Things We Missed in The Past Week & Madderson London Spring 2017

We have some followups from the last several days’ engagements we want to share, but before we get to that, a new engagement for Kate’s Calendar.

• Wednesday, May 3: The Duchess visits Farms for City Children. The program is an intense, hands-on experience offering urban children the “opportunity to live and work together for a week at a time on a real farm in the heart of the countryside.”

Now to the first ‘thing we missed,’ it involves what Kate wore for her visit to BBC Radio 1 last Thursday with Prince William. As many of you mentioned on Facebook and Twitter and in your comments, it looked like Kate was in something other than skinny jeans. It is tough to see in this photo, but Kate’s definitely wearing trousers or denim with a flare at the hem. You can also just see that her shoes appear to be a point-toe style.

That is quite a shift for the Duchess! Hopefully we’ll see more in the weeks to come.

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Now to update Kate’s ensemble for the marathon. We did receive confirmation from Regatta that the jacket Kate is wearing is the brand’s Softshell Print Perfect Jacket (available at Amazon US for $27.45).  Sarah notes in a comment that she tweeted Heads Together to ask if they will be making jackets for sale to the public; they suggest signing up for their mailing list to be kept up to speed on anything that may be happening.  We also updated info on the top worn beneath the jacket; it looks like the Duchess wore a top by MiH first seen in a Heads Together video.  

(The post itself has been updated with this info, but I know not everyone revisits a post after initially reading it.)

London Marathon organizers announced totals for the race. 39,487 runners crossed the finish line, making this the biggest race in Marathon history. There are several photos that didn’t make it into the post. Some will, but I thought I’d share all of them here because that post is already pretty lengthy. It was sunny enough Sunday that at some points Kate wore her Ray-Ban folding sunglasses.

Two of your average water station volunteers.

Sunday we saw William pointing his air horn at Kate; it turns out she was armed with her own.

One of my favorite things about races, whether running them or watching, is the costumed runners. Heads Together shared these pictures on Twitter. On the left you see the mascot for Well Child, in the center it’s the mascot for Mind, one of the eight primary Heads Together charities (who also looks a little like Olaf from Frozen), and on the right, Save the Rhino.

It was a touchy-feely kind of day.

We’ll leave this portion of the post with one of my favorite photos from Sunday, it was taken by James Whatling, a wonderful photographer.

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Now to our other topic today: We are just tickled to welcome back Madderson London as a sponsor here at WKW. Most readers will recall Kate’s distinctive Madderson London dress, worn when she was expecting Charlotte.

Sara Madderson and Helen Hughes continue as heads of the popular label, creating timeless, sophisticated styles in exclusive fabrics.

This spring’s collection typifies those characteristics. It is inspired by the French Riviera, and it has a distinctly nautical vibe. Below, the Reagan Jacket is worn atop the Rosanna Dress. The waistband on the fitted jacket plays perfectly with the pleated skirt on the dress, made of an elegant French tweed.

Another view.

The color palette for spring is quintessentially nautical, featuring red, white and navy designs. Below, a classic chain link pattern is used for the Josephine Shirtwaist Dress as well as the Lottie Shirt. Both are crafted of silk twill and are versatile pieces that can be dressed up or down.

The textiles used for this collection are just exquisite, with some of the blues evocative of the waters of the Mediterranean.

Those fabrics shine in the Avery Dress shown below left, a new style for Madderson. Its A-line silhouette and patch pockets showcase the French tweed perfectly. On the right, the Savannah midi dress is a stunning variation of the red, white and blue theme.

A closer view shows the detailed weave of the material.

Full disclosure: your trusty scribe has long been a fan of nautical styles (I mean, a *long* time), so I was already predisposed to like this collection. There’s not much more nautical than a classic Breton stripe; we all know how much Kate loves her striped tops. Here is a dress in that pattern, the Katie, made in a thick ponte jersey with two pockets. On the right, the Marisa Tunic. (BTW, look at the green earrings worn by the model on the right; Madderson was ahead of the curve on this style, it is the same Kate Spade pair worn by the Duchess a few weeks ago.)

The Cecily has that fit and flare silhouette the Duchess frequently wears. We show it below left with nautically influenced French tweed at the collar; on the right, the Adeline, in premium Italian jersey with a green, gold and white tweed hem.

The Ophelia brings a lot to the table. Ideal for workwear, it can easily transition to occasions ranging from a cocktail party to the theater. On the left we show it with its jaunty nautical stripe waistband; in the center, with a gold Italian macrame waistband; on the right, in navy with that Italian waistband. One FYI: the navy with gold waistband is only available in sizes 12/14 right now, but it will be fully stocked in late May.

A classic Madderson design returns this spring, the Millie Jacket. The cropped cut and fitted silhouette combine for a crisp, clean look.

You may recognize this next piece; it is the spring version of the Naomi, the dress worn by Kate. On the left it is accented by a jaunty navy stripe; on the right, you see it with white tweed at the hem. One note about the Naomi: the product description notes the dress is about 2.5″ longer than see in the photos.

The Leonie Shell continues to be a mainstay. We show it in navy/ivory, in a blush pink, and also in black.

The luscious prints in the collection are the work of Caroline Taylor, Madderson London’s in-house print designer. More from the brand’s blog:

British flora and fauna are a major source of inspiration for Caroline, having grown up in the rugged Welsh countryside, and is a unifying thread running through her portfolio. Caroline’s botanical prints have featured in several Madderson collections to date, depicting everything from hydrangeas to acanthus and from peonies to dragonflies. 

The green and white cheese plant print is an ideal design for summer months.

A classic blue and white seersucker conjures visions of sunny skies and blue water.

We switch gears a bit to look at styles ideal for special occasions. When Sara and Helen were sending photos of the spring and summer styles, I went a little gaga over this pink. The fabric is a wool crepe, and my guess is that it’s flattering on just about any skin tone. It is perfect for this frock with its seaming details.

It is also used in this terrific coat, seen atop a pink and gold jacquard shift dress. Both pieces would be ideal for a summer wedding or graduation party.

We see the material one more time, as used in the Orla culottes.

There is a lot to love in this collection, so many pieces that would work well in just about any wardrobe. If wondering about the fabulous chapeaux worn in many of the photos, they are by Camilla Rose Millinery, a brand I’d love to see the Duchess try.

Madderson London is offering an outstanding deal for WKW readers: take 10% off with promo code WhatKateWore10. There is also a wonderful shipping update for US shoppers since we last wrote about the brand: they now use DHL for shipping. The rate for Express service (1 – 3 business days) to the United States is $16. (Click here to see all shipping details.) And it’s worth a reminder that Madderson also has a maternity line for any pregnant readers looking for stylish options for work and special occasions.

You can stay up to speed on all Madderson London news by following them on Instagram, as well as Facebook, along with Twitter and Pinterest.