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Kate in Jonathan Saunders and a New Alice Temperley/Somerset Dress

We are popping in for a quick update on styles Kate has worn recently at private engagements. The first is a casual ensemble seen yesterday as Kate was leaving the west London house where her sister, Pippa Middleton, and fiancée James Matthews live.

Most news coverage suggests Kate was helping with plans for Pippa’s wedding on May 20. Click here to go to the Daily Mail story and photos. Kate was in the ‘Deborah Waffle Knit, or Egg Knit, sweater by Jonathan Saunders.Both Photos @Stephen Lock/i-Images

The Duchess wore the sweater in New Zealand during the 2014 tour.  More about the garment from our original post:

The aqua, white and blush sweater is 100% cotton, but it is sold out. It has been something of a staple for the designer, offered in a wonderful variety of colors over the years.

©Jonathan Saunders

©Jonathan Saunders

Kate wore designs by Mr. Saunders several times. Unfortunately, he shuttered his label in late 2015. The Scottish designer was hired last May by another Kate favorite, Diane von Furstenberg; he is the company’s first Chief Creative Officer. Kate also had on her Superga Cotu Classic Sneakers, initially seen during the Canada tour last fall. Nordstrom does have the Cotu in stock ($64.95) The retailer also offers a style on sale that is almost identical ($48.71). The distinctions are minor; one pair has white eyelets like Kate’s, and the other does not; one pair has a colored logo tag, while the other is monochrome. (These are *really* minor differences, the sale price would look pretty good to me if I were purchasing the style.)

Superga/Polaris

Superga/Polaris

Other retailers with the shoe in stock include Shopbop, along with DSW, LL Bean, and Athleta. The price is $65 at all four retailers. The other ensemble we want to cover was worn on March 30th when Kate and Willliam were dinner guests of Pippa and James Matthews.

This was also at the couples’ Kensington home. More from The Daily Mail:

With her own big day just seven weeks away, the bride-to-be hosted a pre-wedding summit to introduce sister Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and husband Prince William to future in-laws David Matthews and Jane Parker. Pippa and Kate’s brother James Middleton, 29, also attended the South Kensington party, as did James Matthews’s brother, reality TV star Spencer, 27.

Kate was in the Peony Off the Shoulder Dress ($128) from Alice Temperley’s Somerset line for John Lewis. The dress is an off-the-shoulder design, although the Duchess pulled the garment up over her shoulders.

John Lewis

John Lewis

Thank you to Middleton Maven for her ID of Kate’s dress. There are other pieces in the pattern, including the Tie Neck Shirt ($89.50).

John Lewis

John Lewis

And a midi Peony Skirt ($102.50). The fabric is 100% viscose, and all pieces can go in the washing machine.

John Lewis

John Lewis

There are also Peony pieces with a white background.

John Lewis

John Lewis

Over the years there have been several items from the Somerset collection I liked. These are not my favorites.

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Today the BBC released details about its TV special focused on the London Marathon and Heads Together, the mental health charity started by Kate, William and Harry. The organization is the London Marathon’s Charity of the Year. There are hundreds of runners on the Heads Together team; they will be running “…to raise money and awareness for the inspiring mental health charities that provide practical support to those who need it.” The BBC broadcast follows several runners as they train for the April 23rd race. William, Kate, and Harry are featured in the program as they take part in a team training day. The program is called Mind over Marathon; it airs on BBC One April 27th.

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Kate & William are being honored with the Tuvalu Order of Merit.  From Richard Palmer’s story in The Express:

Discussions are under way for William and Kate to be invited to an investiture in London to each receive the Tuvalu Order of Merit in recognition of their 2012 visit to the Polynesian nation of nine tiny islands  Tuvalu’s honorary consul in London, Dr Iftikhar Ayaz, confirmed that the couple have now been honoured almost five years later to recognise the joy that their visit brought to Tuvalu. The Queen approved the honour on the advice of her government ministers in Tuvalu

Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire

Arthur Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire

Orders are worn affixed to a ribbon.

Nunn Syndication/POLARIS Images

Nunn Syndication/POLARIS Images

Here is a screen grab of the ribbon for the Tuvalu order as shown on the Worcestershire Medal Service Ltd website.

Worcestershire Medal Service Ltd

Worcestershire Medal Service Ltd

There are two terrific primers on royal orders at the Royal Order of Splendor.  Click here for the first and here for the second.   A side note: thank you everyone who was so patient & supportive when the site was inaccessible yesterday. Because it went down while we were at the airport frantically trying to salvage a vacation following a flight cancellation, we weren’t immediately aware of the problem. It looks we’re back to 100% functionality.

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Akaleistar

Saturday 15th of April 2017

The off the shoulder dress is so pretty!

CJ

Friday 14th of April 2017

Can anyone tell me whose jeans she is wearing? It's so hard to find low-rise jeans these days and these are great...thank you!

Jess

Friday 14th of April 2017

Love the way Kate keeps it simple in everyday life. The whtie top teamed with black skinnies and lace-up slip-ons is a great choice! xo, Jess | https://styledebates.com

monalisa

Tuesday 11th of April 2017

IMO, both of these casual looks are rather ugly and unflattering. The waffle knit is too big and bulky and too young as "styled". The designer look fits much smaller and shorter and the more sophisticated skirt balances it. The 70s hippie Temperley dress is just awful. Sorry.

Donna

Monday 10th of April 2017

Thanks for this very interesting information about how Kate dresses when she is off duty and about the orders.

I went to the links you provided and learned a lot. I had always wondered why Royals wear those sashes and ribbons with pictures pinned to them. As someone else mentioned, they seem to always be worn at gala events and I agree seem to detract from all the finery, but I understand now that it is a form of tribute and acknowledgement of their status and not merely a fashion thing.

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