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Kate on the Kindness Bench in Familiar Suit & Spring Has Sprung at Milli Millu

Kate brought back a favorite suit for the first of today’s two engagements, a Place2Be school event.©Toby Melville / Reuters / Splash

Kate and William arriving at this morning’s engagement.

The Duke and Duchess were at Mitchell Brook Primary School in north London for the launch of Children’s Mental Health Week. The theme this year is kindness.

Place2Be

Place2Be

Kate being greeted at the school.Place2Be Twitter @Place2Be

Students took part in a discussion about the ways kindness can help in getting through difficult times. Today’s event was part of the Big Assembly, Place2Be’s effort asking schools across the UK to take part in sharing a little kindness with pupils, families, and staff. Kensington Palace

It turns out the bench Kate and William were sitting on is special; The Mirror’s story explains:

The kindness bench is normally in the school playground and sitting on it indicates the child is feeling lonely or in need of a friend and other pupils come forward to support them. The royal couple sat on the bench which was placed on a stage in the school hall and watched the assembly that celebrated kindness.

(Who can’t think of a time or two in their life when a kindness bench would have come in handy?!) Today Kate presented the first Place2Be Kindness Cup to Nadia Dhicis, who is ten years old. The award recognizes a student showing “exceptional kindness in her school community and beyond.”Place2Be Twitter @Place2Be

The Duchess delivered remarks about the importance of being kind to one another, noting that “teaching kindness as important as teaching maths.”Kensington Palace @KensingtonRoyal

From The Daily Mail’s coverage:

The Duchess also stressed how much she wanted to hand down the values she had been taught by her parents to her own children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

She said: ‘My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty, and I realise how central, values like these have been to me throughout my life. That is why William and I want to teach our little children, George and Charlotte just how important these things are as they grow up.

 Place2Be is one of eight primary organizations under the Heads Together initiative that Kate, William, and Harry launched last year. Now to what Kate wore for the school visit. Many readers recognized the Luisa Spagnoli suit immediately.©

The ensemble is all wool and features a belted jacket with a peplum waist, oversized collar, and front closure with large buttons; the skirt has the lines of a basic pencil skirt. This offers a better look at the bow of Kate’s belt and the chunky black buttons.© I-Images/ Splash /i-Images

The suit was most recently seen at the 2015 Buckingham Palace Christmas lunch when it was announced the Duchess was the new patron of the RAF Cadets; the second time we saw Kate in the suit was during the 2014 tour when in Christchurch and Canterbury, New Zealand during the 2014 tour; it was first worn publicly for a pre-wedding visit by William and Kate to Saint Andrews University in February of 2011.©

You can see the alterations made to the pieces after the 2011 wearing before the garments were seen again in New Zealand. The most dramatic change is the longer skirt. We believe Kate had the matching dress converted to a skirt; there is additional information on that topic, along with more photos, in this post. Kate accessorized with her Gianvito Rossi black suede pumps.Net-a-Porter / i-Images / Net-a-Porter

And her trusty Bayswater Wallet Clutch by Mulberry.Mulberry / i-Images

The Mappin and Webb ‘Empress’ earrings rounded out the look.©Polaris / Mappin & Webb

This was a good choice for the school visit and assembly: the color and cut are flattering, it’s a look Kate is comfortable in, and wearing a repeat outfit helps keep the focus on the events of the day.

One other note: today marks the 65th anniversary of HM’s accession to the throne. From The Telegraph:

The Queen has become the first British monarch to reach their Sapphire Jubilee, with royal gun salutes to mark the historic day.

She is expected to commemorate the landmark date privately at her Sandringham Estate, Norfolk, with no official engagements planned.

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Also today, some of the beautiful Spring 2017 handbags and accessories from Milli Millu, one of our favorite sponsors. The British luxury handbag company has some fantastic new designs, as well as updated favorites. We start with a new style, the Manhattan.The Manhattan is a size that seems “just right,” roughly 8″ x 6″ x 3″. Below you see the bag in navy grained leather, as well as arctic blue grained leather, and a smooth leather version blending the navy and arctic blue.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

If looking for a more subdued palette, the Manhattan comes in a myriad of other colors.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

Milli Millu offers a lovely touch, complimentary monogramming on all bags with cross-body straps and small leather goods, a fab way to make any piece “yours” at no additional fee.  If you look on the right side of the Venice bag below, you can see the personalization on the top of the shoulder strap.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

Below, several monogrammed Westminster card holders.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

This is a Brooklyn pouch personalized with a word instead of initials.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

The service is free for up to 6 initials. If interested in a longer word or phrase that is also offered for a £25/$30 fee. If interested in a monogrammed piece now is good time to think about purchasing, Milli Millu is giving WKW readers 15% off all purchases with promo code WKW0217 until February 28.

The Phoenix is another new style from the s/s collection, in a very versatile size: 15″ x 11″ x 6″, allowing plenty of room for just about anything and everything you need to carry when leaving your house for the day. One of the bag’s best attributes? It is lightweight, always nice if you are carrying half your life in it, something most of us have done on occasion.

A Milli Millu classic, the Chicago, returns this spring. The Chicago is both chic and practical, roomy enough to hold most laptops 13″ and smaller.  You can carry it by the handle, or use the wide strap to convert it to a cross-body or over-the-shoulder bag.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

The Stockholm also returns in the s/s 2017 collection. Here it is shown in burgundy; pre-ordering is also available for the bag in black.

A better view of the bag, as well as some of the interior details.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

As ever, the brand’s outstanding quality remains a top priority.

All handbags are handcrafted in the south of Spain with special attention to texture and detail, using the finest Italian and Spanish materials. Our suppliers work for the most renowned luxury brands in the industry. 

The Berlin is another of my favorites, in part because its size offers such great flexibility: 11″ x 9″ x 3″.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

The bag may be used as a cross-body style, a shoulder bag, or by the handle at the top of the bag.  These shots better show the hardware and top handle.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

The Berlin is also available in color-blocked designs like the taupe/off-white/stone seen below left, and the gray/off white/navy combination on the right.

Milli MIllu

Milli Millu

Also part of the s/s 2017 collection: another customer favorite, the Mini Berlin.

Spring brings bright pops of sunny colors for this bag.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

Classic colors also remain popular. The Mini Berlin measures about 9″ x 7″. These are just some of the other shades the bag comes in this spring.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

Milli Millu also offers a range of small leather goods. Below, the St. Germain Wallet,

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

This is the Brooklyn Pouch in green, arctic blue, and red leather; it measures roughly 7″ x 5″ with a zipper to ensure it stays closed.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

She is the driving force behind the company’s A Bag, A Life initiative.

Box1ABagALife

Milli Millu

For every bag that is purchased Milli Millu pays for a set of lifesaving vaccines and treatments for a child in need. The company works with SOS Children’s Villages to make this happen.

A Bag, A Life is a permanent initiative that is very close to my heart and part of Milli Millu’s DNA as much as our aim to create beautiful yet attainable products and to cherish all the smart and very special women around the world. As a mother, aunt and godmother, I struggle to come to terms with the endless void that the loss of a child creates. Some of us are incredibly lucky to have been born or raised in countries where we get the best available medical care. Millions of children don’t have the same luck and are dying from preventable diseases at a terrifying rate.

Thus far A Bag, A Life has funded more than 25,000 vaccines for SOS Children’s Villages. You can learn more about the program by clicking here. Our last style is outstanding: the Midi-Zurich. The structured design is roomy, it will hold laptops 14″ and smaller; it also features 5 interior compartments and an outside pocket you see on the front that closes securely with the goldtone clasp; the bag has a zipper to keep everything safely inside, along with 5 studs, or feet, on the bottom.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

Milli Millu offers free shipping and return shipping on all orders in the UK; elsewhere shipping (both ways) is free with orders totaling more than £200. Milli Millu will also do free lifetime repairs.

In the unlikely event your handbag needed repair (if something breaks, excludes normal wear and tear) within 12 months of the purchase date; we would arrange the collection, repair it and ship it back to your chosen address free of charge. Should your handbag need repairing after 12 months,  you can ship it to us and we will repair it free of charge… forever!  

If thinking about popping over to the Milli Millu site to look at things more closely, here’s an additional incentive: WKW readers have been given an exclusive 15% discount on any purchases. Use promo code WKW0217 at checkout to ensure the savings; it is valid until February 28. The brand is also doing a fun giveaway for one of its Mini Venice bags. Entering is easy; all you need to do is subscribe to the Milli Millu newsletter.

Milli Millu

Milli Millu

Milli Millu isn’t only online; the company has a store on Buckingham Palace Road in Belgravia. In addition to the Milli Millu site, you can follow the brand on Facebook, see its Instagram feed here and Twitter feed here. We will see you later this evening for the engagement Kate, William and Harry have at the Guild of Health Writers conference in London. LINKAGE:

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Hilary

Thursday 9th of February 2017

You know, I think the Duchess wears this suit simply because she likes it and feels good in it. It fits her well, it's a great colour on her, it's a good length and it's well proportioned. The black bow on the waist is part of the suit, not a belt that is added afterwards, so it can be worn with black hose etc, which to me, is a very 1980s look, but a good one. Sometimes it's nice to have classic pieces that can be pulled out of the closet to do their duty reliably and for Kate, I think this is one.

The Way We Were

Thursday 9th of February 2017

This is one of my favorite looks on the Duchess, especially after the alleged alteration of the hem line. :)

Linda Beutler

Thursday 9th of February 2017

I have always loved this suit. It commands attention while maintaining a charming femininity. I do like it better with pumps than with boots.

Tess

Wednesday 8th of February 2017

I love the color. As always the DoC is beautiful. BUT, this habit of wearing her waistlines higher to ostensibly balance the length of her torso with her lower half.. is backfiring. Over and over. The jacket looks too short for her.. and thus looks too small. The silhouette of the skirt clearly defines where her hip and bottom are. The misplaced waist of the jacket just accentuates what she is trying to disguise. Her peplums NEED to be much lower because of her long torso. It grates on me all these raised waist lines of hers. Maybe she would do better wearing a longer jacket overall. Something I dont believe she has ever done. I wish someone would taker her in hand and teach her this. With all that said. Hooray for her under eyeliner being light and fresh. Beautiful.

Anne

Tuesday 7th of February 2017

I love this suit on Kate! I thought it was great in 2011 with the suede boots and polo neck as well. I've always been partial to the black suede boots, and she can really carry off the high neck underneath a suit. It does not overwhelm her. The whole effect of the 2011 ensemble is younger, but she was younger then, and it was spot on. This time out it's just as striking. I really do hope she never goes back to the fringe as she did in 2015; her hairstyle now and in the earlier years is so much more flattering to her.

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