Kate was in navy and royal blue for today’s activities at the Commonwealth Games.
The Duchess started the day with a SportsAid reception, attending mentoring sessions and meeting with athletes and ambassadors for the organization
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She also took part in activities in the Athletes Village with Harry and William. More from the Daily Mail’s coverage:
They were given a tour of the recreation facilities for the athletes, where William played video games with some of the Welsh women’s hockey team.
All three moved on to the village green where they heard a performance of the Games’ anthem for Unicef from a group of local school children.
Prince William reacts after playing a traditional South African game called ‘three tins’.
UNICEF UK Facebook
Many of the children seen playing above are part of East40, a choir from schools in Glasgow’s East End. Here you see little Kacey Armstronge giving Kate a teddy bear that is a gift for Prince George.
The Commonwealth Games have partnered with UNICEF and the Commonwealth Games Federation in a first-ever joint fundraising initiative, Put Children First. More from the UNICEF blog:
Throughout the Glasgow 2014 Games, UNICEF has been leading sessions for athletes and the public drawing attention to the Put Children First appeal which aims to reach every child in Scotland and around the Commonwealth.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry then joined the children in playing three traditional games enjoyed by young people from different countries across the Commonwealth.
HRH the Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a game from the Caribbean with the children although she said, “This is much harder than it looks!”
UNICEF Blog
John Young/UNICEF
The trio also spoke with athletes competing at the Games. Here you see them with the world’s fastest man, Gold Medal sprinter Usain Bolt.
Usain Bolt Twitter
Kate and William played a game of table football with athletes.
Clarence House Twitter
The photobombs continue, below we see Prince William grinning in the photo of Guyanese cyclist Scott Savory (l) and Olympian Sir Chris Hoy (r), shared by Mr. Savory in this Instagram picture.
Scott Savory Instagram
Prince Harry was reveling in the practice last night, he can be seen giving the double thumbs-up in the photo being taken of (left to right) New Zealand Rugby Sevens coach Sir Gordon Tietjens, former boxer Trevor Shailer and professor Gary Hermansson. Mr. Shailer posted the photo on his Facebook page last night.
Trevor Shailer Facebook
A photo posted on Twitter by Street Soccer Scotland founder David Duke prompted us to ask “best photobomb ever?“, as it features Princes Harry & William, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Mr. Bolt again, all behind Mr. Duke.
(Fear not, your correspondent stands corrected and now grasps the distinction between a “photobomb” and a “selfie”.)
Many will recognize key pieces in Kate’s ensemble.
We’ll start with the Ridley Stretch Cady Dress by designer Stella McCartney. The color is ideal, almost identical to the blue in Scotland’s flag.
Stella McCartney
Below you see Kate wearing the frock to an opening at the National Portrait Gallery in 2012, at the Men’s Tennis Finals at the 2012 London Games (she and Prince William are seen speaking with Andy Murray) and most recently when arriving in Canberra during the April tour.
The dress is a stretch jersey, its most distinctive feature is the exposed seaming on the darts, a tailoring element usually concealed on the inside of a garment.
Kate was also in her Smythe Jacket today, previously worn with a Ralph Lauren top and skinny jeans for this SportsAid engagement in October of last year.
The piece is Smythe’s One-Button Blazer. We are using an older product montage below from retailer Revolve Clothing to better showcase the cut-out portion on the back of the blazer.
It has been reissued several times since Kate first wore it when departing England for the 2011 tour of North America.
The blazer is currently stocked in all sizes at Saks ($595). It is made of 100% wool, features princess seaming with front pockets and the cut-out back section. Shopbop also has the blazer in stock, although sizing is limited.
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2, 2014: There was some discussion about the length of the blazers currently being sold at Shopbop and Saks, whether they were just a bit shorter than Kate’s. I have heard back from Smythe and the current versions are exactly the same length as the style Kate wore.
There has been some discussion about Kate’s handbag and whether it is actually her oft-carried Stuart Weitzman for Russell & Bromley Muse. These are both from today, and to me, it looks like it is, but I will be the first to admit I don’t always catch every detail on an item, one reason I value reader feedback and comments.
UPDATED 7pm EDT: The always-brilliant Carly from Kate Middleton Style suggests the bag may be by Emmy, a brand we know Kate carries in multiple colors. Here is one more picture from today: the angle might make it appear the flap comes all the way down the full front of the bag, but that is just the perspective of the photo. Today’s tip of the tiara goes to Carly for sorting this out.
UPDATED UPDATE Friday, Aug 1: It is with mortification and apologies that I write an update to the update above: the bag is not by Emmy. It very much looks like an LK Bennett handbag, the brand’s Frome Suede Clutch. With thanks to Cindy, Sara & Anna of My Small Obsessions, here is the correct bag:
Jarrold UK
Our thanks to everyone who commented, tweeted and/or emailed saying they didn’t think the Muse pictured was Kate’s clutch, as well as those who said they didn’t think it looked like the Emmy.
At least we managed to get the footwear correct on the first go-round, the Duchess wore her favorite shoes, the Corkswoon style by Stuart Weitzman.
Kate kept things simple in the jewelry department, opting for the pieces she wore yesterday. Left to right we have the Kiki McDonough Citrine Drop earrings, Cartier’s Ballon Bleu wristwatch, and charms from Asprey, the jeweler’s Woodland Collection.
Kiki McDonough/Cartier/Asprey
LINKAGE:
- read the full news release here about the SportsAid reception today
- the Daily Mirror story and photo gallery is here, the Daily Mail’s coverage can be seen here
Dear Susan,
NO mortification, please! You wrote right from the beginning ” … to me it looks like it is, but I will be the first to admit I don’t always catch every detail on an item, one reason I value reader feedback and comments.
Hi ElizaMo,
you mentioned Stella McCartney’s Scottish connections [how interesting!] and now, with theTudor Rose logo, one could add another symbolism. As Wikipedia kindly explains: “The Tudor rose (sometimes called the Union [!!!!!] rose) is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England … … The crowned and slipped Tudor Rose is used as the plant badge of England, as Scotland uses the thistle, Ireland uses the shamrock, and Wales uses the leek. As such, it is seen on the dress uniforms of the Yeomen Warders at the Tower of London [Does anyone remember where Catherine will go on Tuesday? :-)] and of the Yeomen of the Guard. It features … in the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.” [I think someone call the dress’ colour royal 🙂 blue]
As far as Monday is concerned, it is only today that I fully realized the magnitude of the events William, Catherine and Harry will attend in Belgium (compared to the event they attended in Normandy). So in case, you are interested in following the day’s various commemorations live on TV/internet, I found the following details on http://www.bbc.co.uk
BBC ONE: 9:10 a.m. LOCAL TIME (GB) !!! World War One remembered across the commonwealth (with the Prince of Wales)
with a service from Glasgow Cathedral attended by HRH the Prince of Wales, reflecting the contribution of the Commonwealth. Three million men from the farthest corners of the world left their homes and travelled thousands of miles to fight alongside Britain. Their little-known story will be told and honoured here.
BBC TWO, 18:30 h LOCAL TIME (GB) !!! World War I remembered from the battlefield
an evening of live coverage of commemorations marking the centenary of World War I.
with HRH The Duke of Cambridge, accompanied by the HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, and HRH Prince Henry of Wales attending a unique commemoration held in St Symphorien military cemetery in Belgium, where British, Commonwealth and German soldiers are buried alongside each other.
Hosted by Dan Snow, the commemoration pays tribute to those on all sides who died. Among those taking part are Gareth Malone with a children’s choir singing their own specially-written song, Eddie Redmayne and serving British and German soldiers reading poems and testimonies.
For the first time ever, musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle come together to mark the occasion by performing British and German music.
BBC TWO, 21:00 h from Westminster Abbey LOCAL TIME (GB) !!! (with the Duchess of Cornwall)
a special candlelit service from Westminster Abbey that marks the moment the war began 100 years ago. The Abbey moves from light into darkness, until one candle remains at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, which is extinguished at 11.00pm, the exact time war was declared, reflecting Sir Edward Grey’s famous remark that ‘the lights are going out all over Europe’. Communities across the country join, as the nation comes together for an hour of reflection
The BBC’s coverage might also be available for some days to watch later.
French-speaking Belgian television “La Une” – http://www.rtbf.be – also reports during the entire day from VERY early in the morning (live reporting, documentaries, etc.)
I found this article particularly touching: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-one/11007634/A-musical-tribute-to-the-First-World-War-enemies-who-now-lie-at-peace.html
And if someone wants to participate in Monday evening’s lights out or spread the news, here is more: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/take-part-in-lightsout
To me, historic events like these mean so much.
Rose
Hello Rose, and *thank you* for the info on events and BBC coverage, I am off to share it with all of our Facebook friends. The Tudor Rose insight is fascinating, I had no idea, it never would have occurred to me! 🙂
What a compliment to Stella McCartney to have a piece given a fourth airing, even if our cautious Duchess did manage to find one of her more conventional styles. I’m glad it’s a comfy dress to wear for all the meeting and greeting.
I like the jacket too, but I’m not so sure about it with a dress, I think the cut-out at the back looks a little odd and it works better with separates for me. But it’s a handy sensible outfit for a working trip.
I think the saltire blue — plus the McCartney Scottish connections — was a likely explanation of the colour choice as it’s also used in the official outfits for the games. I saw my local paper saying that universal dislike when those outfits were first aired was the one thing that could unite the country in the run-up to the coming Scottish independence referendum. I’m most grateful to WKW for the opening ceremony pics in the Roland Mouret post as they finally revealed to me how the colours worked when used for a team promenade with matching lighting. At least it helps explain those designs, even if I can’t really like them!
Many congrats on the clutch ID — some serious sleuthing work undertaken there!
For what it is worth I thought the Duchess looked lovely, comfortable in her outfit and a nod to the colour scheme of the day (which is something the Queen practices as well). I also like that she wears pieces again and again, it just makes her seem that little bit more down to earth.
But what I do wonder is, what does she carry in her handbag? Her clutches are small and neat so I imagine she doesn’t collect the manky tissues/bits of loose change/crushed receipts/non-working pens/lone mints/match-box cars/small child paraphernalia that the rest of us do.
May I comment on something that she does not have (done)? I’m so happy that I’ve never seen her with a cellphone! That is so refreshing! Maybe she has one in her tiny bag, for emergencies (!) but in the world of oversized sunglasses, huge statement bags and smartphones, she stands out.
She was actually pictured with a cell phone the day before at one of the Commonwealth games. There are pictures of her showing William something on it.
I would guess some makeup (and possibly a comb) for touch ups, and possibly a cell phone now that she has George (it wasn’t clear to me from yesterday’s photos where the phone was hers or Will’s). I’d also guess that when necessary she carries tampons with her — I wouldn’t think she’d want to be asking an assistant for one whenever she needed it!
I like the dress and jacket together. The shoes are seriously ridiculous with that outfit. Ballet flats could have been a casual choice or low heels. William looks great! I like that his and Kate’s outfits sort of match in colors.
I feel that the navy suede clutch bag is neither by Emmy nor stuart Weitzman. I came across a photo on a different website (Celeb Dirty Laundry) where the center front of the clutch had a “stamp-like” symbol on the flap … in the photo if you look closely next to her thumb, you’ll see it. So I’m thinking this might be a new bag we haven’t seen yet! Curious to know what it is now …
A perfectly nice outfit. I’ve never been wild about that dress — there’s nothing wrong with it, just nothing special — but it was fine for these activities, and I do like the color. I’ve always liked the blazer.
I think the navy looks quite good with the bright blue. In my view, they work very well together, and color problems are something I tend to zero in on right away.
While I wish she’d ditch the Corkswoons, they actually look better with the dress than with her skinny jeans, in my opinion. There’s just something about that latter combination that really rubs me the wrong way.
I’m with you on those shoes, Kate can get away with them better against the dress. With skinny jeans that style seems to exaggerate the size of her feet almost to the comic extent of some cartoon character or maybe a toy doll!
She is lovely as always,and the jacket/dress combination was a good choice. She looks put together and very much the working Royal. My only complaint has to be the shoes. They are hideous, and it always looks like she is going to take a tumble in those. They are not shoes that many people would have picked for the outfit. I think a lower heeled court shoe would have looked better. The dress is a pretty color and I like it with the jacket. The great thing about the Duchess, is that she wears the clothes: the clothes don’t wear her. I may not always care for what she is wearing, but she always looks polished and elegant. She doesn’t chose something because it’s trendy, she wears what she likes, and she knows what works.
One could almost pinpoint what Kate would wear to the Commonwealth Games. The jeans, blazer and striped tee has become her uniform so to speak. There is so much so could wear – a colour change would be nice for a start.
Could almost pinpoint what Kate would wear to the Games. It’s become her uniform. A change of colour/combination would prove more exciting. Alas, it was not to be.
Pedantic NZer comment: Sir Gordon Tietjens is actually the coach of the NZ Rugby Sevens team – the current All Blacks coach is Steve Hansen. Bonus points, however, for correctly spelling ‘Tietjens’.
Hello Rose, and thank you for the help on this one, I made the change to insert the proper name for the team. Your kind assistance is much appreciated! 🙂
Are we sure about the clutch? To me, they look quite different: the flab looks shorter than Emmy in black and also it looks longer than the forest green one…it could be just the angle…
i hate those bloody wedges but she is glowing and the hair cut is beautiful!
i love seeing her and will showing some pda !
The Smythe jacket is very near the top of my most-coveted list, so I understand the Duchess’s desire to wear this piece so frequently. However, I do not think it works particularly well with this Stella McCartney dress. For one, the colors are very poorly matched. A black jacket would really do more for the electric blue, or, even better, I’m sure there are a variety of lightweight spring jackets in more seasonally appropriate*** colors that she could have worn. (Though considering the Duchess’s dedication to keeping the focus on the event and not her clothes, I imagine she wouldn’t want to lessen the impact of the blue of her dress, which appears to be a nod to the color of the charity, judging from the children’s shirts–not to mention Scotland itself, which the post indicated. So perhaps that rules out a more fashion conscious color combination for the jacket, but black would still have been preferable over navy). Aside from color, the aesthetic of the McCartney dress is rather adventurous and modern with those exposed darts, whereas the Smythe has a conservative feel, making them an odd pairing.
I can’t muster up the antipathy most feel for the Corkswoons. They are not my favorite shoe (Hello, LK Bennett Harper!), but I’ve always found them to add an element of fun. However, I really do wish the Duchess would choose something with a lower heel for sporting engagements where she will be participating. She is just tempting fate for a twisted ankle. Though it is excellent that she does participate with such enthusiasm: I feel like you can always see how much she really relishes athletic activities.
*** I’m not suggesting that you cannot wear navy in the summer. It’s my favorite color, and I wear it year round. I just mean that there are brighter colors one can wear in the spring and summer that are more difficult to trot out in the fall and winter. (Though I’m well aware fashion is a world of caveats and rule breakers: pastels that I would normally associate with spring and summer wear were a huge hit this past year on the runways for winter wear. Go figure!)
The Smythe Jacket was on top of my list, too. But then since I missed one in my size with almost half off price, I can’t justify to dip in my bank account and pay the full price…Instead I was settled with a Banana Republic navy blazer with similar gold button detail from a couple of years ago. I ended up wearing it very rarely so I was kinda glad that I didn’t buy the expensive Smythe. 🙂
Hello Susan, hi AshleyOlivia,
How nice that you both mention the potential nod to Scotland and charity (SportsAid, UNICEF). 🙂
To me, the colours Catherine (and William and Harry) wore on their second day in Glasgow also really nicely fit in with the colours of the Glasgow Games and the official wear as well as with the colours of the Commonwealth.
Rose
Hello, and thank you for commenting! I think you are right about the additional color scheme considerations. 🙂
I think this blue dress is one of my favorites that she’s worn.
Ugh. Blues don’t match; jacket doesn’t look as if it belongs with the dress. Thumbs down. Way down.
Clothes don’t need to “match” they just need to “go” together. Since when does navy not go with other blues? I don’t understand. Navy is a neutral. This outfit looks perfectly nice. Navy is fabulous for summer and I would imagine any blazer is necessary in Scotland.
Okay, I’ll rephrase: the blues don’t go together. Jacket, shoes, clutch: each enough off from each other that it looks like she got dressed in the dark. Combine with the color of the dress, and yuck.
A cardigan would have looked better than the structured blazer with this dress, if she needed another layer to keep warm. The blazer hides the features of the dress, and the cutout in the back is odd.
The blazer looks to me to be a perfect match to the clutch (bearing in mind that they’re different materials and thus will never be *exactly* the same). The shoes sometimes appear a bit lighter, but they’re clearly navy and they’re far enough away from the blazer and clutch that I don’t think any small differences in shade are particularly noticeable.
As for the blazer, we’ll just have to agree to disagree — I deeply covet it *because* of the cutout in the back, and I think it dresses this up nicely in a way a cardigan wouldn’t have.
I wear this color combination all the time for business (and sometimes change out a black blazer for navy) so I approve of the concept. However, either lower heels or a slightly longer skirt, especially if you are going to be hopping. You can hear the Palace tut-tutting at the photos.
The fun thing about the photos of the last two days is that by wearing favorites, Kate shifts the attention to the activities, not to herself. And that’s exactly the goal of these events.
I doubt is the muse bag. It’s too wide and too dark
Here are my thoughts on the Commonwealth Wardrobe 😉
–Her outfit today was lovely, but not quite appropriate for the physical activities (remember when she tripped while wearing tall wedges in Australia?).
–If she must wear jeggings, I wish she had worn them today (with flats!) when she was hopping and participating in activities. It’d be more appropriate.
–I wish she had worn a polo for sale from Commonwealth Games with the jeggings– what a great way to support the games, and boost their sales! 🙂
Finally, I say this with concern, she seems very thin. I do hope this is not cause for concern, but given the history of the Firm’s “pressure” towards women– or by any women in the public eye– I think it merits a comment. (Please note– I am not body shaming, nor criticizing her size.)
I too have been worried about her. However, I see nothing in the media. I went through an illness when I was in my twenties and was severely underweight. And believe me, I got more COMPLIMENTS than ever. I have always been athletic, so I can tell the difference. However, that experience alerted me to how society rewards thin, as only my mother-in-law asked me if I was all right. That was just disturbing. I truly hope she is just very fit. She seems such a lovely and genuine woman. I wish the media would just leave her in peace. I personally think her attire is an attempt to get them to lose interest somewhat.
I appreciate your perspective, LB. I very much agree that our society does reward thin, and I believe it must be especially difficult for someone in the public eye.
You most certainly are “body shaming” and it’s quite ugly. The Duchess in my opinion, looks perfectly fine but if you insist on saying someone is “too thin” perhaps you should say it about someone you actually know. Your concern trolling of the Duchess of Cambridge is not very nice.
I never called the Duchess “too thin”– I said she looked very thin and I hoped she was okay. That distinction is very different.
I don’t think anyone is body shaming or trolling. As a naturally thin person myself, I know full well how annoying it is when people say “you’re too thin” without knowing anything about me. But we do know she lost quite a bit of weight in the years before she married William. We also know there is enormous pressure to be thin when you’re in a public role like this. I just hope Kate isn’t experiencing that kind of pressure from the palace.
Interesting that people are expressing concern that the palace might be the source of the pressure…on a blog that analyzes every inch of what she’s wearing, and commenters who dismantle clothes/hair/shoes/legs/womb/etc 🙂 – I doubt The Firm is nearly the source of pressure that media (press or the common man/woman) is.
The flap on the clutch gives it away. On the Muse, at the sides it only reaches about two thirds of the way down. This flap goes almost to the bottom at the sides. It’s definitely a different bag.
I think she looks great today, not a lot different to yesterday but still my much preferred look. That blue of the Stella McCartney dress suits her so much. I too was wondering about the clutch and commented on another site that it looks more like one of her Emmy clutches than the Muse. Maybe it’s new?
I love this look on Kate. She needs to do more business casual. When The Princes dress casually, this is the look Kate needs to wear. And the colors are fabulous.
I agree. Kate looks beautiful in business casual. These are the kinds of simple but well tailored and colorful clothes Kate should wear for all but the most formal daytime engagements.
I hear people screaming…LOL
I personally like the combo of different shades of blues.
I didn’t scream, but there was an audible “OH NO UGGGH” that scared my cat 🙂
Sorry, if I hurt your ears:) Didn’t mean to scream so loud. lol Seriously though, these shoes were so inappropriate for today’s activities, I could just see the headlines if the Duchess took a tumble while jumping in these heels. I feel like Kate has two sporting event uniforms, the faded, baggy skinny jeans with a blazer and this Stella McCartney dress with a blazer. We know she has more clothes than this, especially in the blue shades, so why oh why does she wear these over and over again?
On the plus side of today, I thought it was wonderful that W&K&H took the time to spend with their respective sporting charities and fully participate in the fun. Considering the problems with childhood obesity, having the royals shine a light on the need (and fun) for sports is huge. Also, their personalities really come through when they are one on one with the kids, such a joy to see.
Why does she wear these over and over again? Because they’re comfortable, she probably feels confident in them, and it’s the kind of getting dressed that you don’t have to think about. Kate isn’t required to wear something new every time out. Do you?
I don’t have any problem with her wearing the same “look” over and over. I just don’t find this to be a particularly well put together outfit, considering the clash in color and aesthetics of the garments (the dress having a modern feel, while the jacket looks very conservative).
I also doubt that she ever attends a public event without “thinking about” her outfit and the message it will send, the impact it will have in the press, etc. The fact that the blue of the dress perfectly matches the children’s shirts and the blue in Scotland’s flag is case in point.
I am not a person who notices all the details so “not going together” didn’t come to my mind when I saw this look but I was rather drawn to the color scheme. 🙂 Actually I find color clashing sometimes can be refreshing, IMHO.
However I do agree with AshleyOlivia on “the thoughts put behind each outfit”. However the deliverable it may be, we can all agree that the Duchess must be following some dress code in every official event.
I totally agree, Ashely Olivia. How much would you love for her to repeat that “going to Canada” navy outfit with the Smythe blazer? I would!
I’m afraid I’m with TW3 (The Way We Were?) on this one, I think the navy on the bright blue is just fine, in fact I even feel that a black jacket might have killed the look. And the cut-out on the back of the jacket looks modern to me, I’m afraid…
I warmly agree however that Kate is right to repeat outfits, I think she helps keep the focus off her clothes and on the event and that’s seriously the right thing to do!
And it’s always pleasure to see you out and about AshleyOlivia!
I love the fact that Kate recycles her clothes, it’s just that she wears the same outfit to sporting events. As I said before she has a large enough closet to find something else in there to wear.
I’m with you all the way here. I thought she looked great in this outfit. Since when does navy not match blue!? Black and blue are the definite no go! If she feels she can confidently participate in skyscraper wedges – good on her. She looks smart and stylish and glowing. As Brenda says above – do we all wear complete new outfits for every event we go to?
Thank you, Elizabeth. I’m noticing a trend among some Kate watchers who seem to feel like she has to appear in a new outfit every time she goes out, or they are disappointed in her. She’s under no obligation to do so.
She definitely steps it up for formal events. But if you’re going to sit in the stands on a toasty day watching athletes compete, you want to be comfortable.
I like the blue and blue, but I also like black and blue together and didn’t realize there was a prohibition against it. I agree that comfort is important for these non-dress-up events.
I can’t love the shoes, though, and it might just be a failure of imagination on my part. Kate does look comfortable in them, even jumping, but as I look at them I find the bones at the base of my ankle hurt. This is, I realize, my problem rather than hers!
I do wonder what sort of shoes might be more appropriate with this dress/jacket combo? I ask because I wear such things quite frequently and I am not always happy with the shoes I choose.
Mary, I am not a person with impeccable fashion style but I like playing up with options. I wonder if Kate was trying to “tone down” the serious note of the sheath dress and fitted jacket. To me, this ensemble might work with one pair of her drooling suede pump collections, maybe those awesome Prada or McQueen? people just mentioned that back and blue a no-no but I am thinking of a pair of black suede pumps with a black clutch…I can visualize it right now. 😛 I am not a flat shoe person (because of my short legs) and I’d rather not pair flats with this dress.