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Kate In Ideal Ensemble for Party at the Palace

For today’s Party at the Palace Kate was in a familiar frock. The Duchess’s See by Chloé knit dress was first worn during the Canada tour last fall. Duchess Kate Chloe dress

Today’s Buckingham Palace event honored children who lost a parent serving in the armed forces. The invitations featured a popup Palace.

Army Widows Association Twitter (@ArmyWidowsA) Click on image to go to Twitter feed.

Army Widows Association Twitter (@ArmyWidowsA) Click on image to go to Twitter feed.

From The Telegraph’s story by Hannah Furness:

In the words of Prince Harry, Buckingham Palace had not seen that much fun, ever.

He should know – and with water balloons, facepaints, cupcakes and the RAF Falcons parachuting onto the palace lawns, who would argue?

Kensington Palace

From Robert Jobson’s Evening Standard story:

Guests enjoyed performances by the pop star Jess Glynne, the magician Lance Corporal Richard Jones, winner of Britain’s Got Talent, and the ventriloquist Nina Conti. Children also took part in breakdancing and beatboxing workshops.

©Pool / Reuters / Splash

Charities involved in the event included Child Bereavement UK (William is the royal patron of the organization), Winston’s Wish, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, and the SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association).

Kate meeting some of the children.Kate Middleton Party at Palace Chloe dress

From The Daily Mail’s story:

The sprawling garden was transformed into an open-air festival for the guests, who brought a surviving parent or guardian.

Kensington Palace

Harry shows his skill at spinning plates.Kensington Palace

But then he encountered a real pro: Spiderman. (That’s 3-year-old George Hinchcliffe.)Kensington Palace

Back to the Evening Standard article:

George’s father, Captain Richard Hinchfliffe, who served with the Royal Armoured Medical Corps, died in an accident as a civilian in 2015 shortly after leaving the RAMC.

His mother, Abigail Hinchcliffe, said it was “very emotional” to be at Buckingham Palace and watch her son playing with Prince Harry.

©Andrew Parsons / NMA Rota / Nunn Syndication / Polaris

William with party-goers.Kensington Palace

Kate chatting with one of the guests.Kensington Palace

A bucket of balloons. More precisely, water balloons.Kensington Palace

Why were they needed? So Kate could help launch them into the air with a giant slingshot, something she found very entertaining.Kensington Palace

The trio also posed for photos. Below you see the Duke, Duchess & Prince with Samantha Davidson and her children, Jayden 8, Jamie 6, Amelia 4.© Andrew Parsons / iImages/Polaris

This is one of those occasions where the Duke, Duchess and Prince all seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, despite the losses faced by all the special guests.©Pool/Nunn Syndication/Polaris

Harry spoke briefly to those attending the event: People has more.

Prince Harry made an emotional speech to the party, telling the guests, “Today was organized to celebrate you guys. We’re here to remind you that we as a family, and as a nation will never, ever forget the sacrifices that all of you here have made.

“We wanted to give you an opportunity to know that you are part of, sadly, a very large group of fantastic people. The three of us, and all of our family, wanted to thank you so, so much for everything you’ve done. “I can assure you that Buckingham Palace gardens have not seen this much fun, ever.”

Kensington Palace

The party wrapped up in dramatic fashion.Kensington Palace

Paratroopers from the RAF Falcons team made quite an entrance.Kensington Palace

Now for a look at what Kate wore for today’s festivities.©Pool / Reuters / Splash

Many recognized the Duchess’ dress immediately; it was first worn at the children’s party in Canada last September.©

It was a good choice for today’s festivities. (This comes from someone not fond of the dress, but appreciates its convenience/appeal for Kate.)©

The garment is from See by Chloé’s Fall ’16 collection. It remains in stock at Saks ($460), although the ‘small’ size has sold out in the time it took me to write the post. The fit and flare dress is knee-length, with an openworked bodice and sleeves, ruffled collar and cuffs, and back button closure. The pointelle-knit is a blend of 90% cotton/10% polyester.kate-kids-party-canada-see-chloe-knit-dress-creamy-white-porduct-shots-nap

Here is a look at that button back.©Andrew Parsons/i-Images/Polaris

Kate also wore the Fleur espadrille wedges by Monsoon today; she also wore this shoe at the party in Canada.©Andrew Parsons,i-Images / Mosoon

The taupe suede worn by the Duchess is no longer available. This spring the Fleur is offered in navy suede as well as a taupe fabric; both styles are available on the Monsoon UK site (£45, about $58), but not the US site.Monsoon

Completing the repeat trifecta, Kate’s Orione belt by Acne Studios, long ago sold out.

FORWARD by Elyse Walker

FORWARD by Elyse Walker

We saw the return of Kate’s Kiki McDonough Diamond Hoops and Annoushka Pearl Drop earrings.©Splash/Kiki McDonough/Annoushka/

This look worked well for the Duchess. The knit dress is comfortable, the full skirt works well when Kate is kneeling, and the wedge shoes made eminently good sense for walking on the grass. One more photo.Pool / Reuters / Splash

We’ll leave you with this 2-minute video from The Telegraph; it includes Kate & Harry launching their water balloons.

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With a “welcome” to all our new followers it occurs to me it’s time for a comment policy reminder. We’ve been seeing an increase in comments specula, something we avoid. I feel dreadful not publishing them when people have gone to the time and effort of sharing their thoughts, thus the need for a quick refresher. From the policy:

Healthy, respectful discussion is not only desired, it is encouraged. A debate on the length of a hemline or the merits of a sheath over a fit and flare silhouette isn’t just enjoyable, it’s educational. In those instances, and almost all others, people agree to disagree. They do so politely, even warmly. It is not okay to refer to someone as a fool. Nor is it acceptable to belittle another’s opinion, or to label it as stupid, idiotic, ridiculous or to use any other pejorative term in responding to someone’s comment.

The site’s primary purpose is style-related; this is not the place for discussion about Kate and William’s marriage, Kate’s weight or speculation on whether or not she is expecting. Trial and error over the years has shown that weight debates have a propensity to go off the rails very quickly. Saying “I think the dress is too big on her” or “the suit jacket should have been taken in” is different from “She looks gaunt,” or “Kate’s bones stick out,” or comments of that nature. It’s a fine line, but one we’re sensitive to here. 

Comments referring to the Duchess (or anyone else) as a moron, a nitwit, a disgrace or other derogatory terms are simply deleted. That doesn’t translate into sycophancy. It’s merely the difference between saying “I don’t think the dress is cut right” or “it’s not a flattering look” and saying “She looks like an idiot, “I can’t believe she would wear such a trashy dress,” or “she looks dumpy.” In some cases it’s a matter of tone; because this is the written word we need to remember one can’t hear vocal inflections. In summation, we have worked hard over the years to create a community here at WKW, and will continue efforts to ensure civility is maintained as we evolve.

We’ll see you next week, and then a week from today for Pippa’s wedding (!).

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Maureen

Tuesday 16th of May 2017

Sigh. I want to like it: it checks all the "appropriateness" boxes for an event at the palace, it's princessy, it's Chloe, she can bend down in it and move around. But while I like it on paper, it just reminds me too much of a someone's ancient knitted afghan or doily. I'm struggling to come up with a better option: pants wouldn't work, a dress would have to look good with a wedge, should be princess-y but not a straight skirt/pencil-y suit ensemble. Surely there's something else fit and flare from one of the tours that isn't such a blah color--something reasonably priced so she doesn't look out of touch. Maybe it's the hair that bugs me? Would a swingy ponytail have made it more sporty and approachable (but less princess glam?) The belt helps and of course Kate looks gorgeous in everything, but I'm hoping this is the last we see of this and it goes back to the 70s!

Anne-Christine

Tuesday 16th of May 2017

I saw there was a new post by an "Anne" a few entries back, so I will add my other name, Christine, in order to avoid confusion. Thank you, Admin, for the reminder about civil comments. I'm sure it will help to keep the discussion here on the level it's always been. I've loved this site for the knowledgeable contributions about the fashion choices the Duchess makes (fabric, silhouette, color, accessories, significance, and overall wow factor!), and I hope this continues to be a fun and enlightening online community!

admin

Tuesday 16th of May 2017

Thank you! :)

stacey

Tuesday 16th of May 2017

The dress and shoes are different styles: the dress seems fussy and formal and the shoes are casual. Both are fine if worn with the appropriate outfit, but are jarring when worn together. I also have a nitpicky thing that probably only bothers me: I can deal with a monochrome outfit, but when your dress is one color and your shoes are meant to match but are not the exact same color, it makes you look like you should have checked your outfit in the sunlight before leaving the house. My personal preference would be for a contrast. I am imagining how red shoes would elevate this outfit. Even navy would be better.

Jessica

Tuesday 16th of May 2017

I think this is such a pretty dress--she's incredibly brave to wear white at an event like this! I do prefer it without the belt, which to my eye looks too clunky for the dress.

I like her wedges in general, but we're seeing a lot of block heels this season, and they're just as functional for wandering around in the grass. I wonder if we'll be seeing some version of those on the Duchess this summer.

Jennb2112

Tuesday 16th of May 2017

After seeing this dress again I strongly agree that the belt was needed. The design without a belt looks incomplete and a strange transition from top to bottom. Not what I would haveselected for this type of event but a great dress. Excited to see the family next week at Pippa's wedding. Hoping for some incredible fashions.

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