A UFO Dress is Identified & Fall Fashions at LK Bennett

We are back with some quick updates and a look at LK Bennett’s fall styles.

Our first item is the identification of a dress worn by the Duchess in December of last year when she attended an 1851 Trust meeting.

With thanks to Adriane Miller for posting the info on the WKW Facebook page, it turns out Kate was wearing Seraphine’s ‘Sophia’ dress.

The dress is done in a ‘midnight blue’ polyester/elastene blend fabric, offering plenty of stretch. More from the Seraphine wesbite:

The beautifully fitted Ponte Roma bodice meets the skirt with a stylish belted peplum which defines the empire waist. The elegantly pleated woven skirt then falls in a graceful a-line cut, bringing balance to the structured style.

I’m not sure if the description is meant to read Ponte de Roma fabric, a specific type of double-knit material known, but it looks like that could be the case. Here’s a better look at some of the details, particularly the empire waist and the scoop neckline on the back of the dress.

The dress retails for $159, it is part of Seraphine’s ‘Luxe’ collection; an elegant look that would work well for a multitude of settings and circumstances.

With the calendar turning to a new month tomorrow we are spurred to begin looking at designs for this fall and winter. Today we visit LK Bennett. The retailer released images this week of its fall advertising campaign, with photos shot by Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist renown. The company says this season’s looks were inspired “…by the free-spirited feel of the seventies, but updated with a refined detailing reflective of the LK Bennett aesthetic.” Several pieces from the new collection.

The Arony Trench Coat (£350), shown only on the UK site at this time.

Also shown above, the Darya Tweed Dress (£225) in a ‘flattering t-shirt shape.’

And the final part of the montage up above, LK Bennett’s Elodie Double Breasted Jacket in soft powder pink (¢327) and matching Tapered Trouser (£155). These pieces are done in rayon with a touch of elastene for ease of movement.

In its notes about the upcoming season the retailer also said the “overall feel of the range is languid yet polished.” We share the Monique Full Spotted Skirt ($425) in a cotton/silk blend, and Sereno Wool Coat ($750) in wool with a touch of cashmere.

Also shown above, the Coney Printed Dress ($525), in a distinctive orange and blue motif.

There are already new frocks in stock from the fall season, including the Joelle ($395) and Mira fitted dresses.

A piece with potential: the Lila Foldback Neckline Dress (£195), not yet available on the US site. It looks *very* versatile.

The Lima Ponte dress in Sloane Blue ($295), and Clarie dress in black ($350) both look like pieces that can meet a multitude of needs, they are styles that can easily be dressed up or down.

The Yelena Lantern Dress ($495) may prove popular with the younger set, while the Karima Dress ($450) offers an exuberant print and the Ceylan Spotted Jacquard Dress ($495) will appeal to those confident in their own style statements.

The Darya Tweed in red or black ($425), and the Mal Tweed ($495), are among new jacket styles for fall.

There are also new shoe and handbag styles, along with loads of other goodies we don’t have room for here.

Good news for those still interested in purchasing the red Cayla Long Dress ($425) Kate wore to Wimbledon in June: the dress is available in limited sizing on both the US/Canada site and on the UK/International site.

It doesn’t look like there are tons available, but certainly a few in several sizes.

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One other quick note. Some may recall that back in the early days of this site one of our most hotly debated topics was (are you ready?)… pantyhose. That’s right, we had some delightful conversations about the topic and even did a poll about the issue. As some may be aware, the pantyhose discussion continues, with the Wall Street Journal writing about The Return of Nude Pantyhose in May, and a GMA (Good Morning America) story, also in May, Pantyhose Are Back on the Runway. This week we see another piece, Americans follow Kate Middleton’s fashion style, and bring back pantyhose (ugh?!) The recent spate of stories has me thinking it may be time to revisit the topic. Thoughts…?