Nylon fallout

Much has been made of the Duchess of Cambridge's choice to wear sheer pantyhose with all her outfits during the Wales' recent tour of North America.

Why is the wearing of pantyhose a newsworthy item?

Oh yeah, because several years ago, the fashion pundits and designers decreed that women should be bare-legged at all times. Even in the snow.

Nearly all of those pundits and designers are men, by the way. And they wear long-legged garments pretty much all the time, unless they're at their beach home in the Hamptons or the South of France.

I hereby applaud the Duchess's choice.

Yes, she has fabulous legs and could go without hosiery. But if you're attending a formal or professional occasion, you should wear hose to finish off your outfit.

I'm guessing here, but I'd say that 80% of all women "of a certain age" have less than fabulous legs. I'm in shape, but the skin on my gams and my feet definitely shows the wear of 53 years.

I need hosiery.

I even like hosiery -- because it gives my legs a polished look.

For the last several years I have eschewed wearing dresses and skirts because of the hosiery-is-so-last-century issue. But not anymore. I'm happily going back to sheer hosiery (which, thanks for Her Royal Highness's favor, will more than likely begin to include many more choices for us to wear!).

To the fashion designers and pundits, I say: Neener, neener, neeeeeeeeener! In one 12-day trip, you've been undone by a 29-year old woman with a better sense of style than you'll ever have.

- Catherine

Could someone sing, please?

The singing of the National Anthem.

Once again, there is much gnashing of teeth in the land.

I am gnashing my teeth too, but not because Christina flubbed a line (every vocalist occasionally flubs a line in performance, folks -- it's inevitable, and the girl has apologized already).

I'm gnashing my teeth over the fact that no one seems willing to sing our National Anthem in the style in which it was composed and meant to be sung.

We don't need a new style for singing this most patriotic of songs. Musically and vocally it stands perfectly on its own and no amount of busy vocal embellishment (trills, turns, runs) can ever make it any better than it already is. In fact, I submit that the current fad of over-the-top vocal embellishment detracts from the beauty of the music.

I long for the days of Rosemary Clooney, who knew how to sing a song in a way that brought out the best of the melody as well as showcased her incredible vocal prowess.

Today's singers, courtesy of the proclivities of the current music industry, just don't have a clue, musically.

And that's sad.

To today's performers I say this admittedly cranky statement: if you can't sing the melody of the National Anthem without feeling compelled to put your individual vocal styling all over it, then please don't sing the National Anthem at all.

- Catherine