A Christening Date for Charlotte & A Look at One of Kate’s Favorite Fabrics

We are back with a rather important addition to Kate’s Calendar and a look at one of Kate’s favorite fabrics.

First, the new engagement. Kensington Palace announced today Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana will be christened Sunday, July 5th, at St. Mary Magdalene Church.

The Church is located on the grounds of Sandringham, the Queen’s estate in Norfolk. This is also where Anmer Hall  is located.

The Princess will be in the same gown worn by Prince George when for his October, 2013 christening.

The service will be a private event; here is a reminder of how small the group was at Prince George’s christening, via this BBC story.

…christening was private, with only senior royals, four members of the Middleton family, the seven godparents and their spouses among the 22 guests.

It is expected Prince George will be on hand for the occasion.

We can look for the Duchess to be in a new ensemble.

Likely designers include Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, who created the suit Kate wore for George’s christening, Jenny Packham and perhaps Emilia Wickstead. My guess would be a new design from Ms. Burton.

St. Mary Magdalene is a smaller, more intimate setting than the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace, where George’s service was held.

The Telegraph reports the church was chosen because of the royal family’s connection to it, as well as its proximity to Prince William’s job as an air ambulance pilot. More from the story:

Princess Charlotte will be the most senior member of the Royal family to be christened outside a royal residence for 120 years.

The Queen’s father, George VI, was christened in the same church in 1895, but for the next three generations Royal palaces were used for the christenings of all senior members of the Royal family.

The late Diana, Princess of Wales was baptized at St. Mary Magdalene. (Diana was born on the grounds of Sandringham, at Park House; it is where her family lived for several years.)  A bit more about the church:

St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, is a country church of exceptional historic interest, with memorials to many members and relations of the Royal Family from Queen Victoria onwards.  It is used regularly as a place of worship by the Royal Family and Estate staff.

Sandringham Church is considered to be one of the finest carrstone buildings in existence, and dates back in its present form to the 16th century.

Readers are familiar with the church; it is where HM, the Duke of Edinburgh and other royals attend Christmas services. 

It isn’t just Christmas Day when members of the royal family are seen at the historic church; it is Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s parish church when they are at Sandringham. Below we see HM following services this February at St. Mary Magdalene.

Portions of the estate are open year-round to visitor, including the grounds, gardens, and parts of Sandringham House. St. Mary Magdalene church is open April through October. There is no admission fee to visit the Country Park, which is open all year.

Just as at Christmas, it is expected some members of the public will be allowed to gather at the church, although not the enormous crowds seen during the holidays. Below, Kate following last year’s Christmas service.

We will keep you updated on any changes to the christening plans.

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Our other topic today is a look at one of Kate’s favorite fabrics, broderie anglaise. The idea for the post came from a slide show in The Telegraph this week showcasing items made of the material.

We’ll get the technical element of the discussion out of the way first, starting with the definition of the term: ‘Broderie anglaise’ translates to ‘English embroidery,’ although the material is frequently referred to as eyelet. I am often asked what the difference is between broderie anglaise and lace. Perhaps the best way to describe it is that broderie anglaise adorns an existing fabric, whereas lace is a material created from scratch. Broderie involves making cuts into a fabric and adding decorative stitching around those cuts. 

The Duchess has shown a fondness for the fabric, especially when on tour. From left to right: Alexander McQueen separates worn in Singapore during the Jubilee Tour in 2012; a midnight blue dress from Mulberry, also seen on the Jubilee Tour; and the primrose yellow dress created by an “independent dressmaker,” initially worn on the Jubilee Tour, then again for a visit to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney during last year’s tour.

Below we show closer shots of the material.

Another look at those Alexander McQueen separates during the couple’s visit to Gardens by the bay in Singapore.

This image taken by Rebecca English of The Daily Mail offers a view of those McQueen separates from the back.

Kate’s ‘Roamer Day Dress’ by Australian brand Zimmermann also featured the material. The frock was seen at Wimbledon in July of last year, but before that we saw the Duchess wearing it in April during the Royal Tour.

These photos offer different angles of the dress.

A closer look.

A number of Kate-favored designers are using the textile in this spring’s collections, including Zimmermann. Spring and summer styles include the label’s Ceramic Broidery Dot Top ($360) and matching Dot Shorts ($295); the Ryker Broderie Day Dress in navy ($530), with a silhouette similar to Kate’s Roamer dress; and the Hyper Eyelet Flip dress ($480).

Erdem also has items in the textile, below we show the Victor Jacket in a dramatic geometric design as opposed to the more common floral motifs.

Here is a better look at the design.

Alexander McQueen is showing just one piece in the fabric, the Broderie Anglaise Mini Dress ($5375). It is from the pre-fall collection, in a cotton/wool/silk blend.

This image better shows the intricacy of the embroidery.

At Temperley London there are several styles featuring the textile. In the Caspian Long Sleeve Shirt the material is used as a bib insert (£325, about $500).

On the London Summer Shirt ($£295, approximately $450) the decorative stitching shows quite well.

It remains a popular material for children’s apparel, especially girls. But it is used in pieces for both sexes; below, the Unisex Baby Crawler with Little Collar ($33) at Kate-favored Petit Bateau.

ChildrenSalon has several hats in eyelet: on the left we show the Navy Broderie Anglaise Sun Hat from Tommy Hilfiger ($29.11), on the right it is Mayoral’s Broderie Sun Hat in pink and also in white ($16.85).

ChildrenSalon offers this Kenzo dress for Girls sizes 4 Y to 16 Y, it is on sale for $79.67.

While not a store where the Duchess shops (that we know of), Lord & Taylor has several broderie anglaise items, including this Little Me romper ($16.80).

Nordstrom offers some Mini Boden pieces in the material, including a ‘Fifties Summer Sleeveless Cotton Dress‘ in sizes ranging all the way from toddler (1-1/2Y) to big girls (12Y), the style is $48 in all sizes. On the right we show the ‘Broderie Tunic, Bloomers and Hat‘ for baby girls size 3M to 24M, it is $44 – $48. The three-piece set also comes in white.

I expect we’ll see Princess Charlotte in the material, if not Prince George as well.

 

LINKAGE:

• Learn more about Sandringham at the estate’s official website, visit the St. Mary Magdalene page here, see the hours various elements of Sandringham are open here, and purchase tickets to visit the estate here
• Archbishop Justin Welby’s statement about performing the ceremony is here
• Victoria Murphy’s story about the christening in the Daily Mirror is here, Monique Jessen’s People magazine story is here,  The Telegraph’s story from Gordon Rayner is here, and the Daily Mail’s story by Rebecca English is here.
• A 1981 story about Broderie anglaise may be seen here,