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, a single breast pocket, and two flap front pockets, and a back vent. 
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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 Games opening ceremony.
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.
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Don’t forget to vote for your favorite new and repeated dress styles from 2014, just click here to do that!
PennyG
Wednesday 14th of January 2015
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.
Brandy
Monday 12th of January 2015
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!
Lili
Tuesday 13th of January 2015
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.
Brenda
Saturday 10th of January 2015
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.
Jordan
Friday 9th of January 2015
The new coat poll was a tough decision! She did some unique and fun pieces this year.
Mallory
Friday 9th of January 2015
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.