We are back with a wrap-up of the polls looking on favorite pieces worn by the Duchess in New Zealand and Australia, beginning with a look at Kate’s hats.
©2014 What Kate Wore
The dove grey Jane Taylor worn to Easter Sunday services was your top choice, Gina Foster’s ‘Seaford’ style came next in the voting.
Top: Nunn Syndication, Polaris Images/Jane Taylor Bottom: i-Images, Polaris/Gina Foster
The results in the shoe poll were closer than I expected.
©What Kate Wore
The Minx Espadrille Wedges from Stuart Weitzman garnered the most votes, with the Harper pumps by LK Bennett taking second place.
Stuart Weitzman/LK Bennett
More than 4100 votes were cast when considering the suit or ensemble you liked the most.
©What Kate Wore 2014
Kate’s dove grey coat and dress by Alexander McQueen was chosen as your favorite, the McQueen pink separates came in second.
Nunn Syndication, Polaris/Stephen Lock, I-Images/Splash News/Nunn Syndication, Polaris
Next, a look at your choice for a favorite coat.
©What Kate Wore
The winner here was Kate’s Michael Kors Twill Swing Coat; the Alexander McQueen Utility Coat Dress was a distant second.
Credits as shown on Photos
That brings us to the poll with the most participation as measured by the number of unique votes, almost 6400 of you took part in the favorite dress voting.
©What Kate Wore
Your favorite dress worn by the Duchess during the tour: the snorkel blue Lasa Poppy Print frock from LK Bennett. (See our notes below about the dress being re-stocked.)
Photo Credits as Shown on Images
Our thanks to everyone who took part. While the results are non-scientific, these do give us an idea of what you found most appealing, always a good barometer.
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We move now to an overview of the royal family’s participation in events commemorating the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landings at Normandy. The major events get underway tomorrow when the Queen and Prince Philip are received by French President François Hollande at the Arc de Triomphe. This is the start of a 3-day State Visit, HM and the Duke of Edinburgh will be in Normandy for several ceremonies on Friday, returning to Paris for functions on Saturday.
Below, HM with the Queen Mother, speaking with soldiers just a few weeks before the invasion.
Wikimedia
There have been observances throughout the week. The British Ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts, says more than 650 veterans will be taking part in varying ceremonies. In this photo from Joe Tidy of Sky News you see British veterans arriving in Portsmouth. The vets were about to cross the Channel to France under much different circumstances from what they encountered 70 years ago.
Joe Tidy, Sky News Twitter Feed
Mr. Tidy also shared this picture of US veterans in Portsmouth about to join their British comrades.
Joe Tidy, Sky News Twitter Feed
William and Kate will take part in a tea party for veterans in Arromanches near Gold Beach, where British Forces built a temporary harbor, vital for unloading troops and supplies. Following that event they will attend the commemoration of the actual landing at Gold Beach. There were landings at five primary beachheads: the most famous is Omaha; the others are Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold Beaches. Below, British commando troops of the 50th Infantry division coming ashore on Gold Beach.
Imperial War Museum/Wikipedia
“D-Day 70 Years On,” an evening of special performances at Royal Albert Hall, is being streamed live at movie theaters throughout the UK. There is also a charity auction associated with this program.
D-Day 70th Concert
It is a much different visit this spring, as seen in a photo shared by the D-Day Operation Overlord Facebook page.
D-Day Operation Overlord Facebook page
It was an extraordinary undertaking.
US National D-Day Memorial Facebook page
Another view of the invasion.
US National D-Day Memorial Facebook page
A veteran receiving a commemorative medal this week.
70 Normandie Facebook
There is nothing like hearing about it from someone who was there.
Brittany Ferries Twitter Feed
The Royal British Legion shared a poem on Twitter.
Royal British Legion Twitter Feed (@PoppyLegion)
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A re-stocking update about Kate’s ‘Detroit’ dress from LK Bennett.
LK Bennett
The dress is back in stock on the LK Bennett UK/International site. When talking on Facebook about whether or not LK Bennett would ship to N. American addresses from this site, at least one Facebook friend reported that she has had merchandise delivered in the U.S. from the International site.
Additionally, LK Bennett’s Lasa Poppy Print dress is shown as being available in all sizes. Again, this is the company’s UK/International online site.
LK Bennett
The dress remains priced at £245, approximately $400.
One other note, the Imperia shoe is available in most sizes.
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We know of Kate’s fondness for Zara. There is word today that Zara’s sister brand, Stradivarius, is coming to England. More from the InStyle UK story:
When it comes to shopping for directional pieces at affordable prices, few shops rival Zara. But it looks like its hold over the high street might change once its younger – and cheaper – sister store, Stradivarius, comes to the UK.
For the first time in six years, Inditex – the company that owns Zara, Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti – is bringing a new brand over here from Spain.
Finally today, a quick Sales & Savings opportunities to share, beginning with the Jimmy Choo sale on its US site. None of Kate’s shoes are discounted in the sale. The Cosmic style is on sale for $348 (that’s 50% off) in both black and gold glitter, but Kate’s black suede style remains priced at $695.
Jimmy Choo
We’ll see you Friday.
LINKAGE:
- the schedule of events for all senior members of the Royal Family taking part in events during the 3 days of commemorations in France may be found here
- the UK government official website is here, the Royal British Legion’s home page can be seen here
- visit the D-Day Operation Overlord website (click the British flag at the top of the page to see the English language version), and/or the group’s Facebook page
- the Normandie Memoire site has a wealth of information, France’s 70th Normandy site is here (be advised there are some bad links on the site),
- Stateside readers may want to visit the American D-Day site here; the US National D-Day Memorial page is here, the You Tube channel is here and Facebook page here
- The US Army’s info on its role in commemorations may be read here, the schedule of events may be seen here (scroll down for multiple links), the US European Command Facebook page is here,
- more information on the Gold Beach (where William and Kate will be) invasion can be read here, the D-Day Museum website is here,
- ITV‘s 70th Anniversary coverage can be found here, the Washington Post’s photo gallery is here, the Independent‘s story about the ‘last voices of the longest day’ can be seen here, Channel 5’s story about vets returning to northern France can be seen here
Most of what I voted for didn’t appear – except the Michael Kors coat.
It’s made me realise there are two sorts of fashion: the things which I think are wonderful but would never wear, and the other garments/shoes/etc which I would wear. I guess that’s true of most of us?
Thanks for including all the D-Day information because so far this has passed me by. I injured my hand badly 2 weeks ago and just getting washed and dressed and preparing food every day has taken up huge amounts of time.
It’s so nice coming to this site to get away from all that, and look at those lovely dresses and shoes – as well as other stuff. I do like the way this site branches out to things other than what Kate wears, but which still maintain a connection.
Looking at the pictures of D-day kind of make our interest in fashion feel a little shallow. But then I remember that so many gave their lives so we can lead the type of life we do. I think the poem is lovely and the picture of the two young soldiers listening to the older veteran is especially poignant. Of course we will be interested to see what Kate wears. I’m sure it will be respectful and appropriate. But in years to come, we may forget the clothes, but we should never forget the significance of this day. Thank you for a thoughtful post.
Does anyone know how L.K. Bennett sizes translate from UK to US? I’m a 4 in her US sizes, if I order the Lasa Poppy dress in a UK size, what size will I be?
I don’t want to have it shipped all the way here only to find that I’ve ordered the wrong size…
Thanks!
I love seeing the round-up of different poll favorites. Some of the results were expected (it was a foregone conclusion that the Dove grey ensemble would get high marks), but others were surprising: for example, the pink McQueen suit, which I loved, but I remember others voicing some criticisms about the fit and construction being off, so rare for a McQueen piece. I really do think the Michael Kors coat paired with the Jonathan Saunders hat is one of my favorite outfits that the Duchess has ever worn. The conservative cut of the coat is tempered by the edgy, “jolie laide” topper. I for one am looking forward to seeing how the Duchess chooses to recycle these pieces.
I found all the information about D-Day anniversary events tremendously interesting, especially as I’m a Yank and probably would not have been aware of the British commemorations otherwise. A heartfelt thank you to the blog administrator and an even bigger thank you to all veterans.
Thanks so much for your excellent post — and a sobering one at that. Some 4,000 soldiers dead on the first day, what a price to pay. But then, it could, as they say, have been worse, given the brilliant bluff by which the Allies fooled the Germans into thinking the main force would be landing further north, making all the difference to the success of the overall operation.
And so heart-warming to see the royals stepping up to the plate to take part in marking the occasion, and helping to highlight such a crucial point in history.
Many thanks too for the poll results, it’s great to see how many readers take part, a well-deserved reward for all your hard work. 🙂
Just looked at the LK Bennett site. You can select US / Canada for pricing and shipping. The Lasa dress is listed at $425.
Regarding the LK Bennett dress, if it’s available only through the UK/international site, then North Americans who want it may be out of luck. I found it impossible to order through that site, and someone else I know had the same experience. I noticed that the UK/international site often has items that the North American site does not. It’s a little annoying. I’ve found that the items available here just aren’t as interesting. I’ve had the same experience with Max Mara and the clothes they sell in Italy vs. those they sell in the US.
My husband and I are serious amateur students of World War II and have a substantial collection of books on the subject. My relatives in my grandparents’ generation were just too old to fight or had died by the time I was old enough to have questions, so I’ve had to rely largely on reading to satisfy my curiosity. I did, however, have an older colleague, now dead himself, who landed on Juno Beach with his fellow Canadian troops, and we once spent a fascinating afternoon discussing the experience. I still have a sketch he made for me, of the Mulberry harbors, which particularly interested me. I would love to be present at the D-Day commemoration in Normandy but will avidly consume the news stories and pictures instead.
Thank you your post .will she wear hat in d-day??
Thank you so much for the thoughtful post on D-Day. I love that this blog has so much fun looking at Kate’s choices and yet still realizes that there is a wider world outside of fashion, and is able to appropriately reflect on that. I like to think that the Duchess would approve of our taking time to examine not just her clothes but the charities she supports, and the meaning behind all of the functions she attends, such as the commemoration of D-Day.
I too thought the pictures of the veterans were adorable. Makes me miss my grandfather who was a U.S. Navy veteran of the war in the Pacific.
Speaking of D Day, I didnt grow in the western world but learned about it in my history class. Remembrance and celebration like this always gives me goose bump. I really like “Foyle’s War” for the same reason, beside its a detective show.
Wish the store came to US soon…Zara is selling really well here in the US but the price can be steep considering the quality you get..anyway…had no idea about this store. Time to research~
Everything I voted for won, except the hat. Don’t know what that means . . .
I really wish I could afford that Michael Kors coat. It’s so classic and lovely. Maybe I’ll find it on sale or at his Outlet in a year or two.
I’m kind of looking forward to all the D-Day stuff. There are going to be many, many specials on various TV channels in the next few days. I will have to pick and choose which would be best to watch. All those old veterans are so cute. Must have been a long, tiring trip for the U.S. contingent to go all the way to Normandie but I’m sure none of them would have missed it for anything.