We’ve all left jobs at one time or another. The usual going-away lunch or drinks are punctuated by promises to keep in touch, certain to fade ten-fold by Monday.

We can only imagine how writ large this parting ritual played out last week when Kate closed her last spreadsheet as project manager of Party Pieces.

A workin' gal no more (for now)

We can just see Kate holding court around the water-cooler, banter about trading the break-room for Buckingham Palace well-worn out.

Kate’s duties at Party Pieces included website design, marketing, photography, catalogue creation, attending trade fairs and other duties — work that she handed over to her colleagues as of last Friday. (Hmm, wonder if that unlucky co-worker had a 10-minute zone out at their desk followed by a soul-searching drink or five on the early end of the happy hour window. Probably not, right?)

Doing her best to lay low while preparing for the wedding, Kate is currently dividing her time between her parents’ home and Prince William’s cottage on the island of Anglesey, North Wales.

It is the queen’s wish that the couple avoid the spotlight for their first two years as a married couple, while William continues his career. Sounds a little Stepford to us, but we’re sure Kate will already be putting her creative talents to use even before her honeymoon tan fade.

In fact, sources say she may fill the role of charity patron at some point.

A friend of Kate’s, who was quoted in Hello! Magazine said: “Catherine is a naturally creative individual and has spent her professional life in the creative industries having worked at Jigsaw, then as a website designer, photographer, marketer and events organizer. Skills she has built up in her working life translate naturally to organizing a wedding.”

Still, we’re pretty sure Kate’s friends and family aren’t holed up somewhere tying tiny bows on sachets of Jordan almonds. Girlfriend’s got some help with this wedding, for sure!

As April 29 draws closer and we put the finishing touches on our Windsor wedding watch parties, we’re very excited about what the future holds for Kate and her many creative talents beyond bridaldom.

Nico Evers Swindell to Play Wills

Well, that didn’t take long! UKate has just learned that Lifetime is already planning to air a movie about the courtship and romance of Prince William and Kate.

According to E! Online sources, “William & Kate will likely air on Lifetime the week before the wedding proper.” As we all know, the wedding will be held on April 29 at Westminster Abbey in London.   

E! also reports that newcomer Nico Evers Swindell (orginally from New Zealand) has been cast as William and the role of Charles will be played by Star Trek alum Ben Cross.

The role of Kate has not yet been cast, but we are guessing all up-and-coming brunette actresses will be vying for the role! (Any ideas?)

Lifetime’s official description of the movie below (Provided via E! Online):

William & Kate tells the story of how the friendship between Prince William, second in line to the throne of the British monarchy, and future princess Kate Middleton, the stunning daughter of upper middle-class commoners, blossomed into a romantic love affair, charming the world with their recent engagement and eagerly awaited Royal Wedding.  The film chronicles the history of William and Kate—from the moment the two students met at Scotland’s prestigious University of St. Andrews, through the ups and downs of their nine-year courtship complicated by social and royal family pressures, and intense global media attention surrounding their storybook nuptials. William & Kate also stars Ben Cross as Prince Charles.

William & Kate will be produced by the Konigsberg Company, with Frank Konigsberg (Lifetime’s Sex & Lies in Sin City, Lifetime Movie Network’s Lies in Plain Sight) serving as executive producer. Mark Rosman (Greek, Ghost Whisperer) will direct the screenplay by Nancey Silvers (Lifetime’s Sundays at Tiffany’s and Girl, Positive).

Readers, will you be watching the movie or wait for the nuptials? Who do you think should play the role of our fair Kate? Sound off!

Nanette Dress: £159/US $250

Although there is wide speculation as to what Kate’s official title will be after she weds, we here at UKate for now will proclaim her Catherine, Princess of Sales.

“Why,” say ye fair readers? Easy – the white dress she wore for her official engagement photo sold out less than 24 hours after going back on the market!

Reiss, the high street fashion retailer, had originally withdrawn the popular Nanette dress from their fall/winter collection when it quickly sold out after the engagement photo was released. They decided, however, to reissue the dress for the spring/summer collection online Tuesday and were immediately overwhelmed by the sales.

David Reiss, founder and managing director of Reiss, said, “Kate Middleton is an excellent ambassador for the UK and we are delighted that she is supporting UK fashion retailers like Reiss.” He added, “In terms of appeal, our clothes are worn by confident, stylish, modern women and we think that Kate Middleton embodies these ideals and yet always dresses in a way that suits her own sense of style and personality.”

But fear not, dear readers; Reiss says they expect to receive a new supply of the dress and will make it available again online in the coming days. (Rejoice!) You can even make sure to get your hands on one by registering for notification of availability at: www.reissonline.com/nannette.

The Brits are known for their blunt and biting humor, so it comes as no surprise that our Miss Middleton was heretofore dubbed “Waity Katie” in the British press.

The soon-to-be princess earned the cheeky moniker by appearing to be passing the time idly in recent years, hoping Prince William would pop the question.

Rubbish! We know that Kate’s been industrious as ever, working for her parents’ business, Party Pieces and cultivating a personal style worthy of a full-on cover war.

No More Waity Katie

Butter London was so inspired by Kate’s style that the cosmetics company reclaimed the nasty nickname and turned it into something gorgeous – “No More Waity Katie” is a bluish gray color with a dash of glitter that goes on sale in March. But if you, like us, were not blessed with Kate’s alleged patience, you can pre-order the subtle spring shade starting in February.

We here are UKate have adored Butter London for years for its natural approach to nail care. Butter’s “3 Free” lacquers are sans formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP (Phthales). Rejoice!

A bevy of Brit-inspired shades are right at your fingertips here and now if you wish to explore Butter’s other beautiful colors.

We’re loving the Alexander McQueen inspired shade, Victoriana right now. It’s a silken pale blue smoke that reminds us of a waft of Earl Grey on a foggy London morning!

The Fabulous Five-Star Goring Hotel

This just in! UKate has just learned that The Goring Hotel in Belgravia has been chosen by Kate Middleton and Prince William as the official base for royal guests on the 28th and 29^th of April.

The Five-Star Goring has long had significant royal ties; not surprising as Belgravia is known for its close proximity to Buckingham Palace, immensely expensive residential properties and being one of the wealthiest districts in the world.

Many members of the royal family have fallen for this 100 year-old hotel including the late Queen Mum, of whom a bust still stands in the hotel lobby.

Choosing the Goring  might be another sign that Prince William and Kate are trying to put their own stamp on the big day. Kate could be spending her last night as a bachelorette in the hotel, whereas Diana chose a more private location, Clarence House, for her wedding guests.

It’s no surprise that a hotel of this stature would command rates starting at £345 (US $545) per room, per night. But, don’t break out the AMEX  just yet – the earliest hotel room available during the Royal Wedding period is Saturday, April 30. (But still a prime location to camp-out for a potential first sighting of Kate!)

UKate readers, you heard it here first!

Propose a Toast to the Great Couple!

If there is one thing (besides Kate and fashion, of course) that gets us excited here at UKate, it is cocktails. And to our delight, we woke this morning to find that Halewood International is launching a limited-edition commemorative label Prince William Champagne to celebrate the Royal Wedding. (We assume Kate has to “make it official” before her name graces the label…lame.)

Halewood has owned the Prince William Champagne brand for more than 20 years and has historically made it available to exclusive retail customers.

Managing director Andy Smallman said, “As owners of the trade mark for both Prince William and Royal Wedding, Halewood International felt that it was fitting to launch a limited-edition commemorative label.” He also added that, “Our fine wine division Chalié Richards, which is distributing the product, has through its history held a number of royal warrants, so we thought this decision was particularly fitting and appropriate.”

We couldn’t agree more! The bubbly is expected to retail for around £25 (US $40). Stock is being sold on a pre-order basis, with mid February being the cut-off for trade sales.

The next question is how do we who are “across the pond” get our hands on bottle? To our UK readers, please sound off! We’d love to break open a bottle during our “Official UKate Royal Wedding Watch Party!” (More details on this to come!)

According to the Chinese New Year calendar, 2011 is the year of the rabbit. Here at UKate, we’re declaring it the year of the feather!

The looks on the Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show runways were full of “smoking hot” plumes. Designers from Chanel to Gucci to Zac Posen favored elaborate feather pieces in their collections, tossing the minimalist look aside. We were mesmerized – feathers have long been a favorite of ours as they are super-glamorous and certainly feminine.

Sure, when you hear feathers you might immediately think of Kate and her amazing collection of fascinators or a famed screen-siren from the days of Old Hollywood. (We miss you, Marilyn!) But you don’t have to be worthy of gracing the pages of magazines to don this look. It is a trend that is pretty simple for any lady to take on!

Here are a few reasons that make incorporating feathers into your wardrobe a no-brainer:

You CAN pull it off at any age! Who says anyone is too old for feathers? Think of them as giving you a look of “classic, with a twist.” Choose a simple black stiletto and add a feathered shoe clip to draw attention to the ankle in a sexy way.

They are a great alternative to sparkles! We all love a little shine in our wardrobe, but why not shake it up a bit? Feathers are chic and soften up your look. Try substituting a cardigan with a feather trim or brooch with feathered embellishments to give a classic crewneck new attitude! We think JCrew has it nailed with their take on the “little black dress.” (Moiré silk Minette dress: $525)

You don’t have to break the bank! Feathered hair accessories are obviously a favorite of ours. Not only do they look amazing with a loose up-do, but they are also incredibly affordable. Think of these hair accessories as your new lipstick or nail color addiction – a small price to pay for being fabulous!

So, start your feather accessories collection now, ladies. We don’t think they’re going away anytime soon!



The ink has barely dried on their wedding invitations and some Britons are already buzzing about Wills & Kate’s potential progeny. Normally we’d be so over this kind of talk (gentle readers, we vow never to use the phrase ‘bump-watch’ on this blog. That’s a promise.), but the question of succession has sparked an interesting debate concerning the monarchy and gender equality.

Modern love, modern monarchy?

Lawmakers are considering changing the succession rules so that in the event of a daughter being born first to Wills and Kate, she would be first in-line for queen.

According to the 309-year-old law of royal succession, if Wills and Kate become the parents of three girls, and then a boy, the boy would leapfrog over the girls and become heir to the throne.

Not cool.

Recently, the Labor Party’s Keith Vaz presented the House of Commons with a Ten Minute Rule Bill calling for the “removal of any distinction between the sexes in determining the succession to the throne.”

Still, buzz-kill Downing Street says changing the law would be a “difficult and complex matter.”

This is because Queen Elizabeth II is still head of state in 15 Commonwealth countries, and the changes would have to be made in all these countries, which is a lengthy procedure.

Discussions are happening in these countries, but it could take a long time for the change to go into effect. Sounds like boys’ club BS to us – “drivel,” to Lord Jeffrey Archer.

In 1996, Archer introduced his own bill to allow first-born girls to become monarchs. In a quote from MSNBC, he said: “My bill is still there to pick up, and you know how long it would take to get through? A couple of hours! Who’s gonna vote against it?”

And as for the Commonwealth countries making life difficult, Archer said a couple phone calls should straighten them out.

Um, who hacked into our dreams and stole our British, feminist Don Draper fantasy?

The debate has been tabled until May 13, two weeks after the royal wedding.

Britain is no stranger to strong women rulers, leaders and all-around ass-kickers. Queen Elizabeth II has been at it since 1953 and is much admired. Margaret Thatcher’s modern ruler prowess is widely considered to be second only to Churchill, Queen Elizabeth I ushered in England’s Golden Age and Boudica literally kicked the asses of occupying Roman forces in AD 60-61.

We have no doubt that Wills and Kate would support this move for a more progressive monarchy. They are a thoroughly modern couple after all, which is part of why we admire them so.

Huzzah!

This just in! Our sources here at the UKate world headquarters claim Miss Middleton, 29, has decided on a designer for her sure-to-be-magnificent wedding dress of the century.

Kate’s mum Carole, 55, and sister, Pippa, 26, were seen walking into the London frock shop of none other than Bruce Oldfield, 60, a longtime favorite of her fabulousity, the Princess Diana. The Middleton ladies spent an hour and a half meeting with Oldfield himself. (Sources say this is a front-of-store rarity.)

Oldfield is known for his elegant “occasionwear” and for being a proponent of class over cleave. During his 35-year-career he has dressed the likes of Faye Dunaway, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sienna Miller, Diana Ross, Joan Collins and Queen Noor of Jordan – just to name a few.

Stylists in the know and Brits at large seem little surprised of an Oldfield choice for this coveted assignment.

Bruce Oldfield, our best bet for Kate's dress designer

Recently, Kate had narrowed down her choices to just two designers, but she wants to keep her final choice of the dressmaker a secret in order to up the surprise factor on her big day.

Kate has been lying low since the engagement was announced two months ago, and instead of causing a frenzy outside of Oldfield’s, sent her family on a mission to help with research and planning.

Prior to the meeting with Oldfield, the Middleton women had lunch at San Lorenzo in Central London – also a beloved haunt of Diana, who was close friends with the owners. (She actually at one time had her mail sent there.)

Oldfield is known to admire the style of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn – and generally bemoans the vulgarity and tastelessness of many modern mavens – though he is not against showing a little skin here and there.

UKate was interested to find that Oldfield, like our Kate, comes from modest means. He was an orphan, born in London to parents he never met. They put him up for adoption just two days after his birth. He was raised in orphanages, attended Ripon Grammar School in North Yorkshire, and studied at Ravensbourne and St Martin’s art colleges. He launched his own fashion house in 1975, followed by his London boutique in 1984. He was recently tapped to design uniforms for McDonald’s.

Why are we not surprised at this heartwarming connection? Wills and Kate seem set on authenticity at every turn.

We’re so verklempt right now, you guys. Talk amongst yourselves!