A Big Jewelry ID & Pick Your Favorite Dress Worn by Kate in 2013

We are back with our annual dress poll, as well as the results of our 2013 coat poll. But first, news that a jewelry set Kate has worn several times has been identified.

The set is seen on more formal occasions has been seen just once, in December 2011 when the Duchess attended the Sun Military Awards with William and Harry. (The black velvet frock is by Alexander McQueen.)

A closer look at the necklace.

It turns out the set is by Mouawad, credit for the identification goes to Lurdes of Tesouras & Tiaras, Boryana and the HRH Duchess Kate blog. The two women had an idea the designer might be Mouawad and let Charlotte at HRH Duchess Kate know their thoughts; she wrote the company for confirmation. Mouawad responded, verifying the pieces are theirs; our thanks to all three for getting this IDed. As suspected, Kate’s necklace and bracelet are made from diamonds and rubies set in 18K white gold. Below we show another Mouawad set, somewhat similar to Kate’s.

I speculated in one post that perhaps the necklace could also be worn as a tiara; after seeing the pieces above and looking at Kate’s set again I no longer believe that to be the case.

Mouawad has been in business for more than 100 years. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Mouawad has stores throughout the world, including one in Los Angeles. Celebrities are often seen wearing Mouawad pieces on the red carpet. One of the company’s more notable products: the jewel-encrusted ‘Fantasy Bras’ worn on the Victoria’s Secret runway every year; Mouawad has made many of them. Below, two recent advertisements show other pieces created by the company.

Kate’s earrings are not part of the set; they are the pair first noticed when worn to the Canada Day concert during the 2011 North American Tour.

These earrings have a matching bracelet, this set has not yet been identified.

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We move now to our annual dress poll. Per usual, I have divided pieces into one of two groups: daytime dresses and more formal looks. We begin with a 2011 wrap dress from MaxMara Studio worn on a visit to Hope House in February. The frock’s official name (as best I can tell) was “Gray Long Sleeve Dress“.

The Duchess visited the town of Grimsby in March. For that engagement she selected the ‘Cezanne’ dress from 

It was a simple Topshop dress that Kate wore for her engagement at the Child Bereavement Center with William. The Contrast Collar Dress is mostly polyester with 6% elastane for stretch. it originally sold for £46, approximately $75.

For an appearance at an elementary school in April Kate wore Erdem, the Sophia floral print dress.  The frock is 100% silk, with burgundy, navy, and pink print; it originally sold for $1880 at Net-a-Porter.

One of the more lighthearted engagements of the year was a trip to Warner Brothers Studios in late April. We debated whether Kate was wearing Topshop‘s “Polka Dot Skater Dress” or its “Florence Maternity Dress,” I would lean toward it having been the Florence. Kate also wore it to the May wedding of friends William van Cutsem and Rosie Ruck Keene.

For Prince George’s introduction to the world, Kate wore a cornflower blue Jenny Packham dress. The silk crepe de chine frock featured cap sleeves, a gathered empire waist and a self-belt.

A photo of Kate, William, and George was released in mid-August. Kate wore the Knot Front dress by Seraphine Maternity in fuchsia. The center knot creates fabric gathers just under the bust; the dress also has cap sleeves and a deep v-neck front.  It remains available now for £46.

I have not included dresses we have seen Kate wear previously, nor those that we really couldn’t see Kate wearing. The latter category includes the peach dress underneath Kate’s Tara Jarmon coat, as well as several maternity styles by Seraphine.

Now for our more formal looks, starting with the custom piece by Emilia Wickstead worn to an April April event at the National Portrait Gallery. Kate’s dress was a custom piece made in a silk blend, modeled on the designer’s CZ dress from her spring/summer 2013 collection.

For a church service honoring the 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation Kate wore a bespoke ensemble by Jenny Packham. The champagne or blush lace dress had a gathered waist, with eyelash fringe at the hem and neckline.

Kate’s first formal appearance after Prince George’s birth was at the Tusk Conservation Awards in September. She wore a Jenny Packham dress covered in pale gold sequins. The frock had a bateau neckline, empire waist, and keyhole back.

For the 100 Women in Hedge Funds dinner Kate selected a Jenny Packham gown. The silk blue dress was an inky blue color, with gathered short sleeves and wrapped front. Stylebop is allowing customers to sign up for a waiting list, so perhaps the dress will be reissued.

When it came to Prince George’s christening the Duchess turned to a designer she favors for State occasions and formal events: Alexander McQueen. The eggshell or cream style was distinguished by the cascading ruffle on the front and peplum waist.

Kate selected a piece by Temperley London for November’s SportsBall. The ‘Templeton’ dress is from the label’s 2012 autumn/winter collection. The most notable design element is the laser-cut fabric used in the dress, while the neck and sleeves are bordered in a scallop motif.

And now, here is how you voted on our coat poll.

With almost 5500 votes in total, the Noa coat by Temperley London is the big winner.

The surprise for me was how closely the next three were: the teal By Malene Birger, yellow Emilia Wickstead and peach Tara Jarmon were all part of a very tight race!

NOTE: The post has been corrected to reflect that the jewelry has only been worn one time we know of, to the Military Awards. My thanks to those who pointed that out.