Beauty & Style

Pippa Middleton was at an event recently, promoting her new book Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Family and Friends, and, well, I'm just gonna say it: She looked a lot like her sister, the Duchess of Cambridge. Like, a lot. Dressed in an above-the-knee, long-sleeved purple peplum dress, Pippa looked more ready for a royal engagement than a publicity event. Huffington Post had some harsh commentary on Pips' outfit, saying: "This looks like Pippa's misguided attempt to channel her sister Kate. Or a bridesmaid's dress gone wrong. Your choice." Ouch. But thoughts on the dress style aside, Pippa does look like she's attempting to channel Kate. And that's just not a good idea.

Fact is, the reason anybody knows who Pippa Middleton is is because of her sister. She's famous by way of someone famous. And that's fine. Lots of people are famous because of their parents or siblings or kids. But because of this, and because she's clearly trying to make a name for herself, Pippa should try to differentiate herself from Kate in as many ways as possible. And the easiest way to do that is to dress differently.

I'm not saying Pippa should totally change her style just so she doesn't look like Kate. But I am saying she could have skipped the peplum dress, which is so Kate (although, no, Kate wouldn't have worn it in satin).

Having a sister is one of the best things in the world. It's like having a built-in best friend. But I love when I see sisters with totally different style. (Perhaps because my sister and I have totally different style.) It shows their individuality, despite being cut from the same cloth. And it makes borrowing clothes so much more fun, because, odds are, it's something you won't have in your own closet.

Do you and your sister dress alike?

Image via Splash