldwide.
Yet true elegance is not a question of clothes: it is rather a matter of gestures, posture and grace in every single movement.
In short, today we try to see beyond the dress and discover the secrets of Kate Middleton’ style, also taking some inspiration …
STANDING POSTURE
Have you ever noticed that certain poses are always the same? It is certainly not a coincidence!
When standing, Kate always gathers her hands in front of her, in a very elegant and feminine pose.
Often it is the hand bag that makes her pose more natural.
SITTING POSTURE
It is a pure question of etiquette: her legs are never crossed, but narrow and parallel. At most, she crosses the ankles.
They are also slightly lateral, which is not really comfortable. Once again, the handbag is strategic …
GREETINGS
There are entire treatises about her way to greet!
Well, the rules are simple: the arm never comes off too much from the torso, as if holding something is the armpit.
Even the fingers are not open, but overall loose and natural.
HANDSHAKE
The handshake is firm, not weak.
Even here, the arm does not come off too much from the body, but it is the torso that leans slightly forward.
Direct eye contact and an open and friendly smile should be noted. Always the same.
APPLAUSE
Every gesture, even the most spontaneous and enthusiastic, is never coarse.
The applause follows the same rules of greeting: arms near the bust and fingers not too open.
All with (apparent) naturalness, without rigidity.
DRINKS
With the glass of wine, the duchess only grabs the stem of the glass with her thumb, index and middle finger.
When she drinks tea, she holds the handle of the cup with three fingers. When drinking coffee instead, she wraps her index around the handle (therefore inside the eyelet).
Just as recommended by Elisa Motterle in our Bon Ton and Modern Etiquette course.
WALK
We all know the difficulty of walking on high (but also low) heels with ease.
The risk of “tyrannosaur walking” is always lurking!
Her posture, on the other hand, is the opposite: legs and hips forward, upright torso …
CAR
What a mess to get on and off the car with skirts and dresses!
But our Kate does not seem to have problems: first one leg, then the other, trying to keep her knees as tight as possible.
The handbag on her lap serves to limit the risk of accidents …
STAIRS
The nightmare of all women: going down the stairs with high heels and elegant dress. Maximum voltage!
Yet models (and Kate Middleton, of course) know techniques and secrets to set the movement of their legs and keep their heads up.
Easy peasy!
CHILDREN
How can Middleton be perfect even when holding children in their arms?
Simple: she always keeps them by her side, to leave her outfit uncovered. When they are small, she brings them forward; once they are grown up, she takes them on a hip.
Of course, she has a bevy of helpers and everything is easier. But we can take a cue at least for our photos with children.
In short, Kate Middleton is always a source of inspiration and it is a pleasure to see her.
But can elegance be learned? Judging by her resounding before and after, I would say yes!
It is a question of technique, study and training. Moreover, even at our Italian Image Institute we propose our course of Stile e Portamento (iscrizioni aperte).
Because elegance is something we wear, even before the dress.
Rossella Migliaccio
Italian Image Institute
