The problem with Kate and Wills’ royal family style

SHE'S one of the most stylish women in the world but the way the Duchess of Cambridge (and her family) have been dressing lately has left us confused.

Like Kim and Kanye, Kate and Wills seem to be taking couples dressing to a new level.

The royals have been colour co-ordinating their outfits with each other — and styling their young children, Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2, in a similar fashion.

Britain's most-photographed family took their perfectly styled wardrobes to Hamburg last week, where they wore shades of purple, mauve and pink while on an official tour of Germany.

But why are they all increasingly dressing alike?

The Duchess of Camrbidge, 35, wore a sleeved violet-coloured frock by New Zealand-born British designer Emilia Wickstead, teamed with stone-coloured Gianvito Rossi stilettos.

Her frock was colour co-ordinated with Prince George, who sported a checked shirt in a similar tone. Princess Charlotte was dressed in a pink summer dress with white bobby socks and Mary Janes

Even Wills' attire tied-into the purple and pink theme, with a plum-coloured necktie.

The family's colour-coordination was again evident at another official engagement in Berlin, where they all wore shades of blue.

Neither Kate nor William has commented publicly about their family's theme-dressing trend.

Wearing similar colour tones and clothing shapes certainly makes the royal family perfectly styled for their many official photo shoots.

It was even obvious at Pippa Middleton's wedding in May, where Kate wore a silk blush-coloured gown made of the same material as Charlotte's sash.

And while it makes the royals perfectly styled for their flash-ready photo opportunities, is this family sartorial co-ordination becoming a bit ... odd?

Kate and Wills' outfits are also in synch even when they're making appearances without their children.

The Duchess is usually a conservative dresser known for her classic (and covered up) choices.

But she has turned heads lately with some more daring outfits, including at a garden party in Germany held in honour of the Queen, where she wore a dramatic scarlet gown.

The off-the-shoulder Alexander McQueen dress was actually on sale, priced at around $2379 on Net-A-Porter, which the Duchess teamed with a pair of strappy Prada heels.

Of course, her husband's look also tied-in to the red theme.

Rihanna wears jaw-dropping dress to Valerian premiere

ALL eyes were on Rihanna at her latest premiere in London, where the singer wore a scarlet red gown ... with a plunging neckline.

The Wild Thoughts singer stunned at the European premiere of her new movie Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, wearing the jaw-dropping red dress.

The floor-length dress by Giambattista Valli featured an off-the-shoulder neckline and long train, from the Italian designer's autumn/winter ‘17 couture collection.

Even Rihanna made reference to her revealing neckline, writing "eyes up here" on a photo caption on Instagram.

Rihanna stars in the Luc Besson-directed sci-fi movie, alongside British supermodel Cara Delevingne, who also walked the blue carpet.

Meantime, Delevingne, 24, said she moved into acting because she "didn't like what being a model was turning her into".

She has taken a step back from the catwalk to focus on her acting career but insists she "isn't out of it (modelling)".

"I didn't like myself as a model. I didn't like what I stood for," Delevinge told Radio Times magazine.

"I didn't like what it was turning me into. Not that I was focused about how I looked all the time, but it is kind of about that.

"That is not me at all — you speak to all my oldest best friends and they know I'm not a model. I do not give a s*** about what I look like."

But Delevingne insisted she hadn't quit modelling entirely.

"I'm not out of it. I will still definitely do it.

"Now when I model, I get to style my own shoots and decide who I work with. Now it's become a creative outlet, instead of me being used as a pawn."

Valerian, which cost about $180 million, has so-far bombed at the box office, raking in $17 million, trailing behind Dunkirk ($50.5 million), according to the Daily Mail.

Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets opens in Australia next month.

Takla Lake boy part of fashion show

At only 10-years-old, Derrick Packer has already made a mark as a top designer at the inaugural Indigenous Fashion Week in Vancouver on July 22-29.

Wearing his design was his 15-year-old sister, Guadelupe, who proudly walked down the runway hand in hand with her brother.

It was a dream come true for the youngest designer at the show, originally from Takla Lake First Nation.

"I made the dress for my sister," Packer said. "I designed and sewed it myself," Packer said.

"My sister loved it. She got to model the dress at the show and she's a natural."

And as for his design, Packer could not be more happy with the result.

"I was a little nervous at first, but then I got the hang of it and was really easy," Packer said.

According to Packer's mother, Cindy, it was a challenge but one that her son, who has a passion for fashion, could not pass up.

"He started volunteering and Indigenous Fashion Week producer, Joleen Mitton asked if he has ever designed a dress. He had never done anything like that before except making Barbie dresses," Cindy said.

"She asked if he could make one and so we just jumped right in," Cindy said.

Mitton continues to raise awareness for local indigenous fashion by producing fashion shows.

She also works with a number of nonprofit organizations and is currently involved with the Aboriginal Urban Butterflies Day Camp for children in foster care and also for the Mentor Me Program which is for indigenous young women in care.

"There were about 40 girls modelling at the show who were from the program," Cindy said.

"It was really beautiful."

The first Indigenous Fashion Week was aimed at bringing global recognition to local indigenous fashion designers and artisans showcasing the power and beauty of authentic Indigenous art and design by creating safe havens for talent development according to the Indigenous Fashion Week website.

Today's Indigenous Fashion was expressed at the show and delivered identity, stories and creativity in many forms and textures using: leather, bone, feathers, skin, denim, silk, weave, brocade, wool, beads, graffiti, chain, stone and colour.

Indigenous Fashion Week was inspired by history, politics, the environment and the economy, reclaiming stories of strength from a past rekindled through energy and vibrant colour.

Indigenous Fashion Week also paid tribute to the missing and murdered First Nations women at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Atrium.

The "Red Dress Showcase" invited guests to wear a red piece of clothing to honour the missing and murdered women.

This tradition began in 2011, when Metis artist, Jaimie Black had red dresses hang from trees at the University of Manitoba in an effort to bring attention to the issue. The show had it's somber moments but Packer definitely brought new hope and excitement into the room as he made his way onto the runway.

"The whole place erupted when he came out with his design. This was invitation only and there he was along with some top designers like Bill Reid. It was such a big deal and a huge event for Derrick," Cindy said.

The master of ceremonies also said that it was so nice to see young indigenous men honouring their sisters.

"I'm so proud of Derrick. He worked so hard. To know that his dress made the mark along with the big designers, it's so amazing," Cindy said.

Packer now lives in Surrey with his family and he is gearing up for Grade 6 in September.

Originally from Takla Lake, Packer certainly knows where his roots are.

"That's where I am from. That's where my ancestors are from," Packer said.

Takla Lake Nation is a First Nation located around Takla lake, 400 km north of Prince George.

For Packer, the entire experience is only the beginning.

"This is what I want to do," Packer said. "I want to be a fashion designer and I'm going to keep doing it."

Blackfeet designer headed to Paris Fashion Week

Belinda Bullshoe is believed to be the first Native American designer to have her dresses shown during New York's Fashion Week.

Now she's got her sights set on Paris.

The designer is preparing her Montana Made dresses for the cream of the crop in the fashion world.

Bullshoe was shopping recently for fabric for her next line of dresses, which she'll showcase at Fashion Week in Paris.

"I can't even tell you how what feeling I'm feeling," said Bullshoe. "I thought New York was big, but Paris is just way beyond."

She may not know the feeling, but Bullshoe knows dress-making.

The designer already knows what she's going to do with the materials. And these fabrics aren't couture - she gets them in Great Falls at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

"It's not real high-price material but their material, I feel, is just as good," said Bullshoe.

Bullshoe is truly Montana made. Her grandmother taught her how to sew.

"She told us, ‘You know, you guys better watch my sewing, how I sew, because one day I'm not going to be here,'" said Bullshoe. "Well, after that, I started watching her."

Unlike many of the designers she'll see in Paris, Belinda doesn't have a fashion degree.

"If someone was to ask me to draw a design I'd probably be drawing them some stick men," said Bullshoe.

But she's proud that her dress-making education and passion for fashion didn't come from a book.

"I can't get any better of a teacher than my own grandmother," said Bullshoe. "My classroom was watching her at home and seeing how she sewed. So when people ask me if there's a degree paper, my degree paper is through my dresses."

Her grandmother passed away in 2009, so it was a special day when her dresses were shown in The Big Apple.

"The day I opened up the fashion show in New York was her birthday," said Bullshoe. "It was really emotional not only to see my clothing line getting to go on the runway, it was because if it wasn't for my grandma I wouldn't be there."

Bullshoe says it's difficult sometimes being a small-town girl from Browning, home of the Blackfeet Reservation.

"I want to get to the clique of the fashion world but I still want to be in my own belief," said Bullshoe.

So she stays modest in presentation but sophisticated in design. And that's because she believes in showcasing her heritage every step of the way.

"Not only to represent myself, my family, but represent the Blackfeet Blood Tribe and the state of Montana," said Bullshoe. "Dreams come true. A lot of patience. I always tell people never give up your dreams."

How to fix a bad eyebrow tint

Dyed your brows too dark? Try these tips to tame the tint.

Eyebrow tinting is a tricky task and achieving the right shade is crucial to avoid looking and feeling a little unlike yourself. We always like to start by saying: go to a professional — but even when you do, things can still go wrong.

1. Take five and breathe (five days that is).

The number one rule for a botched eyebrow tinting is to not stress about the immediate colour. Eyebrow dye always fades within the first week due to the skin's natural oils and regular showering/cleansing.

2. Is it your eyebrows or your skin?

The second point you should be aware of is the amount of dye pigment left on the skin under the eyebrow hairs.

To remove the excess dye on the underlying skin use an oily (or silicone based) makeup remover, and lightly wipe with a makeup pad. If the pad is left with a brown residue on it, you're on the right track. When dry this should calm the colour by at least one shade.

3. Clarifying shampoo

If you don't have a week to wait and need to fix your brows ASAP, the next step is using a clarifying shampoo. Clarifying shampoo is used to strip off the residue build up on your hair caused by hair products and oils, so when you apply it on your eyebrows (with utter care for your eyes of course) it should do the same thing. Brush the product through with an eyebrow brush or old toothbrush and leave on for 60 seconds. Wash to remove.

4. Home recipe

If the dye still won't go or you've waited a little while and your eyebrows are still too dark there is a home-made remedy that some salons also use to remove hair dye. In a 1-to-1 ratio combine baking soda and your normal shampoo to create a thick paste.

Brush on with a foundation brush and leave the paste on your eyebrows for a few minutes, then rinse (the thicker the hair, the more baking soda). Keep in mind it may take a few goes.

5. Facial bleach

We don't really recommend doing this yourself but if you are game and the dark colour is being persistent, this could be a last result. Facial bleaches are generally a first aid strength hydrogen peroxide, which is quite safe, but of course you have to be extra cautious of your eyes by only

placing a few drops on a cotton pad and wiping your brows lightly. In saying that, we still don't recommend this and suggest an expert instead (just remember, we told you so).

6. Where to go

If your beauty salon gave you the brows that caused you all this drama, yet you still want to give it one more try, think about going to your hair salon. Hair stylists may be a better starting point due to their rich understanding of the different shades - even better ask them to liase with your beautician for the best result.