Kate continues to reprise pieces from the royal walk-in, for today’s Wimbledon final she brought back two pieces by Joseph.
Tennis fans knew the significance of today’s match: Scotland’s Andy Murray carried the knowledge he was the first British man to make it to a Wimbledon final since 1938, while Roger Federer was keenly aware he had the chance to tie Pete Sampras’ total of seven Wimbledon titles.
It was a glittering crowd at Centre Court, filled with celebrities from the world of sport, politics, fashion and film. Those attending included Prime Minister David Cameron, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Victoria and David Beckham, Vogue’s Anna Wintour, actor Jude Law and many others.
Kate brought back Joseph’s ‘Vanessa,’ a sleeveless dress done in an acetate/polyester blend. We first saw this piece on the Duchess last year during the North American tour, below we show Kate and William at the LA Community Celebration. (Our original post on this event is here.)
Canadian Heritage
More details on the frock from the original product description:
This sleeveless scoop-neck dress features grosgrain banding and ruching at the waist. Vertical grosgrain banding at hidden back zip. Vertical banding at sides. Serged edges at neckline and at arm openings. Lined at skirt.
There was simultaneous identification of Kate’s dress as soon as pictures were seen, our thanks to Regal Eyes and Juzz on Twitter for sharing their thoughts.
The Duchess paired the dress with another Joseph piece, the Nessie Tweed Jacket we saw her wear to the Epsom Derby last year. (That post is here.)
We show the jacket in blue, it also came in white. The piece is all cotton and features four front pockets along with four buttons, they are stamped with anchors for a nice nautical touch. We thank Catherine Cambridge on FB for sharing info on the jacket.
Kate accessorized with familiar pieces, the Diane von Furstenberg Leopard Print Clutch we first saw last year in Los Angeles (more here) and her LK Bennett Sledge pumps.
Kate wore her Kiki McDonough citrine drop earrings, as well as two necklaces.
Thanks to Natalie for her kind comment and Michele for her email, they let us know the designer of Kate’s necklace. The piece is by UK designer Kristin Magnusson, below we show the piece as seen online.
I have been chatting with Kristin via email, it turns out she had no idea the Duchess was going to have the necklace on today, she says it was a very nice surprise to see Kate wearing it.bThe talented designer also makes the acorn in silver as well as a two-tone version, chain lengths can be varied as well. The piece Kate wore sells for £145, about $225 USD; the good news is that Kristin will ship internationally.
The gold plated acorn is just one of many pieces in Ms. Magnusson’s ‘Handmade Nature‘ collection.
Kristin M ‘Handmade Nature’ Collection
In addition to design skills, Kristin prides herself on attention to detail and the ability to do very precise work, as well as delivering stellar customer service. Below we see more of the designer’s work.
Those interested in getting in touch with Kristin can email her at Kristinmuk@me.com, if you would like to reach her by phone the number is 07879810276, do keep in mind she is on London time. Below, a closer look at today’s piece, you can also see the second chain Kate wore.
Kirsty Wigglesworth/Press Association
Some believe the box chain is by Links of London. We do know Kate is fond of the company, and Links is the official jeweler of Wimbledon, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the chain necklace is one of theirs. (A tip for Links fans, the company’s big sale is underway, with pieces up to 60% off.)
At one point it was so sunny Kate put on sunglasses, unusual for the Duchess, she rarely wears them in public.
Once again My Small Obsessions helps us out, identifying Kate’s glasses as the Givenchy Obsedia. Apparently they are actually Pippa’s, it seems she loaned the to Kate.
Via Grazia UK
Unfortunately, neither sister needed sunglasses for long, the rains came and the match was delayed while the roof over Centre Court was closed.
Steve Wake/AELTC/Wimbledon Facebook
While we generally don’t cover Pippa Middleton’s style (you want to read Pippa Middleton UK for that), we have already had questions about Pippa’s frock. It is the Phoebe Blue Bird peplum dress from Project D.
A tip of the hat to WKW Facebook friend Jennifer who shared the dress ID very quickly, as well as Michelle, she quickly located links to the dress online.
Regardless of the outcome, it was a great day of tennis.
This is an invasion of privacy you are WRONG to publish the photographs. You do not have to be like the press regardless of what the Duchess wore.
Hello Ann, and thank you for commenting. I am a little confused, what pictures are you referring to? If you are referencing the honeymoon photos, I have not published them, nor do I have any intention of doing so.
Sandy, I love the silhouette, cut, and color of that dress, but I’m not sure I see the Duchess in something so heavily sequined. I think that might be a bit too glitzy and “Hollywood” for her tastes.
I wanted to mention: there are a couple of remarks earlier in this comments section about the Duchess being — or perhaps more to the point, not being — a “fashion icon”. I think much depends on how you are defining the term.
These days, people have a tendency to attach it to women who wear rather extreme, even outre, fashion. Sarah Jessica Parker and Lady Gaga, as one poster mentioned, do come to mind. However, it seems to me that a real fashion icon is someone whose style other women follow and emulate — because they can.
I think most people would agree that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a fashion icon and in many ways is still regarded as one. Her wardrobe has been the subject of museum exhibitions. However, she never wore extreme style, she didn’t even wear the most high-style examples of the couture fashion of her day. But millions of women around the world followed what she wore and copied it, because it WAS copiable. Jackie Kennedy was a fashion icon to them, and I’m not sure what else the term should really mean. What, for example, is the point of attaching it to women whose style other women CAN’T really emulate for a variety of reasons, expense being only one of them? (Sheer impracticality being another.) Those people may be admired for their unusual taste and daring, but are they really “fashion icons” for other people?
I suppose I’m arguing for a definition of “fashion icon” as “fashion role model” rather than “fashion virtuoso” or “fashion superstar” or “fashion artiste”. People like Lady Gaga inhabit a fashion universe quite different from the one in which most of us live. If you’ll forgive an art-world analogy from an art historian, they are the Picassos of the fashion world (Picasso in his most difficult, early-Cubist period). What we want to see and what we can emulate are the clothes of the Monets.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was a Monet. So is the Duchess of Cambridge.
Other fashion Monets of history, in the event anyone is interested, were people like Audrey Hepburn; Lilian, Princesse de Rethy (who had a great influence on Jackie Kennedy); and Princess Maud of the UK who became the Queen of Norway. Maud’s elegant and chic wardrobe was the subject of an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum some years back.
Lili, don’t you think that dress is like a glittery red version of the pink Jenny Packham she wore last year to the ARK gala? Isn’t everyone supposed to be ‘glitzy’ for a black tie event? People loved the Olympics dress, and that was definitely ‘glitzy’.
Lady Gaga simultaneously offends and terrifies me with her ‘fashion’. Being different for the sake of being different is conformist in a sense. Beautiful clothes never go out of style: they don’t need to be retired once the season is over. And I think equating Kate to Jackie O as ‘Monet’ is simply laughable.
I don’t want her to become a fashion icon. I just want her to stop dressing so frumpy and wearing the same looks again and again (the same coat in a different color or the same lace dress in a different color.)
In my view (and it’s merely a personal opinion), the pink Packham was considerably less “Hollywood” than the red sequinned dress. For one thing, the rose color was less in-your-face than the red.
Sandy, forgive me, but you really need to be a bit less rude.
I’m not rude. If you are referencing the Jackie O comment, then too bad. I don’t know why you are so generous in describing Kate. She is nothing like Jackie O and does not deserve such praise. Red is “in your face”? And yet when I said she was “in your face” for the Jubilee with the red Alexander McQueen, people quickly dismissed me. Some people are so two-sided.
Well, when she was wearing red for the river pagent that color of red blended in with the red decor of the boat. Most of the boat was decorated in red: the carpet, furniture, curtains, etc. while on at a “red carpet event” only the carpet is red, so thus, she would stand out more. It just depends on the given surroundings.
I was shopping online (an addiction of mine), and I came across this gorgeous Jenny Packham dress, and I immediately thought of Kate. It is modest and appropriate, but also very glamorous, colourful, and youthful. One would have to wear an updo in order to showcase the back of the dress.
http://www.stylebop.com/product_details.php?menu1=clothing&menu2=5&id=334021
A great find Sandy…I love this dress..!!! How beautiful and elegant. Hopefully, as Kate settles into her role she might feel comfortable wearing this. I for one would love to see our young Duchess in it.
what I appreciate about Kate is that thanks to her, new brands or unknown brands come to the light
It seems the dress Kate wore to the War Horse premier wasn’t a bespoked piece, or an altered bridal gown.
http://m.shopbop.com/long-sleeved-amoret-dress-temperley/vp/v=1/845524441945022.htm?folderID=2534374302204905&fm=other-shopbysize&extid=affprg-2687457
Not surprising that it shares so many characteristics to the bridal version, many designers create their RTW and Bridal lines with many similarities so the lines will be parallel and cohesive. I sure if you go through TL’s RTW lookbook, and the Bridal lookbook you’ll see many repeating motifs.
Thank you for the information Gena, it is great to know. I will be updating the original post as soon as I have a chance. 🙂
Lovely outfit again and all with recycled items. Beautiful necklace. I enjoy seeing Kate wearing modern fresh jewellery. Will be interesting to see how much of the royal jewellery collection she will ever end up wearing oneday when her and Wills end up on the throne. Some of the stuff is very dated and clunkers. The Queen gets away with it but only because we’re used to seeing her in it.
I absolutely love this site, its my daily 9am fix. Love Kate’s style and look and appreciate the effort you put in to cover her fashion.
Has anyone seen her bikini shots? I think she looks so toned, with a body such as hers its no wonder she carries of all types of fashion choices. Its interesting that she is an inverted triangle (wider shoulders and smaller hips).
http://www.hollywire.com/2012/07/prince-william-kate-middletons-honeymoon-photos-leaked
Those photos were never meant to be seen by the public, and I consider them to have been intrusive, so I am resolutely trying to avoid looking at them.
I agree, Lili – I feel that the publication of these photos is a real breach to what was intended to be a private and precious time. Thankfully, most sites are not publishing them. It’s nice though, Tanya, that you appreciate Kate’s style 🙂
Likewise.
. . lovely article – think one will have to purchase this necklace from UK designer Kristin Magnusson since children attend school with ‘Oaks’ in it’s name!
xoxo
Jennifer
@atthebluebarn
I like this outfit, but it seems too business-like for a sporting event, even Wimbledon. It looks like she should be attending an official engagement instead of relaxing. Pippa’s dress (while not figure flattering) at least had some fun to it. I could see perhaps the floral Jenny Packham Kate wore to the polo match in the U.S. with a jacket.
I do like the acorn necklace, so appropriate for a Middleton sister outing.
I really love Kate’s leopard print clutch!
I think the acorn necklace Kate wore is a great nod to her family’s coat of arms!
Does anyone know what that bag Pippa carried is, I really like it!
I believe the ladies at Pippa Middleton Style identified it as being by Tory Burch. 🙂
Do you have a link to a better picture? The only one I’ve seen is just a small part of it. I went to the Tory Burch site and saw a couple that it could be but just wondering if its the Robinson bag?
Thank you, kind ladies, for the help! MUCH appreciated!
Cool, conservative, comfortable — and elegant as ever: simply perfect.
I like both pieces much better in this combination, the dress seemed a bit washed-out before, and the jacket a shade boxy. It certainly shows up how much thinner Kate was when she was last seen out in the dress.
The dress design Pippa is wearing was also worn by Princess Mary for a family gathering before the christening of Princess Victoria’s baby daughter , Estelle recently. . Lovely design, very flattering.
I do have a question that has been in my curiosity for long time. I rarely see Kate in sleeveless dress/shirt nor many in short sleeves, except for ball gowns. But again I don’t see other female royals wear them either. Is there any protocol on this or simply just because she’s not very comfortable to show off that part of her skin? Just curious.
There are no specific protocols for what they wear, except not to show too much skin or to wear anything too tight, too short, too low cut. They are the same guidelines all people with taste follow.
The Queen certainly wore sleeveless day dresses when she was younger. There’s an official family portrait taken for her Silver Jubilee in which she’s wearing a sleeveless sheath dress.
The Roksana Ilincic the Duchess wore in Canada was also sleeveless, and she wore a lot of sleeveless clothing before her marriage, so she’s not “uncomfortable” with it. I might point out, though, that the weather in the UK is unsuitable for sleeveless clothing for much of the year, and that many of the events she now must attend really do require a “covered-up” look. Anything that takes place in or around a church, for example.
Kate looks gorgeous love the whole outfit. I like pippa`s look too but have to admit HRH Princess Mary looks prettier in it. it is so nice to see kate and pippa together looking happy!
She looked gorgeous and classy! Wasn’t a fan of the clutch, but the Joseph is one of my favorite dresses of hers, and the Nessie is such a pretty jacket! Nice, Kate!
This is perhaps the worst dress she’s ever worn. I was/am flabbergasted at the fact that so many people like it. It is shapeless and matronly. It looks like a garment you wear underneath a dress, and it looks too big on Kate. It’s something I would wear if I was cleaning the house. The jacket is more sophisticated, but I strongly dislike the pockets as it has a cheapening effect.
I never thought I’d say this, but Pippa’s ensemble is pretty, young, and fun. She looked much better than Kate.
Wow, Sandy, you must have a fabulous wardrobe if this is a housecleaning dress! I’m jealous.
There’s nothing to this dress. I’d be embarrassed to wear this in public. The belt, or whatever that is in the middle, is the worst part. I don’t know why Kate wears such shapeless clothing.
I actually dislike Pippa’s dress and do not feel that it flattered her. I’m not a fan of busy little prints and the print combined with the peplum means that too much is going on with that dress. That’s not the best choice for a small, compactly-built person like Miss Middleton.
Sandy, you seem to have a very negative view of the Duchess’s clothing in general. I, too, cannot imagine doing housework in anything like that Joseph dress.
“you seem to have a very negative view of the Duchess’s clothing in general. I, too, cannot imagine doing housework in anything like that Joseph dress.” If I’m not fawning over her clothes I have a ‘negative view’? Virtually everyone had a ‘negative view’ of Kate’s yellow coat: the only difference this time is that I’m in the minority here.
Every person has their own sense of style so let’s not be too hard on one another. In any case none of Kate’s clothes are so bad that they need to be binned. But I guess what most people are saying here is that this “style” is in proportion to her figure hence looks very elegant. A lovelier version of this style would be the dress she wore for the premiere of “African Cats”. The Duchess also looks good in fit and flare – as long as the flare is not too much and reaches just above the knee. The pink and red McQueen dresses worn for the Jubilee functions are good examples.
Sandy, I believe the comment may have been intended as a broader statement, for you do seem to have very negative views of what Kate wears. You have left 38 comments with us. Of those thirty eight comments 27 can only be construed as negative, 2 *might* be perceived as positive or a backhanded compliment, another 3 are not about Kate or couldn’t be categorized as positive of negative. The remaining 6 are directed to me as the blog owner and administrator, 5 of which expressed your unhappiness with my policies and 1 that asked about moving the comment section itself. (A change I will probably make when I have time.) There’s nothing wrong with that, but it might explain why some have the perception they do about your thoughts on Kate’s style.
I’m sorry you had to go through my comments and categorize them like that! I want to like what Kate wears because she has potential, exclusive access, and money, so it bothers me, as a person who LOVES fashion, when she doesn’t meet her “fashion icon” status, of which I believe she is not. I know she doesn’t promote herself as such, it’s just hype, so perhaps I should just calm down from now on.
If people want a fashion icon they should follow Lady Gaga or Sarah Jessica Parker McQueen days. Kate or any Princesses would never wear anything like that. The only things fashion-y about all the Princesses are their hats. If people are looking for fashion icon than they most likely won’t find it by following Kate, Mary, etc. If they are looking for styles and they like what the Princesses generally wears than they are in the right place.
Sandy, this site always seems to be a thorn in your side, from the consistency of your commentary. Curious that you would return over and over to be so disappointed. Perhaps you are hoping that Kate will “turn things around” fashion-wise? Catherine seems determined to go conservative and practical, not fashion plate like her mother-in-law, so perhaps it’s time to find a different person’s fashion to follow? Something tells me this woman is going to disappoint you again and again.
Ah, now this is more like it! One of my favorite Kate dresses from the tour, and I like the jacket much better with the straight sheath than the fuller skirt at the Derbys (overall, wasn’t a fan of her Epsom Derby look). And the layered necklaces and leopard bag are perfect touches. To excuse the horrid tennis pun, this look was an ace!
I agree. Although, personally I would have chosen necklaces in the same tone. I don’t mind mixing gold and silver toned jewelry if there a number of pieces that are mixed, so it looks deliberate, instead of just one odd piece, which looks mismatched to me. Still, a nice, polished look , without it looking like she was trying too hard.
IMHO they are both in gold, just because of bigger chain it can appear silver, white gold. But if you check DM you can see they are both in gold.
White gold or not, it looks silver. I inherited a set of antique diamond and white-gold jewelry, and believe me, white gold doesn’t just APPEAR to be silver: in terms of color, though not composition, it IS silver.
Color is what matters when it comes to deciding what to wear.
However, as a blonde, I didn’t wear that diamond and white-gold set for years, believing that it just wasn’t set off to advantage by my coloring (and vice-versa) and that one should never mix silver and gold-colored jewelry. A relative changed my mind about that conventional widsom. Today, I often mix white-gold, yellow-gold, rose-gold, and sterling-silver jewelry. The effect can be terrific if you do it right.
Kristin Magnusson is the designer of the gold acorn necklace.
It is such a simple, yet elegant dress, and it fits the occasion. The waist is where it should be – hurrah! Kate looks properly propotioned in this outfit dress. She wears the colour well. I can’t. Lucky her 🙂
I love Pippa’s dress too!
Pity I missed the tennis but at least I saw some of Serena’s game yesterday.
Absolutely correct. This style, waisted (or even slightly high-waisted) with a slim skirt which falls just above the knee suits Kate perfectly. This is the style that is most flattering and in proportion with her figure. There is a lot one can do with this simple style – add jackets, necklace and the like. Even the dress that Pippa wore would suit Kate. Both the Middleton sisters look lovely.
I’m not a great fan of the all-white look, though the Duchess wears it well, and of course it’s suitable for tennis. This dress is perfectly nice, but that’s about all I can say — and could say, when I saw it during the Canada trip. The jacket is also fine, though I preferred it when she paired it with the Reiss dress and capuccino hat for Epsom. That was a better pairing than the Reiss dress with the McQueen cream coat.
I wonder whether the acorn pendant could be a custom piece? The acorn features on the Middleton coat-of-arms, after all, and on the diamond drop earrings the Duchess’s parents gave her as a wedding gift.
I think both ladies looked lovely. Kate is understated elegance all the way, and Pippa’s dress is identical to the one worn by Princess Mary not too long ago. Very flattering and feminine.
What shoes was she wearing? The nude lkb sledges again? Wouldn’t the Jimmy Choos Lovely’s (which she wore when she landed in LA) have been a better match with the dress? Now it such a mix of soft colours….. Nude patent shoes, soft pink dress, white dress, beige leopard clutch.
Nevertheless she looks amazing! That hair! Love.
The Daily Mail has some pics of Kate and Pippa as they left, and it looked to me like Kate was wearing her Sledge shoes again.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2170424/Wimbledon-2012-Kate-Pippa-Middleton-row-seats-Royal-box.html
I love that she’s re-wearing so many things:) Such “normal” actions from so prominent a figure is quite refreshing, especially when I’m bombarded by Hollywood, etc. Oh, and I found me a dress that actually very close to this one, just not quite as drapey and is white-white (as opposed to ivory/creamy-white) at Ross….for $15!!!!!! Seriously, as soon as I saw it I thought of this dress and it’s now one of my favorites to wear! So keep your eyes open and hit up those stores you think you won’t find anything in, because they have some treasures:)
Kate looked awesome today! I am always on the lookout for similar casual dresses and shoes of hers and scored some great deals at Forever21, Ross and yes…eBay! I have been looking for a small leopard print clutch for a couple weeks now and was thrilled to see her carrying one today 🙂
Overall, I definitely like this look!
But I did prefer this dress with the light pink tweed jacket and the light pink pumps (here’s the best picture I could find: http://cdn3.gossipcenter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/fullsize_image/images/p/prince-catherine-070311-6.jpg) … I think that combo was more interesting than this one, but of course both look good.
Oh yeah, I love that tweed jacket! I pretty much love every jacket she has worn so far. 🙂
I am not a Pippa hater; I just don’t care for her as much as I do to Kate. And this bird dress definitely looks lot better on the model than on her. I think the silhouette is not very good for her body type and maybe one size too small. 🙁 Please don’t bash me.
I agree, it’s a cute dress but looks like much too tight around Pippa’s waist. I can’t imagine watching a 3 hour+ tennis match in a dress that tight.
I actually don’t think it’s too tight. The waistband is ruched at the sides, which may give a false impression of tightness.
However, I’ll agree that the dress was not a good choice for Pippa Middleton’s small frame. Moreover, she’s wearing wedged espadrilles with it, I’ve just realized, and they are really not the right accessories for a dress like this. Wedged espadrilles should be worn with trousers, jeans, or very casual dresses.
She looked great and I love that the DM already has more of her tennis facial expressions. I suspect we’ll get another meme out of today!
White is her color, for sure, and this coming from someone who doesn’t look good in white (I think you have to be slim to pull it off!)
Has anyone found a good (and not couture-priced) alternative to this jacket?? Under $150 would be fabulous!!
This little jacket is my all time favorite of her wardrobe. 🙂 Glad to see it again.
It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but I think the Joseph dress matches the shade of the jacket better than the Reiss dress did. In some pictures from the Epsom derby, it was really evident that the jacket was more ivory than the dress, which was a look I didn’t care for. She does seem to be a fan of white-on-white, and the Reiss dress did look lovely with the McQueen jacket for Garter day. It’s good to see the sisters out and about together – it’s been a while.
I’ve always wondered what she wore under the McQueen coat the first time ( I loved the fullness of the Reiss dress for Garter Day). Now taking a second look at this Joseph dress and Kate’s penchant for white on white, I wonder if she wore this Joseph dress originally under the MdQueen coat.
She had on a black hat, and later in the day, she wore a very slim black and white sheath dress (from Zara, I think) to a wedding, with that hat. I’m on record as saying that I think the McQueen coat would work well with a slim-cut, knee-length dress or skirt. (It was shown with such an item by the McQueen atelier.) I suspect that the Duchess may have been wearing that black and white dress the first time she wore the McQueen coat.
I thought the Reiss dress was too full and too short to be worn with the coat.
So great to see Pippa and Kate together and wearing sunglasses!!
As a side note, I think that we should adopt a new WKW policy. When an item has already been ID’d I don’t think that anyone should “get credit”. Yes, i t was the joseph dress and coat. Whoever says “it’s the joseph dress!!” first can really just type fast. It just seems like we snip at each other, and this could help reduce some of the competitiveness that I hate and bring it back down a notch. An example on the snipping is when someone new comes on and says “oh that’s the joseph dress!” And three other people start reminding her that so-and-so already said that. Just a thought! I think that FB timeline has made this issue worse.
I don’t know if that idea would fly with everyone, but fwiw I am ok with it! Sometimes I feel constrained and don’t post b/c I dislike getting jumped for not being the first person to say something. I don’t really understand the competitiveness about ID-ing to be honest. This is supposed to be fun.
I agree! Plus, it would be less work for Susan as we see more recycled outfits. Also, notice that we don’t get credited for pointing out her earrings and shoes since she wears them so often. Same thing should be with repeat outfits.
I agree with Rene and Sarah, there should be new policy:
When an item has already been ID’d I don’t think that anyone should “get creditâ€.
Kate always looks best in white! Although I have to say that Chanel tweed jacket she wore this dress with in Canada was spectacular and I probably would have preferred it to this one, but both are fabulous.
I had to share this fun pic from the match today too. Is it just me or is everyone looking at Kate’s bum in this picture (including David Cameron!)? Awkward! http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Kate+Middleton+Championships+Wimbledon+2012+oVTy908fB39l.jpg
I agree. I found Kate looks good in every white piece she has worn so far. This jacket and that white dress during the Canada Tour is a stunner as well.
Just a fun fact: Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore that Project D dress first to the christening of her niece!
Both sisters look lovely –so nice to see Kate, as it isn’t often now that she is around.
Oh, I thought it looked familiar! Good eyes! 🙂
Aw, thanks Kristin! 🙂
Perfect look for tennis at Wimbledon! I hope Kate enjoyed the match.