Today’s release of the detailed itinerary for Kate and William’s Canadian portion of the upcoming Royal Tour also brought an updated photo to the official website.
Chirs Jackson/Getty Images/Royal Tour
Kate fashion followers will recognize the Amanda Wakeley suit Kate is wearing in the photo, it is the same suit worn to Darwen Academy in April.
For those not familiar with the suit, it is described on the Wakeley blog as “…a midnight blue, vintage silk mikado Amanda Wakeley suit…”, as I recall it is from the designer’s 2007 collection.
Initially I thought the photo for the Tour was taken the same day as the Darwen visit, but our savvy Facebook fans and blog commenters have pointed out some differences between the pictures. Among other things, Kate is not wearing the black top under her suit as she was in Darwen, and her hair is styled differently. More obviously the earrings are different, the Kiki McDonough Citrine Drop Earrings the Duchess wore in April have been replaced in the new photo by her sapphire and diamond earrings.
It’s possible the Duke merely popped a handkerchief in his pocket for the Tour photograph, but most obviously the official site credits Getty photographer Chris Jackson with shooting the image. At St. James’s Palace. (It’s not easy being this much of a dope. Sigh.)
On a related note in a People magazine story today on Prince William’s 29th birthday, Kate’s wardrobe for the tour is also discussed.
“Meanwhile, Kate’s putting her finishing touches to some of her plans, including her clothing that she’ll need for 11 days of engagements in North America. Royal officials say she may be striking “private agreements” with designers to help build her tour wardrobe.”
Simon Perry’s article for the magazine also offers this:
“A spokesman for the couple adds that the Duchess “has a policy not to accept any free offers of clothing. We would never discuss the prices paid for individual items “ these will remain private between the Duchess and the designers. She will not receive any special clothing budget for the Canada and California tour.”
There is sure to be more on the sensitive topic of just how one covers wardrobe expenses for an undertaking like this, we’ll look more deeply at the topic in a future post.
Just how big do organizers think the tour will be? Here is a snippet from the Ottawa Citizen:
“Heritage Minister James Moore predicted the royal visit will break all records and pointed to the record-breaking 1,300 journalists accredited to cover the visit “…compared with 848 who covered Queen Elizabeth’s most recent Canadian tour. And the number is still growing.”
Are you becoming excited? Are there any specific designers or pieces you hope to see Kate wearing?
melanie
Tuesday 19th of July 2011
While I love those gorgeous earrings I cannot afford to pay almost 900.00 for them. I found a similar pair on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130525797015&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
the seller is onesilversmith888
the only thing they are missing from the kiki earrings are the gold bands surrounding the gem.
Rian
Wednesday 22nd of June 2011
I would LOVE to see her wear that white McQueen dress coat again! Very excited to see her wardrobe for this trip
Janet
Wednesday 22nd of June 2011
I'll bet those new red jeans show up somewhere! BTW, Kate should stop by a Lululemon store for some great Canadian workout wear.
Meike
Wednesday 22nd of June 2011
William actually also wears a stripey shirt at the Darwen Academy event and a plain blue one in the official photo. So it's not only Kate where you can spot the change of details.
Rachel
Wednesday 22nd of June 2011
I am looking forward to this tour to see what all Princess Catherine will be wearing. I really hope she does not re-wear anything from the past. I know she is trying to be frugal and considerate of the economy, but I want to see all new stuff.