Kate In Red LK Bennett for UNICEF Event, Her TV Interview, Reiss Belt & Weitzman Boots Updates

The Duchess went for a rich red coat and dark boots as she and William traveled to Denmark for today’s UNICEF East Africa Crisis event, they were hosted by Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary.

Below we show the LK Bennett ‘Ami’ coat worn by Kate, it is a wool and nylon blend (mostly wool), you can see the epaulets, high collar and attached belt.

The coat is selling at £276, or about $440 at today’s exchange rates, it was originally priced at £345.

When first viewing the coat last week for a post on the LK Bennett & Reiss styles for fall, it was available in all sizes in all three colors. As of this writing, the red (officially ‘burgundy’) is sold out in all but two UK sizes but still stocked in black and toffee. But as WKW Facebook friend Simona notes, the coat is also available at John Lewis.

Here we see the Duke and Duchess as well as Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik in front of boxes containing lifesaving supplies.

All four worked at filling boxes with relief supplies being shipped to East Africa.

Another image of the royals.

As many have no doubt noted, Kate did not wear the belt that came with the coat, instead opting for a more ornate look. Our thanks to Ayvee at Diana’s Jewels, she identified this as being by Vecceli Italy.  It is very similar to this piece that Ayvee shared, this one is not as broad as Kate’s but very close, and you can see the clasp.

UPDATE: Above we show the Croco Red belt, it *was* available for $59, but it is no longer shown on the Vecceli website. Two different WKW readers and FB friends spoke with Vecceli and were told Kate was wearing one of their belts from several years ago. However, a Duchess of Cambridge Style fan shared a photo of a belt she purchased at Kate fave Reiss.

But when Hello magazine editor Laura Abbey contacted Reiss she was told it was not their merchandise. Fortunately Ms. Abbey was persistent, calling a second time, prompting this from the retailer:

Doing an image search for Reiss Bessie Belt provided this result from a 2008 Holiday Gifts blog post here.

I think this is the end of our research on the belt! 🙂

Kate also brought back her Vinnie Day Leaf earrings, even though sold out, this gives you a sense of the leaf detailing. UPDATE: WKW FB friend Jenna says the earrings are very much available, she just treated herself to a pair. They *are* shown as being in stock, just click here.

Kate repeated the single charm bracelet seen on multiple occasions. The outstanding items we have yet to firmly identify include her dark boots and a black clutch. Great detective and teamwork by Abby H, Gwen, and the aforementioned Ayvee on Facebook point to the Stuart Weitzman Zipkin, shown below.

Stuart Weitzman confirmed to us the boots are indeed theirs.

The boots are suede with leather lining and described as “a super-decadent, sizzling fashion statement.” They have a 4″ heel and rubber soles, smart on Kate’s part, minimizing the odds of a slip and fall episode.  They are $635 at Joseph, the same price at Zappos, at Stuart Weitzman Canada they are $725. (As someone who frequently wears the brand we can attest to how comfortable they are, as noted by the FB comment seen in the graphic above between our inquiry and the company’s response.).

One item that will not be identified, is the dress underneath her coat, I don’t believe the coat came off at any point today when she was visible to media.

Today’s rather big news was that Kate did her first television interview, speaking to the BBC about the critical need in Africa.

The Telegraph has sound from both William and Kate in this piece, or you can click here to see it at Princess Diana Remembered. And SKY News offers this this transcription of the Duchess’s comments:

“In what seemed to be a breaking of tradition, Catherine stood alongside her husband and said the video footage of the tragedy in East Africa had upset her.

“It’s really just how shocking the situation still is,” the duchess said, as she answered reporters’ questions.

“It’s been going for 100 days or so and it’s really still ongoing, and a huge amount still has to happen with hundreds of children still malnourished at the moment. Hopefully, we can do as much as we can, really.”

Click here to see Sky’s story. Kate actually met another UNICEF ambassador at today’s events, Sir Roger Moore. Additionally, the Telegraph reports the couple is talking about making another visit to Africa, perhaps as early as next June. This particular cause is a natural for the couple, with their ties to Africa, and especially for Kate, fond of charities geared toward helping children. Below we see the couple being briefed by UNICEF officials, William is examining peanut paste, used for treating children with severe acute malnutrition.

A side note for those curious about the poppies seen on Kate and William, they are what I call traditional Remembrance poppies. Growing up in the US we would see these being sold starting in November, we all wore them on the 11th for Armistice or Veteran’s Day, known as Remembrance Day elsewhere. Serena on FB shared this link to more background on the poppies. Sadly, the tradition in the US is fading, but remains strong in other Allied countries.

Lest we forget the reason for Kate & William’s visit to Copenhagen, here is a link to the UNICEF East Africa Crisis page.

You can learn more about this particular situation, UNICEF in general, and even donate, just click here.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We also wanted to share a number of news stories, beginning with a bit of a to-do over the British Style Awards. The buzz began with this Telegraph story:

… according to the British Fashion Council website, the award is for “an individual who embodies the spirit of London and is an international ambassador for London as a leading creative fashion capital.”

When the original list of nominees was released it turns out Kate’s name wasn’t included. The story by Luke Leitch looks at a few of the nominees on the initial list:

Taking just one example, Lara Stone is one of the world’s leading models – absolutely – but gorblimey-London-credential-wise she’s a) Half-Dutch and b) tends to hit the red carpet in Calvin Klein.

While Kate is not an icon, her influence on British fashion is indisputable, especially following the North American tour.  Another view via Catwalk Queen’s post on the topic:

Some of the nominees include Victoria Beckham, Florence Welch, last year’s winner Alexa Chung, and Lara Stone. The absence of Middleton has many asking whether she has been deliberately snubbed by the British Fashion Council (BFC). Or perhaps it’s simply because she may not be permitted by the Palace to accept the award even if she did win.

The perspective from Fashion Etc.

She shops at Topshop, Reiss, and Zara. Everybody follows.

And when she leaves the high street for the high end, it’s to wear top designers like Sara Burton for Alexander McQueen, Erdem, and Jenny Packham.

And though the Duchess of Cambridge has never landed on a worst-dressed list, she also hasn’t secured a spot on the British Fashion Council’s British Style Award shortlist.

In the wake of the Telegraph story and many others there has been an enormous write-in campaign and Kate is now on the list; winners are announced November 28th. If you are interested in voting, click here.

Also notable this week, Harper’s Bazaar UK placed the Duchess at the top of its Best Dressed Britain list. The magazine’s reason for making Kate #1?

Catherine’s incredible style evolution has gripped us all. She gave us the year’s “ if not the century’s “ most thrilling fashion moment at the royal wedding, and is shaping up as an amazing ambassador for British designers and the high street’

For those fond of the HUGE photos at IBT, here is a link to their story.