Hello and welcome to a mid-August post. We begin with an addition to Kate’s Calendar:
- Wednesday, August 24: Kate and William have several engagements in Luton, Bedfordshire.
- They will visit Youthscape, a charity working on “innovation in youth work” in a facility “with areas for therapeutic and informal work with young people, and also room to train youth workers and professionals from across the UK.”
- The couple will go to Keech Hospice Care, an organization working with both adults and children facing life-limiting and terminal illnesses. William and Kate will meet families, friends and volunteers, and also attend a reception and unveil a plaque to mark 25 years of the adult hospice.
- The final engagement for the day is at Hayward Tyler, a firm manufacturing motors and pumps. The Duke and Duchess will “present them with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise (International Trade) and open their newly built Centre of Excellence.”
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Now to the latest on the upcoming Canada trip. This weekend there were multiple reports about the tour, including several saying that George and Charlotte will accompany their parents on the trip. Below, a tweet and glimpse of Roya Nikkah’s story in The Sunday Times (subscription req’d.).
Roya Nikkhah/The Sunday Times (@RoyaNikkhah)
From the story:
…royal sources have indicated that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take both children on next month’s 8-day tour.
The source added that if the children go, they would join their parents on “some, but not all” of their engagements.
In her Mail on Sunday story Katie Nicholl cites Canadian sources for her information:
A source said: ‘We are told the children are coming and the itinerary is being co-ordinated accordingly. There will be a heavy focus on nature, the outdoors and at least one private day factored into the trip.
‘We’re hearing hiking, walking and outdoor pursuits will feature while the family is in British Columbia.’ It is also understood that Prince William would like to take George fishing.
It very much sounds like the plan is to have Prince George and Princess Charlotte be part of the tour. My guess is that the unpredictability one encounters with children this young is precisely why Kensington Palace (wisely) is not confirming this element of the plans. You can imagine the disappointment if the Palace announced that George and Charlotte were participating and then one/both became ill, or other circumstances arose precluding their inclusion in the trip. You might have noticed the reference to the tour length of 8 days in Ms. Nikkhah’s story, I believe this is the first time we have heard a definitive duration for the event. It is also the first time I recall seeing Whistler specifically noted as an area the Cambridges will visit (in addition to Vancouver and Yukon). It is an ideal spot, a mountain resort area offering world-class skiing, and where the alpine events for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics were based. But it is equally inviting year-round, with an enormous amount of off-slope activities.
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Also this weekend, as patron of the Anna Freud Centre Kate helped launch a series of podcasts designed to help parents focus on the mental health problems encountered by children and families. From Kate’s statement released in conjunction with the podcast debut:
“Throughout my work with family and child support organisations, one thing that has stood out to me time and again is that getting early support for a child who is struggling to cope is the best possible thing we can do to help our children as they grow up. Knowing this, both William and I feel very strongly that we wouldn’t hesitate to get expert support for George and Charlotte if they need it.
The first episode is focused on childhood anxiety. You can read the entire Freud Centre statement here; the actual podcast is available via the Centre’s Soundcloud feed.
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Today’s final note involves our repliKate pages: we’ve been updating them and wanted to share just a few examples. In the dresses group, our first style is for the Jenny Packham gown worn to the Tusk Conservation Awards in September of 2012. The repliKate is also by Jenny Packham; it is the Gold Sequin Maxi Dress ($265/£199) from the designer’s No. 1 Jenny Packham collection for Debenhams.
©Splash News/Debenhams
Another is a stand-in for the teal Jenny Packham worn to the pre-Olympic gala dinner in 2012, the Coast Lori Lee Lace Maxi Dress in the ‘kingfisher’ color. We show it at John Lewis (£185) and also at Coast (£179). Thank you to Natasha for letting us know about the dress!
©John Lewis/Splash News
In the footwear category we’ve found a number of styles for different shoes Kate wears, including the a repliKate for the Rupert Sanderson Malory, the ‘Carra’ by Ivanka Trump. We show it at Last Call where it is $87.20; the style is also available at 6pm for $80.99 (Zappos discount site).
©Polaris/Last Call
The ‘repliKates’ tab and drop-down menu is at the top of the page below the site header. If you have discovered repliKates you want to share we would love to hear about them, just email Susan@WhatKateWore.com.
Lianne
Friday 19th of August 2016
Make note that the Internet is flooded with Issa blue engagement wrap dress is back with a much more affordable price. Good luck trying to get to their website to check it out :)
Lili
Friday 19th of August 2016
This is actually a capsule collection that Daniella Helayel has created for Monsoon. The dress isn't quite the same -- it's not made of silk jersey, for example -- and doesn't appear to be of the same quality of design. See below:
http://uk.monsoon.co.uk/uk/women/daniella#filtersClosed=false&pageSize=12&sort=newIn&grid=grid&picture=model&productID=9520976112
ari
Thursday 18th of August 2016
She's wearing all of these.
Bonnie
Tuesday 16th of August 2016
I'm glad the children will accompany their parents on the Canadian tour, even though I live in a part of Canada too far away to be present. The initial invitation extended by PM Justin Trudeau included the children. So when the invitation was accepted, I thought there was a very strong possibility that George and Charlotte would come.
Regarding the Jenny Packham dresses: I am wondering why they were photographed on such a dark background. In the first row especially, the dark gowns, against the dark background, with a dark haired model, make it very difficult to see the details in the dresses.
The teal/turquoise Jenny Packham gown worn by Kate in 2012, was probably my all time favourite look on the Duchess. I hope we see her in it again.
Brenda
Tuesday 16th of August 2016
The Jenny Packham dresses are right on the border between chic and dowdy. The ones with embroidered tops and chiffon skirts look like mother of the bride dresses sold at any upscale department store. I am sure that anything Kate wears would be adapted for her, so she wouldn't run the risk of seeing anyone else in her dress. This might be the kind of thing she'd wear to a private Royals dinner.
The bows dress looks a little too rent-a-date for Kate. That would need some significant modification before it would be elegant enough for her. However, it's a direction she could take.
Courtney J.
Tuesday 16th of August 2016
Love and always have loved that Jenny Packham teal gown. It remains one of Kate's best looks (hair and makeup were perfect), and I hope she wears it again. I am kind of surprised she hasn't.
I can see Kate in several of the fall JP dresses that you posted - maybe tweaked to her liking. I think we will see some of those this year.