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Kate Wears The Fold for Women’s Prison Visit

Kate visited a women’s prison today, an engagement where she learned about work done by the  Rehabilitation of Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt), the UK’s largest provider of abstinence-based addiction services in prisons.

Andrew Matthews / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Andrew Matthews / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Kate’s engagement was at Her Majesty’s Prison Send. From Gordon Rayner’s story in The Telegraph:

The Duchess of Cambridge has met inmates on a visit to one of Britain’s toughest women’s jails to find out how they are being helped with drug and alcohol addicition.

On her first ever prison visit, the Duchess spent almost two hours inside HMP Send in Surrey, which houses murderers among its 282 prisoners.

The Duchess being greeted by the RAPt chair of trustees, David Bernstein; on her left is the prison’s Governor, Dave Charity.

Andrew Matthews / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Andrew Matthews / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Kate with Benita Refson, OBE, a founding trustee of Place2Be, one of Kate’s patronages and a RAPt trustee.

Kirsty Wigglesworth / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Kirsty Wigglesworth / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Once inside the prison Kate met with women who shared their stories about becoming addicts and prisoners; explaining how the RAPt program was helping them become drug, alcohol and crime free. A woman named Lacie was among those speaking with the Duchess; more from Simon Perry’s story in People.

“As soon as she saw me, she asked me when my baby’s due,” Lacie tells PEOPLE. “And she asked if it is a boy or a girl. I told her that I’m having a boy in March and she said, ‘Oh lovely.’

“I talked to her about my journey. She was down to earth and she had a presence that made me feel comfortable. I didn’t feel nervous at all.”

Here you see the Duchess with Isha Walker, a participant in the RAPt program.

Kirsty Wigglesworth / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Kirsty Wigglesworth / WPA Rota/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

There are now more than 5000 graduates of the RAPt program in the UK; the group works in 26 facilities, but the work at Send is the only program exclusively for women. From The Mirror’s coverage of today’s function:

It is tailored to support female prisoners with addiction who have often experienced deep trauma, focusing on building healthy relationships with partners, children and other family members after the often traumatic and damaging impact of addiction and crime.

RAPt’s program has a solid success rate, it has led to a 65% reduction in re-offending. Kensington Palace released a statement about today’s engagement:

“The visit reflects the Duchess’s interest in learning how organisations support people living with substance misuse issues, and the impact of addiction within the wider family network.

Most readers will recall that Kate is also a patron of Action on Addiction; today’s visit syncs perfectly with the Duchess’s continued interest in addiction, its impact, and ways of breaking the cycle. Kate spent two hours at the facility; we return to Richard Palmer’s story for her thoughts after the engagement.

Kate said after the visit: “I was reminded today how addictions lie at the heart of so many social issues and how substance misuse can play such destructive role in vulnerable people’s lives.

“I saw again today that a failure to intervene early in life to tackle mental health problems and other challenges can have profound consequences for people throughout their lives.

Ms. Walker gave Kate a few gifts as she was leaving.

Nunn Syndication/POLARIS

Nunn Syndication/POLARIS

To learn what was inside the bag we return to Gordon Rayner’s story in The Telegraph.

After the meeting Isha gave the duchess two aprons made by inmates for Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as some prison-made pastries – from the Bad Girls Bakery – and honey from the prison bees. She said the duchess said of the aprons: “George is doing to need it for his painting and his colouring.”

The Duchess wore a frock by Fold London, the brand’s Eaton dress in winter white tweed The knee-length Eaton has the slim silhouette and peplum waist detail Kate is fond of.

Fold London

Fold London

The dress is crafted in a fabric blend that is primarily cotton and rayon, with a bit of elastene for stretch and ease of movement. Fold’s quality is evident in the lining: that fabric also has stretch, something missing in pieces constructed at lower price points or with less attention to detail, rendering stretch fabric used in a garment’s outer layer almost pointless. Other design elements include the soft v-neck, back zipper, slit at the back hem. The dress retails for £365, about $555 at today’s exchange rates. Unfortunately, the dress is out of stock.

Here is a look at the back of the dress on Kate.

Ben Cawthra/REX

Ben Cawthra/REX

UPDATE 9PM: it appears The Fold removed the page with the winter white version of the dress, links to that page no longer work. Because it is a past-season style I presume it is now sold out. I will put in an inquiry to check on the possibility the dress might be re-issued.

The Eaton also comes a variety of colors and fabrics.

Fold London

Fold London

There are even a few versions on sale; below we show the dress in cobalt (£185, roughly $280) and in summer tweed (£255, about $385).

Fold Eaton Dress

Fold London

This is a label we have had on our Brands I wish Kate Would Wear Pinterest board; Fold’s clean lines, structured tailoring and lack of frou-frou make it a good fit with Kate’s style aesthetic. More on Kate and The Fold from Monique Jessen’s story in People:

Kate “knew of the brand before, and every season we sent her look books,” the spokesperson says. “But this season she was particularly keen, so we sent some styles to the palace and this was the one she liked.”

With its clean lines and simple design aesthetics, combined with luxury fabrics and tailoring, the brand is also loved by Samantha Cameron and Kim Sears, and certainly fits in with Kate’s royal work duties.

“I think [Kate] just liked the line in general because it’s the sort of brand that lends itself very well to these sort of events — it’s sophisticated but nothing too risky, fashion-forward but not too trendy,” the spokesperson says.

The brand was co-founded by Polly McMaster, a woman with a Cambridge PhD in molecular microbiology, and an MBA. Ms. McMaster wanted to create a label specializing in styles for professional women; I would say she has done quite well on that mission. Back to the People article.

From a background in consulting and finance (and a PhD in molecular biology), McMaster has since expanded The Fold to include knitwear and less formal attire.

Below, designs from Fold’s fall/winter lookbook.

Fold London

Fold London

Kate accessorized with heels we’ve not see previously, the ‘Aimee’ by Jimmy Choo; the style has a low platform.

Polaris/

Polaris/

It would make sense that the Duchess was in the Aimee, she has previously worn the shoe in black suede; this would not be the first time we have seen Kate purchase multiple colors of an item she likes. Below, images from November of last year when Kate wore the Aimee for the launch of the EACH Nook appeal.

i-Images/Jimmy Choo/i-Images

i-Images/Jimmy Choo/i-Images

Kate accessorized with a handbag we’ve not seen for a while, the Somerton by British retailer Hobbs.

©Andrew Matthews/Nunn/POLARIS

©Andrew Matthews/Nunn Syndication/POLARIS

We also saw the Duchess wearing a favorite pair of earrings.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/WPA-Pool/SplashNews.com

Kirsty Wigglesworth/WPA-Pool/SplashNews.com

She opted for her Kiki McDonough ‘Grace’ white topaz and diamond earrings.

Kiki McDonough

Kiki McDonough

This was an outstanding look for the Duchess, I expect we will see her looking a little more casual for tomorrow’s rugby match.

NOTE: The post has been edited to correct my error in saying Kate wore the Eaton in silver tweed, she was in the winter white.

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Gulin

Friday 2nd of October 2015

She looks wonderful as usual. I find it surprising that some readers found her choice of color inappropriate. I find the grey very appropriate and neutral. She is really amazing.

CAR

Monday 28th of September 2015

Just a suggestion. I realize this is nit-picky, but the post describes the designer of Kate's dress as a Ph.D. in molecular biology, and then refers to her as "Ms. McMaster". If the designer has a Ph.D., "Dr. McMaster" is more appropriate, unless the designer says otherwise.

I'm not trying to be snooty- I just know that the accomplishments of professional women are often overlooked, and the "Dr." vs. "Ms." issue is a common sticking point for female doctoral recipients. I'm a scientist, and many women in my field get offended if you use "Ms." instead of "Dr.". They are not elitist or anything, they're just trying to sure the efforts are acknowledged, since this confusion is much less common for men.

Mary

Monday 28th of September 2015

CAR, I think it depends on the context. I definitely want people to recognize my PhD in my professional field, but I don't use it (and prefer others not refer to me as Dr. M---) outside of my field. In this case, the degree has nothing to do with the design so it seems appropriate to use Ms.

Beth

Monday 28th of September 2015

Having visited women's prisons in the US many times as a ministry volunteer, I know the inmates are starved for beauty. Prisons are visually very drab and ugly, and the prison uniforms do nothing to make the women feel or look beautiful. I remember one prison in which the women carefully ironed designs into their drab uniforms, in an attempt to bring a little variation and beauty into their outfits. Having people "from the outside" wear pretty clothes is definitely a sign of respect, but it is also a compassionate way to feed the women's longing for beauty.

Very likely the inmates were looking forward with great excitement to Kate's visit and to what she would wear. I'm glad she did not disappoint them with something not as dressy.

In an environment greatly lacking in beauty, Kate's outfit (and her kindness) will give those ladies something beautiful to remember and savor for weeks to come.

stellafromcanada

Sunday 27th of September 2015

Her hair and smile in these photos make me think of Vanessa Redgrave in the movie "Camelot." Really lovely.

Suzy

Sunday 27th of September 2015

I have to say that as someone who has worked in prisons and visited others in the US, Kate's outfit is wholly appropriate. This was a business visit related to get official role, not a more "goodwill visit" engagement to lift spirits. The business nature of the dress with the fabric and conservative but still interfering cut is a thoughtful choice. A sweater and cords would have simply been too casual. I am a big fan of the dress itself anyway! I think she looks polished and appropriate from top to bottom.

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