We are back with some headline updates as well as our nonscientific poll looking at the coats Kate wore in 2014. We begin with several engagements added to Kate’s Calendar that were announced yesterday and this morning.
- Thursday, January 15: Kate will officially open a new Art Room at Barlby Primary School. During the visit Kate will meet staff and students and take part in a discussion about the Art Room and its work. (This is an event originally scheduled for October that was canceled because of Kate’s illness.)
- Friday, January 16: Kate takes part in an event hosted by the The Fostering Network to celebrate the work done by foster carers. The Duchess will learn about the work done by foster carers and then attend a reception with those involved in foster care.
- Monday, January 19: The Duchess will have several engagements today, all in the Kensington area of London. She starts the day with a morning coffee at Family Friends, a group that “recruits, trains and matches volunteers with parents, children or adolescents”. Next Kate formally opens Kensington Aldridge Academy, a new school that has a focus on performing and creative arts, as well as growing students’ entrepreneurial skills. Kate’s final engagement is the official opening of the Kensington Leisure Centre.
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Now to our poll. As with the dress polls, here is our rational regarding which coats are in what category:
- Because we voted on tour pieces in May it didn’t make sense to list them all out again (we’d be scrolling for days), so they are not included in these first two year-end polls. Once votes are in for these two polls we will take the top few choices and combine them with the tour poll results for a ‘super poll,’ for lack of a better term.
- There is one exception for inclusion in these initial polls: repeats. If Kate debuted a piece during the tour that we saw again in the course of the year, it is being included in the “repeats” category. Likewise, if Kate wore something in New Zealand or Australia that was worn prior to the tour, it is in the repeats category.
In January there were no public engagements and February’s did not involve a coat. The first outerwear we saw Kate wearing in 2014 was that chosen for the St. Patrick’s Day appearance with the Irish Guards, the ‘Persephone’ coat by Hobbs. Constructed in a rayon/wool blend, the coat features all of the classic trench elements: epaulets, storm flaps, and double-breasted styling. The official color name for this item is ‘pine’.
i-Images, Polaris/SplashNews.com/i-Images, Polaris/SplashNews.com
In May William and Kate visited Scotland. The Duchess wore a vibrant coat by Scottish-born designer Jonathan Saunders, his ‘Athena’ style. The garment is constructed of a jacquard weave in a wool and mohair blend, with a notch collar, single breast pocket and two flap front pockets, and a back vent.
SplashNews.com/SplashNews.com
For the Singapore State Visit in October the Duchess debuted another bespoke piece by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. The plaid coat featured a fitted bodice, nipped in waist and full skirt, flared sleeves at the wrist, a chest besom pocket and angled pockets at the hip.
SplashNews.com/PA Wire/PA Wire
Kate returned to designer Matthew Williamson for a November visit to Wales with Prince William. She wore the brand’s ‘wool blend coat’ in a very pretty color officially called Pacific Opal. The piece has a fitted silhouette with double-breasted styling, two flap pockets on each side, peak lapels and bright silver buttons.
We also Kate in a new coat for November’s Remembrance Sunday observances. It was another piece by Alexander McQueen, although an off the rack style: the ‘Flared Wool Coat’. It came in white as well as black, featuring a full skirt, oversized notched lapels, one set of double-breasted buttons at the waist, button cuffs and slash pockets.
i-Images, Polaris/SplashNews.com
We saw several new pieces when Kate and William visited New York in December. Upon arrival the Duchess was in a Seraphine Maternity coat, the label’s ‘Marina’ style.
PA Wire/
Our next coat was also worn on the New York trip, Goat Fashion’s ‘Washington’ style. Kate wore the coat for a visit to the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem. It is all wool, in a heavy black crepe fabric, with ivory trim at the neckline, center back and cuff straps, and a concealed front button placket.
Jackson Lee, Splash News/SplashNews.com/Robin Nunn, Nunn Syndication, Polaris/i-Images.co
For an evening reception in the city and an NBA game the Duchess opted for a Tory Burch piece, the company’s ‘Bettina’ coat. The garment is made of material that is a “cotton blend, woven with bouclé, slubbed and metallic yarns…the look of classic tweed with a horizontal-stripe effect and a hint of shine.” The Bettina features a hidden placket with concealed snaps on the front, as well as slit pockets.
Stephen Lock, i-Images, Polaris/Polaris Images/Robin Nunn, Nunn Syndication, Polaris Images/Tory Burch/Tory Burch
On Kate and William’s final day in New York we saw another new coat, Mulberry’s Double Breasted Coat in ‘cerise,’ a vibrant pink made of a wool/silk blend, described as having “been given extra lustre,” with front flap pockets and oversized black buttons.
i-Images/Polaris, Stephen Lock/i-Images, Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
Our final new coat this year is the Moloh worn by the Duchess for Christmas Day services. Made of a nubby tweed, the piece has an oversized stand collar, small lapels, epaulets at the shoulder and cuff, and slanted flap pockets.
Stephen Lock, i-Images/Stephen Lock, i-Images/Robin Nunn, Nunn Syndication, Polaris
REPEATS:
The Duchess wore her blue tweed M Missoni coat for the March wedding of Lucy Meade and Charlie Budgett.
Jesal / Tanna / Splash News
June brought D-Day remembrances. Kate and William were at ceremonies in Normandy, where the Duchess was in a custom Alexander McQueen piece previously worn to the Blenheim War Memorial in New Zealand in April.
Polaris Images/James Whatling, Splash News/Emily Andrews, The Sun
For Order of the Garter, also in June, we saw a repeat of the icy blue Christopher Kane coat worn for the London 2012 Olympic Game opening ceremony.
Both Photos by PA Wire
When launching the Tour de France in July we saw Kate repeat another look from the April tour, the green ‘Allie’ wool crepe coat by Erdem worn for a day of engagements in Hamilton, New Zealand.
All Photos by James Whatling/Splash News
Don’t forget to vote for your favorite new and repeated dress styles from 2014, just click here to do that!
I do think Catherine has been wearing far too much black. Black lace dresses are far too “granny-fied” for my taste, and I think do her no favours. She looks beautiful in white, and in any shade of blue. That fabulous diamond necklace with the beautiful dark dress – individually both are wonderful, but I don’t think they work together.
Catherine really does show that you can look glamorous and quite stunning whilst pregnant, without resorting to tight ugly clinging clothing, as so many so called “celebs” seem to wear. Also shows that you can call your child a proper name, instead of something made up, or a flower or something to eat! Just shows that no matter how much money you have or how famous you think you are, good taste comes naturally, and cannot be acquired.
I love these polls, and actually I love all the posts on this page!
One thing perplexes me though… can anyone tell me the definition of a coat dress vs just a coat? Thanks in advance!
Well, here are my definitions: a coat dress is a dress styled like a coat that is worn over underwear. You obviously cannot take it off in public. A coat is an item worn over other outer clothing, normally in cold weather, though there are lighter spring and summer coats, of course. These coats CAN be removed in public.
You will sometimes see the term “dress coat,” which simply refers to a particularly dressy coat worn over other outer clothing, not to a coat dress.
That said, people have tended to use the term “coat dress” rather loosely in reference to the Duchess of Cambridge’s wardrobe. It has sometime been applied to a garment that I’d call simply a coat, since it can be removed to reveal other clothing. It has also been used in reference to a couple of items, such as two Emilia Wickstead dresses done in light pink and turquoise, that I would call simply “dresses”. It is therefore no wonder you are confused.
None of these coats compare to Kate’s Black Watch coat or the Alexander McQueen she wore for George’s christening. Those are the gold standards.
The new coat poll was a tough decision! She did some unique and fun pieces this year.
I adore the maternity Seraphine coat because we never (it seems, anyway) see her in purple or pink. I liked the Mulberry pink double-breasted coat, but it doesn’t fit as well as the Seraphine, and there isn’t much detail, structure, or texture to it, in my opinion. I would love to see her in purple more often. It really is a beautiful color on her.
The beautiful cerise Mulberry was definitely my favourite – great choice and colour for the day in my opinion. My other choice was the blue McQueen. I live in New Zealand and when I saw Kate wearing this coat here I thought she looked wonderful. I haven’t changed my mind!
I still can’t quit that Saunders coat. I’m obsessed with it. I have no idea why I love it so much. If it were still available and I didn’t live in Texas I would gladly buy it.
Another difficult choice! I eventually went with the Seraphine coat because I love the colour, but I spent a long time pondering about choosing the Saunders coat instead since it’s also such a rich shade. Both new McQueen coats were very lovely as well.
None of the repeats really stood out to me. They’re all nice coats (though I’ve never been all that fond of the Missoni coat), fit Kate well (the Erdem looked a lot better in July than in April when Kate was bending down or squatting to talk to children), and I would love to own such well-tailored pieces of course. However, none of them immediately made me say “wow”. I ultimately voted for the McQueen, though I remember being disappointed about some of the alterations made from the original design(s). The Christopher Kane was very well suited to the occasion too.
Wasn’t there an Alexander McQueen coat\coat dress, custom made, worn in Belgium.
Yes, that was included in the previous poll, here is a link: https://whatkatewore.com/2015/01/05/time-to-vote-on-your-favorite-daytime-looks-from-2014/
🙂
Coat voting is tough lately! They’re all so perfect! but I think I tend to favor the Alexander McQueens!!
Thanks for always posting! Love this blog!
I had some difficulty deciding which new coat to choose and actually surprised myself a little by selecting the Seraphine Marina coat. I wasn’t overjoyed by any of the coats under review. They all had features I liked but also some problems, at least as worn by the Duchess. I liked the sky blue Williamson coat but felt it wasn’t shown to the best advantage. I loved the rich, intense pink of the Mulberry coat but felt it could have benefited from some tailoring.
The Seraphine was a bit too short, I felt, but of all the new coats, it simply made the most successful appearance. The plum color was terrific, the fit was right, the black accessories chosen correctly. After reexamining the photos, I decided that it had just worked, whereas every other coat had me thinking, “Hmmm. Maybe if she’d….”
As for the repeats: I remind everyone that I was one of the few people who liked the green Erdem (I was really odd woman out on that one), and I still do. However, I didn’t vote for it. I have always loved the Missoni tweed, it’s one of my favorite items in the Duchess’s wardrobe, so I chose it. I like the lines of the Kane very much but not the ice-blue color, and the McQueen I felt had an unfortunate, uniform-like design and color and was not well-fitted, though it looked better in Normandy than it did in New Zealand.
Do you think the Mulberry could have stood up to much tailoring given Kate’s present condition? I was rather grateful for less of same given the times we had to watch old coats being stretched unkindly over the previous bump!
I know her pregnancy was an issue, so I made allowances, but I still think the coat looked a bit too shapeless. I’m hoping that after Baby Cambridge #2 comes along, we’ll see the coat again, with some adjustments made to its lines. That color is just too luscious not to be given a few more outings.
Looks like the allowances we both made for the lack of a tailored shape simply came down on different sides. I agree with you in hoping to see that coat again fitted to a trimmer form when the time comes.
I have to say, this past year has had far more misses that hits for Kate. I don’t really like any of these coats, whereas I am normally envious that we don’t get the kind of weather that would justify me buying several of her coats. They are bland and some are downright awful. Too often this year I have been left scratching my head going “What was she thinking?!” Prime example is the Tory Burch coat to the basketball game. And that Jonathan Saunders coat is hideous!
Oh, and the black McQueen is a repeat. See http://fromberkshiretobuckingham.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/kate-attends-1851-trust-board-meeting.html
The black McQueen was not a repeat when she wore it on Remembrance Sunday. That was its first appearance. The picture on the FBTB site was taken on a later occasion.
I actually completely agree with you Amy. For most of Kate’s wardrobe I have been more bored then in years past. It makes me think that maybe it is time for me to stop following Kate’s ‘style’. I am hopeful that maybe after the baby she will get more hits than misses, but I realized with these year end polls, its clear that her outfits are the same old same old :(.
Absolutely. I’m really bored with the things she is wearing these days and I don’t think her choices are really doing her any favours. It just feels so ‘same-y’, even if its not.
Kate continues to excel in the coat category — I flat-out love most of these, and the ones I don’t love are all still quite cute.
It was very difficult for me to pick a favourite new coat, but I ultimately settled on the Moloh from Christmas because it’s a little different (in both colour and length) than the norm and it feels somewhat retro without being at all dated. But I also loved the Seraphine maternity, the Mulberry (that colour!), and the utterly gorgeous black McQueen. And while I know I’m in the minority on this, I was also a big fan of the black Goat with white accents — very mod, and a more youthful and fun option than some of the very serious coats that (understandably) get worn to other events.
Among the repeats, the blue McQueen was a clear winner for me. That coat is just perfection, and I hope to see it many times in the future!
Im in the minority with you Esti. I loved the Goat coat as well.
I agree the Goat with its contrast details was just as you say – mod, youthful and fun. It looks better to me in the poll than when I first saw it.
But I think I’d still question the way Kate has worn it. It seems another odd characteristic of hers — along with what Alyssa describes below re buttoned- up coats — that Kate seems to want coat length to cover her skirt.
In this case that has resulted in spoiling the coat’s original concept by adding the huge and obvious hem extension. I would have thought it would have looked a lot better with either a straight skirt underneath or slim leg tailored pants.
Although even as I write I recall that Kate is actually pregnant and slim fit is not what she’s looking for right now! Still, there are maternity options in both straight skirts and pants.
Now that is a look I’d love to see! I also liked the Goat coat as it was shown on the model, without the hem added. I’m not one to comment on the hem length (I’m young so my attitude is still “if you’ve got it, flaunt it”, haha) but in the pics in this post the Goat coat looks shorter than I remember it. If she had left it at the original length and worn something underneath I would have liked the overall look a lot more.
I would have liked the Goat coat better if it had been all one piece, but I liked it more at the length Kate had it than in the original length.
As for underneath: I think it would be fine with slim leg pants, but I wouldn’t have liked it nearly as much that way. A big part of the mod appeal to me for this particular item is the minidress-esque vibe, and the picture of it over pants on the Goat website doesn’t really make an impact on me. I shudder at the pencil skirt, idea, though — I think it looks exceedingly odd to have a few inches of a pencil skirt poking out the bottom of a long-ish A-line coat.
If you love the minidress then clearly the Goat is the one for you! Sadly there are some of us who still hum and haw at shorter lengths and wonder if they suit the mature woman. Of course, there are no hard and fast rules to these things, personal preference only being expressed here.
I suppose a slim skirt might have looked a bit mumsy, and the problem with tailored pants is that Kate has yet to discover them. I think she may also have felt tied by wanting a dressy look for her next luncheon engagement. It was still galling, though that she then managed trousers/leggings with her Tory Burch coat, but, hey, that’s the way she felt comfortable so that’s ok with me.
I think ElizaMo was suggesting that it should have been left at its original length and worn over slender trousers or a pencil skirt. That would indeed have been a better look in my opinion. I like the look of a loose, thigh-length jacket (which is what it originally was) over a slim pencil skirt. It can be quite chic.
Esti, Im with you again on the Goat coat. What I love about it is the retro sixties feel. Trousers or a pencil skirt would have taken away from that vibe. Its a fun coat.
Thanks for explaining to me what I really meant to say, Lili! Where would this page be without your guiding hand?? 🙂
@Lili
I got that, but if you look at where the seam is on Kate, you can tell that at its original length it would still be fairly long and I think a pencil skirt sticking out the bottom would look a bit silly. I’m all for voluminous jacket/slim skirt combos, but to me that look only works when the jacket is fairly short (waist-length or a bit longer, not mid-thigh).
I don’t have the same concern about pants under the coat, but I just don’t find that look (as styled on Goat’s website) particularly memorable or interesting.
Esti, loose thigh-length coats and jackets worn over slim, knee-length skirts and dresses were popular in the 50’s, and judging by the pictures, they looked great. Some of these were swing coats, which I think were quite a lot of fun. I think the look would simply be considerably more interesting and sophisticated than tacking extra fabric onto a jacket but still wearing it rather ridiculously short. It simply looked too childish. As I said at the time, I thought it would have been a snappy outfit on a 7-year-old.
I’m reminded that Alexander McQueen showed its Samurai coat, which I love, on a model wearing a slim pencil skirt, but the Duchess wore it over a short dress that couldn’t be seen. I thought the look lacked the sophistication McQueen had had in mind.
That’s the beauty of fashion, everyone has their own perspective on what looks great.
I think this is fab: http://fabfashionfix.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/403749_417243098330361_909595189_n.jpg
And that this looks silly: https://img0.etsystatic.com/008/0/5482518/il_340x270.386287006_o8th.jpg
I’ve seen some 50s looks I liked with longer coats, but those worked for me because the skirts were also longer (well below the knee). I just don’t like the proportion of having a skirt that only sticks out a few inches at the bottom of a voluminous coat. Whereas I thought Kate’s styling of the Goat coat was fun and youthful but not at all childish. Different strokes, etc.
I think both looks are terrific.
I’m with Esti here, I think this coat – at either length – with a pencil skirt would be a very odd combination. Trousers would work better, but I’m perfectly happy with the way she wore it, and thought it was a great, fun look for her.
I felt guilty voting for the hot pink Mulberry as the check McQueen should surely win on grounds of tailoring alone. But the Mulberry really stood out on the day — I’m among those who approved the colour choice for the occasion. I’m glad to see Kate make such a bold bright move.
As for repeats, again I passed over McQueen as I’m still not convinced that shade of blue is quite right on Kate and neither appearance has quite made it work for me. The military detailing and colour just seemed too all-round heavy.
The Christopher Kane got my top choice as it really came into its own second time around, and I began liking it where before I’d had doubts. I like the nude accessories with it and the rich sheen on the fabric is just right for the Garter ceremony. The hat is superb, but that’s another poll, of course.
Great news about the upcoming dates, I caught some of them but that’s the first I knew about Kate’s busy Monday!
I love most every piece in Kate’s coat collection and I felt the same way about this pink Mulberry coat, my favorite of all time. I didn’t vote, however, because besides all the controversy about this pink number, I love all other coats, too.
ElizaMo- I voted exactly the same way! Thanks for your comment- it’s exactly what I was thinking!
Why, thanks for kind comments, guys! It’s wonderful how intelligent we find the company of those willing to agree with us — here’s to bright pink and loving other coats as well!
I wish she wouldn’t wear her coats all the way zipped up, especially in the case of that black and grey Tory Burch. She literally looks too “buttoned up” and uptight. I don’t know anyone else who goes around with their coast done all the way up all the time, especially in warmer weather!
I feel this way too, Alyssa – I really wasn’t a fan of the Tory Burch and I think it’s mainly for this reason. Ditto the green Erdem. A more open neckline is much more flattering on her.