Kate MiddletonPrince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, made their first joint royal appearance today, and speaking of appearances, both of them looked like they'd gotten dressed in clothing from their grandparents' closets.

Kate's outfit might have looked appropriate on a woman in her late 40s, but on the 29-year-old, it looked rather drab and frumpy. The "fascinator" headpiece, in particular, was incredibly dowdy.

Meanwhile, William added to the grandpa effect with a plain overcoat and boring suit.

Quick -- cover up their faces in this photo ...

You'd think you were looking at a dull, middle-aged couple on their way to church, wouldn't you?

Kate seems eager to please the royal family, much like Diana did in the early years. I hope she won't lose the spark that attracted William to her in the first place. 

I have loved her sense of style up to this point and I'm praying she won't tone it down in hopes of being "proper." In this photo, it looks like she took fashion tips from the Queen herself, and that is not good at all.

The most bothersome thing about this outfit is that each of the pieces she's wearing could be fine on their own. Together, though, they're just wrong. There's too much brown going on. Her boots paired with the rest of the outfit are too conservative. Her hairstyle is outdated. Nothing about her look is remotely interesting.

I think that in this case, a more daring pair of shoes might have made a big difference -- or a scarf that added a burst of color. Or losing that hideous fascinator.

And on the rest of us, this outfit would probably be perfectly fine, if unremarkable (minus the hat, anyway). But when the world is watching, you've got to shake it up a bit, Kate. You have the rest of your life to look like an old lady.

 

Image via Chris Jackson/Getty Images