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A New Date on Kate’s Calendar & Alexander McQueen for Fall

We are back with word of a new engagement on Kate’s Calendar. Saturday, October 10th she will join William for an event marking World Mental Health Day. They will meet young people with mental health problems who now volunteer with Mind, the mental health charity co-hosting the event. More from Hello!:

…(they) will learn about the new Mindkit project, which is being delivered across London and educates young people about emotional health and resilience. They will also be introduced to the anti-stigma campaign Time to Change, which aims to break down the stigma of speaking about mental health issues.

William and Kate will also meet “Champions” of Time to Change, an organization working to fight the stigma surrounding mental health issues. More in a news release from Time to Change:

Our young Champions have been central to our children and young people’s campaign, and have delivered training in schools so that staff and students get to hear people’s real life stories. The young Champions also helped create materials for secondary schools to use to run their own Time to Change campaign.

Time to Change

Time to Change

The engagement will be at Harrow College, located about an hour north of London. It is very much in sync with Kate’s continued focus on mental health issues, especially those impacting children and young people. From a Kensington Palace statement:

Work to build awareness and understanding of mental health problems is a major priority for both The Duke and Duchess.

In terms of Kate’s calendar we continue to look at the possibility she will attend another Rugby World Cup event; in the Palace release about the World Cup and Kate’s participation it was noted that she was “…expected….(to) attend several matches and events.” There are reports Kate was in Cardiff (Wales) today, that is where William attended the Wales vs. Fiji match. From Berkshire to Buckingham site has an Instagram photo said to show Kate with William today. If the reports are accurate it’s possible Kate and/or the pair had a private engagement today, or perhaps they have something planned in Wales tomorrow. At any rate, the next Wales match happens to be October 10th; there’s no conflict with the Mental Health Awareness event though, as that will be a daytime function and the rugby match doesn’t begin until 8pm.

NOTE: The Daily Mail’s royal reporter, Rebecca English, says the reports are not accurate, that Kate was *not* in Wales.

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We move now to fall styles from the brand that is arguably Kate’s favorite designer label, Alexander McQueen.  In seeing new pieces from the fall collection several struck me as being suited to Kate’s style aesthetic; it seemed fun to take a gander at what is available, especially with several engagements for Kate now on the schedule.

We begin with the Wool Military Jacket in navy (if interested in the trousers shown with the jacket, I believe they are the Slim Flatfront Pants); also in navy, the Mock Neck Ruffled Double Breasted Coat (the photo is color treated slightly to better show design details); on the far right, the Military Peplum Jacket in black. All pieces are shown at Nordstrom.

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Saks also has the Military Peplum Jacket, but their version is in midnight blue.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue

At Alexander McQueen the Jacket is offered in military green, and shown with the collar standing.

Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen

Offering different retailers styles in different colors is one way brands boost their sales, it helps stores differentiate themselves, allowing them to promote that they have “an exclusive color you’ll only find here at _______” (fill in the blank).

Another midnight blue piece at Saks, the Double Breasted Flared Coat.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue

Initially I thought this style was reminiscent of the Samurai Folds coat by Alexander McQueen Kate has worn previously.

PA Wire

PA Wire

But aside from both pieces being double breasted with a fitted bodice and full skirt, they are not really alike. On the right we show a slightly different style in black, the Double Breasted Folded Drape coat, you can see the different material used on the skirt.  The current season garment has a layered, flared skirt, while the Samurai coat has many more folds and draping in the skirt, as well as details like the oversized pocket flaps at the waist.

Perhaps the jacket most suited to Kate that I discovered when surfing gleefully painstakingly researching this post (cough-cough) is the Double Breasted Stretch Twill Jacket, shown in blush at Net-a-Porter.  It just quietly shrieked “Duchess-worthy” when I first saw it.

Net-a-Porter

Net-a-Porter

It isn’t difficult to envision the Duchess wearing this Pleated Back Double Breasted Coat, it shares structure and tailoring on the back similar to the Prince of Wales check coat Kate wore for the Singapore state visit welcoming ceremonies last October. It might be difficult to see, but the construction of the upper back is almost identical to the bespoke piece. This particular color is ‘teint,’ a word many will recognize, it is commonly used by many cosmetic companies; roughly translated it means “fair” or “fair skin” or “fair complexion”.

Alexander McQueen/Polaris

Alexander McQueen/Polaris

When it comes to dresses, there are several pieces we could see the Duchess sporting. On the left we show the Front Zip Leaf Crepe dress in black, albeit with the zipper not up quite that high; second from the left, the Full Circle Skirt Knit Dress, the addition of sleeves and a little more length could make this workable. On the right we show a piece that is very much like several McQueen styles we have seen Kate wear, it is the Crepe Coat Dress; it is an acetate/rayon blend, so it could also be ideal for spring’s warmer temps. It certainly incorporates several key Alexander McQueen design elements; it too has the same upper bodice construction as the coat shown above and Kate’s Prince of Wales check coat.

2 McQueen Dresses One 1 Coat Fall 2015

Nordstrom/Saks Fifth Avenue

From the Alexander McQueen site we show the Placed Rose Jacquard Crew Neck dress; second from the left you see the black Wool Crepe dress as shown at Harvey Nichols, although I’m not convinced Kate would go for the draped fabric at the front of this garment. Multi-store site Farfetch offers the V-Neck Dress second from the right; the Lace-Effect Jacquard dress in ivory is also at Harvey Nichols, it’s a rayon/silk/poly blend that I am guessing is probably very comfortable.

Four 4 McQueen fall 2015 dresses

Next, the Alexander McQueen Wool Ruffle Coat in black, as shown at Saks. The photos on the far left and right have been digitally altered to better show the details in this piece.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue

The Cotton Pique Flared Shirtdress has panels in the skirt that are pleated, with oversized French cuffs and a point collar. It’s not inconceivable Kate would wear it in a customized version.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue

One final item, a jacket one can see Kate wearing in a solid color, the Double Breasted Patchwork Felt Blazer at Lane Crawford.

Farfetch

Farfetch

While at Farfetch I noticed several pieces in the Prince of Wales check fabric used for Kate’s coat; they are all on sale with sizeable discounts. From left to right we show the Blazer, Jacket and Cropped Trouser.

Farfetch

Farfetch

For those interested in the Alexander McQueen spring 2016 runway show, it is part of Paris Fashion Week, and scheduled for Sunday at 8pm local time, that is 2pm EDT.

We also want to share a few brief retail updates, starting with LK Bennett. The retailer’s white and black ‘Lasana’ dresses, modeled on Kate’s ‘Lasa’ dress with its snorkel blue poppies, are both on sale on the UK site. Normally £250, they are marked down to £195.  Good news if you are in the UK, LK Bennett is doing free delivery on all UK orders; use the code HEELS at checkout.

Polaris/LK Bennett

Polaris/LK Bennett

On the US/Canada site I only see the Lasana in black, and it is not discounted, still priced at $425.

Also on the UK site, Kate’s Cayla dress is back in stock in all sizes. And there’s a new color for the dress, Sloane Blue.

LK Bennett/i-Images

LK Bennett/i-Images

The retailer is doing its Friends and Family event, with 20% off ‘selected full and sale price styles,’ making some discounts quite deep. Use promo code FF2015 for the discount.

LK Bennett US

LK Bennett US

Finally this evening, the Ralph Lauren Austin Shirtdress the Duchess wore for her visit to the Anna Freud Centre remains available in almost all sizes at Neiman Marcus. (This is not a surprise, price-wise the frock is north of $1500.)

SplashNews.com/Neiman Marcus

SplashNews.com/Neiman Marcus

The version that is slightly shorter than the style worn by Kate also remains available at Ralph Lauren.

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KM Jewelry

Wednesday 7th of October 2015

I can picture Kate wearing the Lace-Effect Jacquard dress in Ivory. She could pair it with her Cartier Trinity necklace.

Mary

Monday 5th of October 2015

Did anyone else notice that if one clicks the link to Farfetch for a closer look at those unfortunate cropped wool trousers, the label identifies them as " Loveless Prince of Wales check trousers"?

We're in the majority -- nobody loves them!

Kristin

Sunday 4th of October 2015

Admin, the tone of this post is simply delicious. And so are the many fabulous McQueen items you've showcased for us. Many thanks :)

admin

Monday 5th of October 2015

Awww, thank you, what a lovely thing to say! :)

Brenda

Friday 2nd of October 2015

That navy McQueen coat with the ruffled hem reminds me of Kate's cream Burberry trench with a ruffled hem.

Lili

Friday 2nd of October 2015

I'm laughing at ElizaMo's post and our Admin's response, because a fashion reporter for the Chicago Tribune has been waging war on cropped trousers for some time now, and I think she's on the verge of sourly conceding defeat. For some reason, women LIKE cropped trousers, which in my opinion, are suitable solely for clam digging on the beach -- and even then, all you really have to do is roll up your regular jeans or chinos. I was at J Crew today, buying chinos, as a matter of fact, and I shuddered at the sight of woolen cropped trousers. They're bad enough in summer

"Dire" isn't nearly descriptive enough. I'd call cropped trousers in PLAID, of all things, flat-out tragic. On the Duchess's long-waisted, short-legged figure, they'd be catastrophic!

Otherwise, I rather admire the chic minimalism of these McQueen offerings, despite my ongoing uncertainties regarding peplums. I greatly admired the McQueen military-look navy coat dress that the Duchess wore for one of the St. Patrick's Day shamrock-distribution events and would love to find something similar at a rather more reasonable price point. These looks instantly brought it to mind.

As for the double-breasted flared coat, I own a very similar coat in military green that I bought precisely because it reminded me of the Samurai Folds coat. Yes, the designs are different -- my green coat is closer to the flared coat than to the Samurai -- but the unusual styling, the general feeling, of these skirted coats is similar, and I'm always looking for that suggestion of the "different" in the context of otherwise elegant and classic pieces.

I can't say I think "teint" is the Duchess's color. I've mentioned before that I think pale-pink shades look anemic on her, and even I, a fair-skinned, Scandinavian-type blue-eyed blonde, need the pinks and beiges I wear to comprise a little more substance and "body" for them to work. I'd disappear in that shade. She wouldn't, but it wouldn't do much for her either.

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