At Wimbledon this afternoon the sky was that leaden gray you know is going to bring rain and perhaps delays.
The Duke and Duchess arriving at the Royal Box. Leading the way (lower left), Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club.
Local favorite, Scotland’s Andy Murray, was playing Canadian Vasek Pospisil.
Many will recognize Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, to William’s left.
An aerial view of the box. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent can just about be seen in the lower right corner.
Behind Kate and William: Billie Jean King and Bear Grylls, UK Scouting’s ‘First Scout.’ Kate is also a volunteer with UK Scouting.
The Duchess and Mr. Grylls at the National Scouting Parade at Windsor Castle in April of 2013. Kate wore Mulberry’s Frayed Coat in mint tweed.
Another view of Ms. King and the royals.
Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton as they arrived at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club this morning.
Now for our look at what Kate wore for today’s match.
She returned to a favored retailer, LK Bennett. The Duchess wore a piece from the brand’s fall collection, the Cayla long dress in a cardinal red.
Detailed shots show the bodice seaming front and back, along with the notched sleeves.
And a view that hopefully shows the fullness of the skirt on the front.
The Cayla is 100% polyester with a polyester lining. It is priced at $425 on LK Bennett’s USA/Canadian site, where it is shown as being out of stock. On LK Bennett’s UK/European site, the dress is £250, with almost no sizes left. House of Fraser also stocked the dress, but they show the piece as being sold out.
The frock is featured on the US homepage.
A Tip of the Tiara today to Katie R. who messaged me on Facebook about this dress well before I identified the dress, thank you, Katie!
Kate carried her Leopard Print Clutch by DVF.
As noted by @PatriciaAviero on Twitter, we’ve seen the clutch at Wimbledon before. Kate carried it with her Joseph dress in 2012 to the Federer/Murray match.
The clutch was first noted when Kate used it during the North American Tour in Los Angeles. On that occasion, it complemented the ‘Maje’ green silk dress by Diane von Furstenberg.
Sara let us know via Twitter that the Duchess wore her Lolita earrings by Mirabelle Jewelry. The loop design earrings are brass plated in 22K gold, they are £30, $46.09 at today’s exchange rates.
Kate was sporting slightly shorter hair, as well as some soft bangs (aka fringe) for today’s match.
We saw her Ray-Ban sunglasses again as well. They appear to be the same pair worn last year to Wimbledon with her Zimmermann ‘Roamer’ Day Dress.
They are clearly non-polarized, with a gradient lens. Anna of My Small Obsessions believes they are the Ray-Ban Folding Wayfarers in ‘Havana.‘ In the photos, they look black when the sun is out, as well as when it’s cloudy. But after much hunting, I couldn’t locate a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers that are folding with non-polarized, gradient lenses in the same shade as Kate’s. The closest I come up with is the Tortoise or Havana as Anna suggests. Below, a shot of Kate and William in the bright sunlight. (It’s certainly possible they are a different pair altogether, but if that’s the case I wasn’t able to locate them.)
We show the Havana gradient lens below at John Lewis (£135 / $217); they are available without the gradient lens at Bloomingdale’s US for $155.
For comparison, here is the Tortoise pair with the gradient lens, shown at Ray-Ban ($165).
The Duchess was in taupe heels, many believe she was wearing her Gilbert pumps from Jimmy Choo.
At the end of play Mr. Murray defeated Mr. Pospisil, now moving on to his sixth appearance in a Wimbledon semi-final. AELTC posted this graphic on its Facebook page. Friday’s semi-final pits Mr. Murray against Roger Federer.
Kate looked happy, and the red was very pretty on her. It was surprising to see her in such a vivid color; while the Duchess has not always worn white, she has generally avoided such a bright hue in the front row of the royal box. My friend Micki Maynard mentioned the possible distraction a bright color can have, although it is not against the AELTC dress code rule for Centre Court.
Centre Court Debenture Holders have their own lounge which has been designed to be a place in which to eat, drink and relax in stylish surroundings.
The dress code for the lounges is smart casual. In particular, jeans, sports shorts (tailored shorts are acceptable for both ladies and gentlemen), collarless shirts and trainers are not acceptable. Gentlemen are not required to wear a jacket and/or tie. Please also refrain from smoking within the Debenture Holders’ areas.
We have had a number of comments about the color of Kate’s dress ‘proper attire for tennis spectators’ (my phrase) I’ll share a personal note about apparel at a tennis match: while probably considered ‘old school’ on the topic, lighter, non-distracting shades have been considered appropriate attire for watching tennis. I’ve not been to Wimbledon or any Grand Slam events and do not want to suggest I am an expert on the topic, for I am not. I speak merely from my personal experience. Additionally, Kate opting for a vivid color today isn’t something I consider a horrific faux pas; it is mentioned as a point of interest, and something some of us were surprised to see.
Several WKWers noted on the Facebook page that it appears the Duchess has had the dress altered, as she frequently does with off-the-rack purchases. I hadn’t noticed, but in looking again at the photos, I believe they are right. Thank you Jacqueline C.S, Dee, Lucy, Amanda, and Food Fash & Fit.
In this video clip from Wimbledon, you can see the players entering the stadium, Kate and William, Mr. Murray’s mother, and more.
LINKAGE:
- Wimbledon’s photo gallery of the match is here, videos of Day 8 play may be seen here, a 30-second video of William and Kate arriving is here
- The Wimbledon online gift shop is here
- The Daily Mail‘s photo-heavy story is here
- The Express story is here & The Express photo gallery is here, The Mirror‘s story is here
- Stories discussing appropriate attire for watching tennis (not intended to support any point of view, perhaps possible interest )
- “Wimbledon 2014: Dressing the part matters” by Philip Johnston may be read here,
- “What to Wear to Wimbledon 2015” can be read here
Helena Dodds
Monday 20th of July 2015
hi if anyone is looking a size 10 or 14 the Edinburgh store has these sizes I just got my 14 from the York store but Edinburgh has it aswell as customer services Gave me details of the stores with a size 14 will save you a fortune rather than buying on EBay at crazy prices in just off the phone with them this morning so be quick it's the Lk Bennett Cayla Kate Middleton dress She wore to wimbleton this year
Rachel
Wednesday 15th of July 2015
Does anyone know who designed Carole Middleton's dress? It's beautiful.
admin
Wednesday 15th of July 2015
There have been suggestions it is by Samantha Sung. Your timing is excellent! I'm actually doing a post now following up on comments and questions from previous posts, including a look at Carole Middleton's dress. :)
Vicki
Thursday 9th of July 2015
Is it possible the "red" is from the Earldom of Strathearn insignia - and a nod to Andy Murray's Scotland?
Rose Spring
Sunday 12th of July 2015
Esti's July 8, 2:18 pm remark (... I also wonder if the red wasn’t a bit of a nod to his Canadian opponent.) was what came to my mind, too.
With Prince Albert being present, the red colour of Catherine's dress could also be a reference to the colours of Monaco.
admin
Thursday 9th of July 2015
Wow, there's a theory that never occurred to me, nor have I seen it mentioned anywhere. Good thinking! I will add that to the post tomorrow, and also include in our follow-up post. Thank you! :)
Elizabeth
Thursday 9th of July 2015
What was dad wearing??? What's going on with that suit, I say?! Did he dress himself in the dark or in a really dim room and forgot he wasn't wearing his glasses?
Karen
Thursday 9th of July 2015
I agree with others' comments. Kate does look lovely in her dress and the color suits her, however, I question its place at this occasion. It seems as if most of the other ladies in the box could head straight to a garden party (Carole and Sophie especially), while Kate looks like she's on her way to a board meeting. I do love how much she and William seem to enjoy each other's company.