Kate’s New ‘Job’ & It’s Time to Vote on Your Favorite Coats of 2015

We are back with our poll selecting your favorite coat worn by Kate in 2015, but first an update on something Kate will be doing in February.

Kensington Palace announced today that the Duchess will ‘guest edit’ Huffington Post UK.  More from Gordon Rayner’s story in The Telegraph:

The Duchess… accepted an invitation to be in charge of the website for a day.

A team from the US-owned website will decamp to Kensington Palace to edit its pages from there.

Kate will use the opportunity to focus on mental health issues impacting children and young people, her primary charitable focus for the majority of 2015.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Duchess pens a column of her own, in addition to working with journalists and mental health experts. Perhaps she will also involve personnel from relevant charities for which she is patron, The Art Room and Place2Be specialize in this area. From the news release:

“The Duchess will be commissioning contributions from a number of leading figures in the mental health sector as well as from young people, parents, and teachers. We look forward to welcoming The Huffington Post team to Kensington Palace next month.”

Below you see Kate delivering a speech in November at a Place2Be event; in her remarks she called for more children’s mental health action.

We will keep you updated on the project’s progress.

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Now we move to our polls on Kate’s coats worn in 2015, starting with our poll on the new styles the Duchess wore. Our first coat was seen in January when Kate was seen out doing some shopping at John Lewis (PopSugar’s photos may be seen here), she was wearing Zara’s Straight Cut Coat, a wool/rayon blend in a color called Dusty Pink.

For a number of January engagements in Kensington Kate wore the Seraphine ‘Natasha’ from the brand’s spring/summer 2015 collection. It is part of Seraphine’s ‘Luxe Line,’ a more upscale collection of garments. The Natasha is a wool/cashmere/poly blend; it has a round neck, empire waistline, faux flap pockets, and large mother-of-pearl buttons. 

At the beginning of February Kate traveled to Portmsouth for events with Ben Ainslie Racing. Her coat that day was by MaxMara, the ‘Villar’ style. The all-wool piece showcased a favorite silhouette for Kate, the fitted bodice flaring into a full skirt. The Villar is double breasted with a hidden front closure, and notched lapels.   

When visiting Emma Bridgewater in February we saw another Max Mara coat, this one the Gerbera from the brand’s Sportmax label.  Crafted from double faced wool, the coat has an oversized collar and lapels, princess seaming and a concealed front closure.

When Kate visited the set of Downton Abbey in March she was in a coat from JoJo Maman Bébé, a label we’ve not previously seen her wear. The Duchess wore the Princess Line Maternity Coat in a creamy white wool/rayon blend. The fitted style is fully lined with a round neckline, button front, pockets and tabs at the cuffs.. 

For a solemn service at St. Paul’s honoring those who served in Afghanistan the Duchess wore a piece from Beulah London.  She opted for the label’s ‘Chiara’ coat in 100% wool, in a trapeze cut with a fitted bodice that flares out from the waist.

St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards brought a new bespoke coat by Catherine Walker. The chestnut brown double wool crepe piece featured a modified portrait collar, box pleats, concealed front closure and button detailing at the cuff.

When at the Rugby World Cup opening ceremonies in mid-September Kate wore a new coat from Reiss, the ‘Emile Sharply Tailored Coat’ in ‘blue passion’ from the f/w 2014 season. A wool/poly blend, the Emile has a stand-up collar, two pockets, a single button closure centered in a single curved lapel.

Kate wore a custom piece from Scottish designer Christopher Kane when in Dundee for a day of engagements with Prince William. The fitted coat was done in a small houndstooth pattern, a vibrant black and blue color mix. The coat also had a hidden/covered placket, small lapels, on-seam pockets and a slim self-belt.

It was a bespoke piece from Alexander McQueen for last November’s Remembrance Sunday.  This was an unusual piece that used patchwork black velvet and black wool for different portions of the coat. The garment also featured double breasted styling, a fitted bodice, notched lapels, padded shoulders, and a buttoned tab at the back waist. (Our post has much more detail on the design, including a look at two coats I believe were ‘merged’ to create Kate’s design.)

Christmas Day we saw another new coat for the Duchess, this one from Max Mara’s SportMax line. The coat has oversized lapels, multiple gores, a fitted bodice with a full skirt, and an asymmetrical front closure

REPEATS:

In March Kate and William attended the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. The Duchess brought back an Alexander McQueen ensemble first seen at Trooping the Colour in 2013 when Kate was expecting George. 

We saw another repeat in March when Kate visited the seaside community of Margate wearing her Dalmatian print mac coat by Hobbs. The piece was first worn in 2013 for the Royal Princess naming ceremony.

Also in March, a visit to the Brookill Children’s Centre, wearing the longtime UFO that was revealed to be a piece from Kate’s private dressmaker.

At the end of March Kate and William had a number of engagements in South London; the Duchess brought back her Mulberry coat in cerise for those events. The piece is a wool/silk blend that features double-breasted styling with horn buttons, front pocket detailing and a rounded collar.  It was first worn in December 2014 when the Duke and Duchess visited New York.

When carrying out November engagements in North Wales the Duchess wore her Angel coat by Reiss again. The distinctive style is another wool/poly blend, with a convertible collar that can be worn up or down, top-stitching on that collar, front pockets, multiple gores, and a hidden front fastening. The 2010 design was first noted at Christmas 2011, and then again in October 2012 for the opening of St. George’s Park.