2012 Polls: Pick Your Favorite Hat, Favorite Boots & Favorite ‘Old’ Shoes

We are back with a few more of our 2012 polls, Our first poll looks at Kate’s “old,” or previously seen footwear. We’re doing this one because I think favorites may change or differ from last year’s choices after having an additional year of seeing Kate wear the shoes in different settings with different outfits.

We begin with the Jimmy Choo “Cosmic,” part of the brand’s 24:7 capsule collection of handbags, shoes and boots. It features a towering 5″ heel atop a 1″ closed-toe platform. Kate’s version is black suede, selling for $695 at Jimmy Choo, as well as Net-a-Porter. (There are many other finishes available, including patent and glitter.)  Here is an example of Kate wearing the Cosmic with a shorter dress, providing a good look at the shoe.

Kate’s grey Rupert Sanderson “Malone” shoes were back this year, the Duchess paired them with her blue M Missoni coat when visiting Fortnum & Mason with HM and Camilla in March. The grey suede heels feature a rounded toe and heel, they were previously seen in 2011 for Order of the Garter.  The shoe is shown in stock at the company’s website, but only in black patent, it is £375 (about $600).

LK Bennett’s “Art” pump was seen again on multiple occasions in 2012, including Kate’s visit to Olympic Park in March, and the Jubilee trip to Nottingham with the Queen and Prince William. The navy leather pump is an older style, it features a broader heel and rounded toe.

The blue suede pumps by Prada were back, paired with Rebecca Taylor separates in April when Kate and William attended a reception honoring the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race to the South Pole. The pump is a medium blue suede, it features a pointed toe and squared footbed. It is no longer available for purchase.

We saw Kate wear the Jimmy Choo Vamp several times in 2012. Below we show it paired with a Roland Mouret gown in May for a dinner with William at Claridge’s. This style is part of the CHOO 24:7 collection mentioned above, the platform sandal is done in metallic leather with 4.7″ heel and 1″ platform (comparable to a 3 1/2″ heel). The Vamp remains available for $750 at Jimmy Choo online in Kate’s “champagne glitter” color, Nordstrom also offers the shoe for $750 in multiple colors.

Kate accessorized a pink Emilia Wickstead dress at the Sovereigns’ Luncheon in May with Prada pumps in a blush/rose satin. I am sorry we don’t have a better photo of them or product shot.

Not to be overlooked, the much loved Sledge by LK Bennett, seen many times in 2012. (If ever I thought an inanimate object deserved its own parody Twitter account, the Sledge would be it.) The patent leather shoe has a 4.5″ heel, 1″ platform and rounded toe. The color worn by Kate is Taupe, the shoe comes in many other colors. The Sledge is available at LK Bennett for £195/$345 and also $345 at Nordstrom.

Kate’s black Prada pumps were seen several times last year, the distinctive ‘curved’ heel distinguishes them from other styles, as does the black Prada heel and gold logo.

At the announcement of a charitable initiative in June we saw Kate’s Pied a Terre ‘Imperia’ The espadrille-style wedge has a canvas upper and buckle slingback, the shoe is available in many colors, including the natural worn by Kate (£80, $160).

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We have separated out boots from other footwear, the styles and purposes are so different it didn’t make sense to have them grouped together. In the boot category we begin with Kate’s “Charge It” boots from Russell and Bromley, shown most recently when Kate was discharged from the hospital in December. Unfortunately this style is no longer available.

Aqutalalia’s high-heeled “Rhumba” boots were seen on many occasions. The boots have a stacked heel, rubber sole, half zipper and weatherproofed suede with a bit of stretch to it, one reason they are so comfortable. (And popular.) The Rhumba is available for $698 at Aquatalia, in *very* limited sizes at half-price at Neiman Marcus.

Kate’s other Aquatalia footwear was also seen with some frequency, her “Royal” booties (called the “Regal” at Aquatalia) were worn several times. The shoe has a cushioned footbed, elastic stretch panels, and a 3.5″ heel with a 1/2″ platform. Nordstrom offers the bootie it in many sizes and colors for $398, although Kate’s ‘Espresso’ suede seems to be sold out. Aquatalia has the bootie in several colors as well, it is $425.

Our next pair of boots is more practical, Kate’s Le Chameau wellies appeared again in 2012, shown below on a “roughing it” camping program in June.  She wears the Vierzonord, a style designed to protect against cold temperatures that is also “100% waterproof”. The boots remain available in many sizes at Philip Morris UK, the US version of these are the Ladies Vierzon Nord, we show them at Orvis, they seem to have most sizes in stock.

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Finally today, our hat poll.When visiting De Montfort University with Her Majesty in March Kate wore a hat by Lock & Co., the ‘Fairy Tale’. Available in 8 different colors, this hat retailed at £285, roughly $450 USD at today’s exchange rates.

Kate wore another piece by Lock and Co. for another March engagement, the annual St. Patrick’s Day ceremony with the Irish Guards. This piece was the firm’s ‘Betty Boop’ style, it is no longer available for sale.

At the April wedding of Kate’s friend Hannah Gillingham she wore a hat attributed to Madeleine Millinery by the Daily Mail. Unfortunately we have no photos of the event, neither of the picture services I use have images. You can see pictures from the Mail here, or visit Pop Sugar for 60+ photos. (It will be included in our poll.)

The Duchess spruced up a previously seen Emilia Wickstead dress with a new pink hat for the Buckingham Palace Garden party in May. The hat is by Jane Corbett, featuring a broad brim, lace trim on the underside and a bow detail atop and below the brim.

When the big Diamond Jubilee celebrations got underway the first event was a Jubilee River Pageant. Kate chose a piece by Sylvia Fletcher for James Lock and Company, similar to the company’s ‘My Fair Lady’ style. This piece is no longer available.

Kate selected a piece by Jane Taylor Millinery, for the Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Beaded Cocktail Hat features silk tulle and organza discs, it is embellished with smoked quarts and veiling. The hat appears to still be available, priced at £790, approximately $1260.

Kate also brought back her Whiteley Cappucino hat for the June 9th wedding of Prince William’s cousin Emily McCorquodale, pairing it with the grey silk of a Katherine Hooker coat. (Seen below left.) The third time we saw Kate wearing the piece was in July of last year at Order of the Thistle ceremonies in Scotland, worn with a yellow Emilia Wickstead coat. (It was first worn to the Epsom Derby in 2011.)

When visiting Nottingham in June Kate repeated a fascinator we’ve seen before, a navy confection by Rachel Trevor-Morgan. This piece was first seen when Kate and William visited the Irish Guards in 2011, shown in the image below on the right.

Another new chapeau for Kate was by Jane Corbett, worn for the June 16th Trooping the Colour events.

June brought a panoply of hats, we saw yet another during Garter Day events. The piece by milliner Jane Corbett showcased a creamy sisal base topped by an elaborate bow. I believe Kate wore the same hat to the June 30th wedding of her friend Alice St. John Webster, our limited photos of that event are here.

Kate wore a Jane Taylor hat when arriving in the Solomon Islands during the Royal Tour. The bespoke piece featured aquamarine colored stones to match her Jonathan Saunders dress, it was pinned to the back of her head.

When attending the wedding of longtime friend Thierry Kelaart in late September Kate sported a new hat once again I don’t have photos, and suggest you visit this story in the Mail. It was a soft grey straw trimmed with organdie, embroidered to match the embroidery on Kate’s silvery gray Erdem dress worn for Trooping the Colour.

Our final hat from 2012 is a repeated item, seen during Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in November. Kate brought back the distinctive black Philip Treacy style worn for William’s passing out ceremony at Sandhurst in 2006.

We’ll have our final surveys (on Kate’s dresses) within the week.