I should have known that as soon as I praised Duchess Kate for not wearing those damn nude LK Bennetts that the Wedges of Doom would come out. Kate and William did a “sailboat/yacht racing” event around Auckland Harbour today in New Zealand. William had one team of Kiwi sailors and a boat, and Kate had her team of Kiwi sailors and a boat. And Kate WON. Twice!!
First, the outfit – Kate wore a series of repeats. The Russell & Bromley wedges we’ve seen a million times before, and I think I’ve hated them every single time I’ve seen them. They’re too high! And they’re sort of inappropriate for the event, right? Surely a good pair of sneakers or sailboat-specific footwear would be better? And she wore the same navy skinny jeans (I think they’re J Brand) she’s been wearing for years. The striped Me + Em shirt feels like something we’ve seen before – is this the same shirt she wore when the Middletons had Prince George pap’d in Mustique? I’m looking at the photos… no, it’s not. Kate must own several white-and-navy striped shirts. Oh, and the blazer is from Zara.
There were several funny details from the event, but you can read full coverage of what went down here. Kate and William were showing their competitive sides, and the UK press is calling Kate’s victories her “revenge” after William beat her in a similar racing event in Canada in 2011. William was reportedly “not afraid to get his hands dirty.” But when Kate’s team won, William said: “We were sabotaged!” As it turns out, William’s boat did have some technical problems but other sailors remarked that Kate had simply outmaneuvered them as well.
The Express says that Kate and William are very competitive in private and “they cannot even play Scrabble together without falling out.” The best part? When Kate sailed to the finish line first, she flashed an “L” for loser sign at William. Classic. I wish we could see that side of her more often.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.