A New Engagement on Kate’s Calendar & Followup On A Hot Topic

We are back with few quick updates, as well as a followup or two on topics discussed and debated in this space the last several days.

Our first order of business: an addition to Kate’s Calendar. Kensington Palace announced the engagement on Twitter.

The Duchess returns to Portsmouth a week from Sunday, July 26th.  Many readers will remember her February trip to the area. (Kate was in Max Mara’s ‘Villar’ coat and a dress from the Somerset by Alice Temperley for John Lewis collection.) In February Kate helped finish up a mural local students had been painting near the Ben Ainslie Racing headquarters. Sir Ben is leading Great Britain’s efforts to win the Cup in 2017.

On the 26th she will be joined by Prince William, and the duo will watch some of the America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth racing events. It will be the third, and final day of racing in Portsmouth. From the America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth website:

The America’s Cup World Series is a racing circuit featuring the best sailors in the world, competing on foiling, wing-sailed 45ft catamarans. The America’s Cup World Series is the first stage of competition in the 35th America’s Cup and begins in the summer of 2015, culminating in the America’s Cup (Finals) in 2017 in Bermuda.

From event organizers:

The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge are set to join huge crowds enjoying the spectacle of the final day’s racing on ‘Super Sunday’ and will play a key part in the finale prize-giving event.

Kate will also visit the 1851 Trust, she is that organization’s royal patron. The Trust is working to give students  “…the education, skills and training to become innovators of the future, and stewards of the marine environment.” The Duke and Duchess will also take part in some of the fun at Portsmouth’s Waterfront Festival.

Should we expect to see more engagements on the calendar? An answer to that question comes via People:

It’s the first official royal engagement for the royal mum since Charlotte was born on May 2, but aides are stressing that she is still principally focused on motherhood and this is not a return to full-on royal duties.

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Following our post on Kate’s choice of dress for Wimbledon July 8th we enjoyed a healthy debate about the frock via the comments section of the post, as well as on Facebook. There were a few comparisons drawn between Kate’s frock and the dress her mother, Carole Middleton, wore to Wimbledon. While this is not What Carole Wore, I thought another quick look at Ms. Middleton’s dress might be helpful.

The shirtdress fabric is a batik-style an alligator-style (thank you Lili and Ashley Olivia!) print in a green and white color scheme. It features a button front and elbow-length sleeves; the hemline hits just above the knee.

Anna of My Small Obsessions and a Duchess Kate reader believe the dress is by Samantha Sung. The New York-based brand offers a variety of dresses, skirts and tops in classic cuts, many of them in a cotton sateen. Ms. Sung is a native of Korea and a Parsons grad; she spent several years as a senior designer at Ralph Lauren before launching her own label. Samantha Sung is primarily stocked at boutiques and luxury retailers. Below, the company’s ‘Audrey’ dress in spring 2015 prints.

Halsbrook carries Samantha Sung styles online, with pieces priced at $585.

Anthropologie also offers a very small selection of designs. It was fun learning about this designer, as Samantha Sung is a brand I hadn’t previously heard about. I can see the appeal of the classic-cut cotton dress, and understand why some thought it a more apropos look for watching summer tennis. While we have no confirmation Ms. Middleton is wearing a Samantha Sung dress, it certainly looks like a possibility.

That brings us back to Kate’s red Cayla dress from LK Bennett (with apologies for the photo’s less-than-stellar facial expression) seen at Wimbledon.

Some of us questioned the color of Kate’s dress, noting it is the first time we’ve seen her in red for Wimbledon. A quick review of Kate’s regal wardrobe at the All England Club begins with the Duchess wearing Temperley London’s ‘Moriah’ dress at the Championships in June of 2011.

In 2012 Kate attended matches on two different days. On July 4th we saw the Duchess wear her Alexander McQueen sailor-style knit dress, a light-colored look that was first seen on the 2011 North American tour.

On July 8th Kate was in light tones again, wearing two Joseph pieces for the Gentlemen’s final match between Andy Murray and Roger Federer. Kate was in Joseph’s ‘Nessie’ jacket and ‘Vanessa’ dress.

Last year Kate also took in two different matches, the first on July 2nd, when she was sporting her ‘Roamer Day Dress’ by Zimmermann.

The July 6th Gentlemen’s Championship last year was the first time we’re aware of the Duchess went for a darker palette at Wimbledon, wearing her Evelyn dress by designer Jonathan Saunders, initially seen on the Jubilee Tour of 2012.

It seems that when attending Wimbledon as a member of the royal family the Duchess opted for light hues four of six times. Having put the Wimbledon photos and information together, there’s absolutely no deduction or revelatory conclusion I came up with.

There is good news for those still interested in purchasing the Cayla dress. With thanks to Gemma of Food, Fash & Fit for the tip, the dress is available at Next.

The piece appears to be available in all sizes at this point. It is £250, that’s roughly $390 at today’s exchange rates.

Next stocks a good amount of LK Bennett merchandise, it is a site I wish I would remember to check when pieces are sold out at the LK Bennett sites.  Should you miss out on purchasing the Cayla at Next a possibility remains that LK Bennett will reissue the dress. The company has posted a form on the US/Canada site, as well as the UK/Europe site, where shoppers can register their interest in the dress.

We also had several comments on the Wimbledon post about how nice Sophie, Countess of Wessex, looked. For those interested in her dress, it is a bespoke piece by Alice Lee.

A few commenters noted here and/or on Facebook that they would like to see more of Sophie, and some noted how much they enjoy the HRH Countess of Wessex blog. (That’s where we got the info about Sophie’s dress.)

It’s an outstanding site; it is written by Anna of My Small Obsessions and it has become the go-to source on Sophie’s style. Anything to do with Sophie’s apparel, accessories and jewelry and Anna has it covered.

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Our final note is a quick retail reminder: Nordstrom’s big Anniversary Sale kicks off Saturday. Nordstrom card holders have early access and can shop the sale here. If not a Nordstrom charge customer, you can enjoy a sneak peek here.) Here’s a swift sampling of items with a Kate tie.

• There are two Longchamp Le Pliage bags on sale. Neither is the exact style Kate carries. There is one style that is exclusive to Nordstrom, the Le Pliage Expandable tote. The Anniversary Sale price is $129.90; after the sale the tote will be $195.

• There is a good amount of Topshop merchandise included in the sale.
• here are a number of Aquatalia styles in the sale, including the ‘Reece,’ the closest thing to Kate’s Royal/Royalty that we see in the US.  The ‘Ruby Dry’ (as the bootie is known in the UK) remains available at Russell and Bromley (£245). (Looking at Aquatalia’s website I do not see anything similar to the the Reece in the bootie category.) The Reece is available at Nordstrom in black, navy, or wine suede. The bootie will be $319.90 during the sale, but when prices go back up August 3rd it will retail for $495.

• Unrelated to the Anniversary Sale, Kate’s Rhumba boot by Aquatalia is quite a bargain at Nordstrom, selling at 40% off the original price. Kate’s black is not available, but the boot is offered in charcoal, espresso, taupe and wine. Prices for the Rhumba are $407 – $449.

• UPDATED Friday, July 17: The Rhumba as we know it is going away. The style will undergo a few minor design tweaks and be released in a future collection, but the boot that we’ve seen for several years isn’t going to be in the fall collection. The style remains available at Russell & Bromley in black, navy & taupe suede, remember to search for ‘Hi and Dry’ on the R&B site (the black is here). Following are a few places where the boot is still available in black: Neiman Marcus has the Rhumba in larger sizes only ($398); 6pm offers it in larger sizes only ($508); Lord & Taylor has the boot in larger sizes ($580); Beren Shoes offers the Rhumba in several sizes ($698).

We leave you with a look at three international magazine covers of Princess Charlotte’s christening, with thanks to Mace (@RoyaleVision) on Twitter for sharing the covers.

LINKAGE:

• The America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth website is here, the affiliated Facebook page is here, the Twitter account may be followed here
• The 1851 Trust website is here, the charity’s Facebook page is here, its Twitter feed is here