There has been quite a bit of controversy stemming from Catherine's dress color choice at the BAFTAs on Sunday, February 18 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The Duchess wore a dark forest green Jenny Packham gown that featured a black sash around the middle. She was also carrying a black clutch and wearing a pair of black Prada wavy cutout heels. She also added to her ensemble with emerald and diamond earrings, necklace and bracelet from her personal collection that was given to her as a gift.
@KensingtonRoyal/Twitter
Many expressed their displeasure that Kate did not wear black while others defended her saying she showed solidarity in a very royal way as to not appear to be showing any sort of political statement (as the Royal Family is discouraged from doing).
We asked our Twitter followers to vote on whether or not they approved of Catherine's choice. We very much appreciated hearing everyone's thoughts. Below are the results with the vast majority believing green was appropriate:
For me, the Duchess wore exactly what I was expecting. I did not think she would show up in a black gown and actually predicted something similar to her navy Jenny Packham gown that she wore in New York while pregnant with Princess Charlotte. I'm not personally a huge fan of green, so I wish she had gone with a navy. I do think she was showing solidarity, especially adding black with the sash, shoes and clutch. Sadly, no matter her choice, she was going to be criticized.
American actress Olivia Munn went to the Duchess's defense on Twitter saying, "The Times Up dress code suggestions should not be used to ostracize or control. What we stand for & what we fight for matters more than the color of our dress. I have a hard time believing that the Duchess of Cambridge doesn’t stand beside us just because she was wearing green."
Our own fashion editor, Heaven concurred on Twitter by posting, "I honestly don’t mind Kate not wearing black tonight. It would have been nice of course but she chose a dark color with black details and accessories and that’s good enough for me. I would have been mad had she worn red or pastels but here, I think she found a good balance. I love the whole outfit and I think it’s one of her best maternity one and I’m glad to see the emeralds again. I think it’s another case of damned is she does, damned if she doesn’t, as always with Kate."
In our weekly podcast, fashion editor Laura also spoke about the event saying how she could see both sides of the argument and personally did wish Her Royal Highness had been in black. She made a very important point in the recording that we should all take note of: It is fine to disagree, but when you do so, do it in a respectful and thought out way. You can hear her full thoughts on our podcast here.
I'm quoting my article from Royal Central to explain where the #MeToo campaign came from regarding Sunday night, "...most actresses in attendance kept to the similar dress code as the 75th Golden Globes in January where actresses dressed in black as a show of solidarity. Likewise, the Grammys saw attendees wearing or carrying white roses for the same purpose.
"The #TimesUp and #MeToo movements developed late last year after explosive revelations about influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s decades-long sexual assaults and harassments were exposed by The New York Times and New York Magazine, causing an avalanche of anger and condemnation across the entertainment industry as well as other sectors, including politics."
