A New Family Photo, Kate-Related Black Friday Sales & Savings

We have a few quick updates before diving into the Sales & Savings being offered by Kate-centric retailers this holiday weekend. Our first tidbit is about the new family photo shared on social media late Wednesday afternoon, a story many readers have probably already seen.

Blogger Hot Monarchy shared the photo on Tumblr and on Twitter.

There was quite the scramble as royal followers tried to determine when the picture was taken. Hello! Canada’s Dave Lee helped on Twitter:

The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English also offered insight, again via Twitter:

More from Rebecca English’s column about the picture in The Daily Mail:

A Kensington Palace spokesman confirmed that members of the Royal Family frequently sent photographs of themselves as gifts to members of the public.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said last night: ‘I can confirm it is a photo the Duke and Duchess used as official gifts on their tour to New Zealand and Australia. It was taken by Jason Bell before the tour.’

If interested in the darling sweater Prince George is wearing in the photo, visit What Prince George Wore for the details.

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Kate did a little shopping in the community of Holt yesterday. The Eastern Daily Press had more (the story has been removed from the site):

Chloe Nelson who co-owns Nelson’s Eye Patch in the town spotted the Duchess of Cambridge in the town’s High Street just after 1pm.

She said: “She looked lovely in a tartan cape as she left the Antiques Emporium and headed up the high street, what a great ambassador for shopping in local independent shops.”

The Duchess was wearing the cape seen in this photo from February of 2013.

We were never able to determine if the cape was from Orvis, shown below left and center, or Zara, shown below right.

Also, there was word from the Palace today that Prince William will be traveling solo to China and Japan early next year. There had been some chatter that the Duchess would be going with William, this verifies that is not the case.

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On now to our litany of retailers using the holiday weekend (in the US) to jump-start sales. We begin with Links of London; the jeweler is discounting all purchases 20% promotion until Sunday night at midnight.

This includes Kate’s Hope Egg earrings $387.40 (from $475), and her Effervescence Bubble Stiletto earrings $187.50 (from $225), both good buys as they are rarely discounted.

Use promo code BF20 for the 20% discount at Links of London.

Jeweler Catherine Zoraida is taking 20% off prices sitewide today. This includes the Spread Your Wings bracelet (the 20% off brings the price to about £336 from £420) Kate has worn, as well as the Double Leaf earrings (about £112, discounted from £140).  Use promo code BLACKFRIDAY to receive the savings.

The LK Bennett US/Canada site is promoting savings this weekend of ‘up to 30% off’ and free shipping. The offer excludes new season products, shearling/fur products, sale merchandise and the Signature shoes and bags range. Translation: the Sledge is not included, nor is Kate’s Darwin coat. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t loads of lovely items beckoning! If inclined to take a look, use promo code LKBBF at checkout.

The offer is similar on the LK Bennett UK/International site, only the discount is 25% off, and shipping is free in the UK; the offer ends at midnight December 1st (Monday). On the UK site Kate’s Detroit dress remains available in limited sizes, it is on sale, marked down to £168 from £225.  Our thanks to WKW Facebook friend Stephanie for letting us know about the frock’s availability; she also tells us the dress will be 30% off in-store only in the US, part of the US Black Friday promotion.

I believe the same exclusions apply at the UK site and stores, as always, it is best to check directly with LK Bennett if you have any questions about the sale.

Aquatalia has Kate’s Rhumba boot in a broad range of sizes, including wide. Below, the black stretch color Kate wears is shown on the far left, Platinum (a new color) is in the middle, and black stretch leather is on the far right.

While the company is not offering any discounts, it is promoting free shipping this weekend. Use promo code HOLIDAY2014 to receive the shipping savings.

Temperley London is offering 30% off select fall merchandise. That includes the Long Draped Amber dress (now £415, originally £595) , the Lina Wool Silk Shawl, (now £200, marked down from £265), and the Misty Top (originally £325, now £230).

Reiss is taking 30% off selected women’s lines, no code is required.

At Dune London in the US the discount is also 30%, available on many items. Kate’s Pied a Terre ‘Imperia’ espadrille wedges are on sale for $108, marked down from $140. (In the UK the discount offered is 20%.)

Hobbs is offering 20% off merchandise through Monday. Use promo code TREAT20 to receive the savings.

Department stores and off-price retailers are offering substantial savings, depending upon one’s shopping list.

• In the UK House of Fraser has a number of the labels Kate wears, including Hobbs, Pied a Terre, Orla Kiely, Max Mara, and Ray Ban. They’re in the middle of their ‘brand event,’ with discounts up to 40%.
• Selfridges, also in the UK, carries many of the brands Kate wears: McQueen, J Brand, Max Mara, LK Bennett, French Connection, Burberry, among others. The retailer is discounting selected items by 20%. Use promo code SELF14 to realize the savings on your order.

In the US Saks Fifth Avenue has discounts up to 60% online only until midnight tonight (Friday, 11/28); those discounts are good in-store from 8am-noon today.

There is a sizable amount of Diane von Furstenberg in the Saks sale. Items include Kate’s Zarita dress in the short sleeve version ($538, regular price is $898); a DVF Illusion Flare Dress with a Kate-like feel ($298 today, discounted from $498); and the wool-blend Gemma Dress by Tory Burch ($158 now, regularly $395).

Saks is also running a promotion in the Beauty/Fragrance departments: spend $100 on items from these departments and receive a $25 gift card. Use promo code BEAUTY14. Additionally, the retailer is  offering free shipping and free returns; the promo code for this promotion is HOLIDAY.

Other department stores:

• At Nordstrom the discounts and promotions are varied, and changing daily. Kate’s Aquatalia Rhumba boots are not on sale, but they are well-stocked in terms of available sizes. There is a limited selection of Aquatalia on sale.  The retailer’s designer clearance continues as well, it runs through January 6.
• Neiman Marcus is taking an additional 20% off select sale merchandise online, with the discounts available in-store as of the 28th. The upscale retailer’s online clearance section is well-stocked with some hefty discounts as of this writing.  remains
• There are also multiple promotions at Bloomingdale’s, too many to list out in this forum. There are roughly 30+ styles from LK Bennett on sale online, with additional savings available in-store as part of the Big Brown Bag promotion. Like many other retailers, Bloomies is offering free shipping and returns on most purchases.
• Multibrand retailer YOOX carries a number of brands the Duchess favors: Alexander McQueen, Burberry, Erdem, Christopher Kane, Diane von Furstenberg, and several others. They’re offering an additional 20% off all orders with promo code YOOXGIVING. The company is also doing free shipping.
• Stylebop’s Black Friday promotion offers 30% off all autumn/winter 2014 items. use promo code BLACK2014 to implement the savings on your order.  Stylebop carries Jenny Packham, including Kate’s inky blue gown worn to the 100 Women in Hedge Funds gala this February.
• Macy’s is offering an additional 10-15% off sale prices; use promo code THANKS to receive the savings.  Included in the discounts is that Via Spiga ‘Kate coat,’ it is selling at $158.99. (It is a good stand-in for the Temperley Odele coat, the version shown below at Saks Off Fifth is a better repliKate.) Our thanks to Melanie for leaving a comment alerting us to the bargain!

Off-price retailers are also touting big savings this weekend. At Saks Off Fifth discount site there are substantial discounts, with an additional 40-50% off offered on most items. Use promo code BLACKOUT to realize the savings.

A good example of the savings at Off Fifth: the Via Spiga Asymmetrical Zip coat that is such a great replica of the Temperley Odele coat. The coat is already marked down from $250 to $179.99. With the additional 50% off the price drops to $90.

At Neiman’s Last Call stores there is an additional 40-60% discount on all merchandise; this promotional pricing ends at 9am ET Saturday morning, the 29th.  Shipping is free for orders totaling more than $75, use promo code FREESHIP to activate this offer. (A similar Via Spiga coat is available at Last Call for $143.)

There is a good sale at Diane von Furstenberg, the brand is taking 40% off all fall merchandise.

Rebecca Taylor is offering an additional 30% off sale prices. Use promo code BF30 at checkout.

The Gap has made things simple, its promotion is 50% off everything. Use promo code BLKFRIDAY to implement the savings.

The promotion is one day only, ending tonight at midnight. Sister brand Old Navy is following suit, everything is 50% off online and in-store through midnight Friday.

But there’s more…online shoppers can take an additional 15% off their purchase. Use promo code GRAVY to receive the additional 15% savings. Again, this is online only, not offered in-store.

Zara is taking 30% off all merchandise for Black Friday.

Topshop has a number of different offers.

The retailer is also doing BOGO (Buy One, Get One) on a broad selection of merchandise. No code is required.

Discounter Bluefly is offering a broad range of markdowns. Among the offerings: Longchamp Le Pliage bags. Bluefly’s Black Friday sale ends at 5:30am on Saturday, the 29th.

At Bobbi Brown shoppers who spend $30 receive free shipping and their choice of 5 samples size items.

Retailers that Kate has not worn that may hold some interest to WKWers:

• Kate Spade is running another of its “Surprise Sales,” with up to 75% off merchandise. The sale ends Saturday at midnight. (The standard Sale section also carries significantly discounted merchandise.)

• Boden is popular with many Kate fashion followers, a number of repliKates have been discovered at this British retailer. The company is discounting everything on its site by 30%. Use promo code 3K3G at checkout.

• ModCloth is another site favored by many in search of copyKate possibilities. The popular retailer has a sizable amount of merchandise on sale.

ADDITIONS TO THE POST:

• Milliner Gina Foster is holding a Black Friday promotion, taking up to 50% off prices of winter hats. Kate’s Seaford hat is discounted from £450 to £360.

• Boutique retailer Halsbrook carries  a number of brands we have seen Kate wear: Tara Jarmon, Max Mara, and  Paule Ka. The shop has a large selection of merchandise on sale this holiday weekend.
• Historic Royal Palaces is holding a Black Friday Jewellery sale. There isn’t a ton of merchandise in the sale, but some readers might enjoy taking a look at what is being discounted. No code is needed to receive the discount.
• Jeweler Astley Clarke is taking 20% off regular prices. This include Kiki McDonough jewelry. While I didn’t see pieces Kate has worn there are some lovely things in the sale. (Kate’s Green Amethyst drops are carried by Astley Clarke, but they appear to be sold out.) Use promo code WONDERFUL for the discount. Our thanks to Lisa on the WKW Facebook page for the tip!

• Women’s specialty chain Ann Taylor is doing 50% off your entire purchase, use promo code THANKS at checkout. The offer is for today only.
• H&M is promoting “up to 70% off 700 styles”. Savvy WKWer Lacresha H. noted the abundance of peplum tops at the site, some of which look ‘very Kate’. Below left, the Lace Peplum Top is $24.95, the Peplum Top in powder pink is $17.95, and in the footwear department, an acceptable repliKate for the Jimmy Choo Cosmic, H&M’s Platform Pump is just $17.95.

 

Our final item has nothing to do with Kate, it is merely something I found intriguing, and a savvy marketing move. M.A.C. cosmetics has created the Smoky Black Friday palette, only available online, priced at $25.

Gobble-Gobble.