It’s a New Label for Kate at the Chelsea Flower Show

The Duchess was in a new dress by a new designer for today’s visit to the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show.

Kate was wearing a silk frock by French fashion house Rochas.

The Queen also attended the show today; it is said to be one of her favorite spring events.

More from Simon Perry’s People story:

It has become one of the world’s greatest showcases for horticultural excellence, attracting visitors and exhibitors from across the world and is held on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London — growing from around 240 exhibitors when it started in 1913 to more than 500 today.

Other royals attending the show today included Prince Philip and the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were also there.

Sir Timothy Laurence is on the right in this photo of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission display.

HM has been the royal patron of the Horticultural Society since 1952.

Below, the Duchess admiring the David Austen Rose exhibit where she saw the ‘William and Catherine Rose’ named for William and Kate’s royal wedding.  And from The Express:

 The Duchess of Cambridge took her time to speak with designers at the event and looked through the gardens and designs on show.

Many of the royals spent time with Mary Berry, former host of the Great British Bake-Off.

From an Express story:

While Ms Berry and the Queen shared their delight over the impressive blooms on display, the two also share a love of baking.

The monarch is known to be an enthusiastic home baker, who’s favourite recipes have been published in a new cookbook.

Kate with BBC Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans, who gave the Duchess a tomato to taste.  

The Express has more:

However, he then dropped it on the decking, but the royal still picked it up and ate it. Afterwards she told the Radio 2 DJ: “It’s delicious and sweet.”

It looked like the perfect spring afternoon to be at the show.

As we mentioned, the Duchess wore a dress by Rochas.

The frock is midi length, crafted of silk crêpe de chine in an emerald and ivory floral print. It features a fitted waist and flared skirt, side slit pockets, exposed back zipper, and silk lining.

In this montage, you can see the exposed zipper on the upper right, as well as the self-belt. I thought Kate’s belt was sitting a little high, but in comparing it to the product photos, it seems to hit at about the same place.

The Duchess’s dress was part of the 2016 pre-fall collection. From Vogue’s review of the collection.

The couture-like touch for which the brand is known was in evidence in the use of sumptuous, rich fabrics, yet it was stripped of any retro flavor. Tailoring was of impeccable atelier standards; embellishments, a signature of the house, were used sparingly.

The dress originally sold for $2666, but most recently was on sale at Luisa via Roma for $1845, and even less at The Outnet (Net-a-Porter’s off-price outlet), where it was $975. Our thanks to Japanese Ginger on Twitter for her speedy ID of the dress.

The dress was available in a different cut, and the same print was used in different fabrics in a variety of styles.

The company was founded by Marcel Rochas in 1925 with “simplicity and youth” as its motto; Alessandro Dell’Acqua is the brand’s creative director, overseeing the company’s devotion to well-tailored feminine designs that are often a little offbeat.

This is Kate’s second visit to the show; last year she re-wore a Catherine Walker coat. That piece was initially seen at engagements in Canberra during the 2014 royal tour.

The Duchess wore her Monica Vinader Siren Earrings in green onyx ($195).

And her trusty Fern heels by LK Bennett. The shoe is available in very limited sizing on the US website ($345); in mixed sizes on the UK website (£195).

UPDATE May 23: Marta, a lovely WKWer sent me a message saying she believes Kate was wearing LK Bennett’s Floret style, not the Fern. The Floret’s heel is 3″, while the Fern is 4″, so there is a significant difference. She owns both pairs and is familiar with both styles. I have not been able to find any photos with a good shot of Kate’s feet, so it’s tough for me to render an opinion; I will keep looking for a better picture.

Kate’s hair was in a ponytail.

For those curious about what Sophie was wearing, Anna of the HRH Countess of Wessex blog says her dress is by Valentino, a piece the Countess has worn once before today’s engagement. Anna adds that Queen Rania also owns this dress. (You can still see the original product listing at Selfridges.)

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Also today, the beginning of Children’s Hospice week in the UK.

A new video with Kate has been released in tandem with the campaign.

The video was recorded in January when Kate visited the EACH hospice in Quidenham, Norfolk. It includes footage of Kate with Isabella Benton, who has daily seizures.   

From a Daily Mirror story about the video:

In the video message, filmed to mark the Together for Short Lives’ Children’s Hospice Week campaign, Kate says: “For any parent, being told that your child may have a life-limiting condition, or may die young, will be one of the most difficult and isolating experiences you can face.

“Having someone to help you come to terms with this news, and the professional support and care that comes with this, can make an enormous difference. It can help families make the most of every precious moment they have together.”

The video features Ed Sheeran’s song, “Lego House.” The singer is an ambassador for EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices); Kate is royal patron of the organization.

Here is the video in full.

LINKAGE:

• Visit the Royal Chelsea Flower Show website here; the Facebook page is here and Twitter feed here
• Learn more about UK Children’s Hospice Week here; the Together for Short Lives website is here; the organization’s Twitter feed is here
• Visit the EACH website here, follow EACH on Facebook here, or here on Twitter
• If interested in the children’s hospice movement in the United States, this link takes you to the Children’s Hospice of America Foundation website
• Trisha at A Petite Princess will be featuring posts on the topic all week.
• Today’s Daily Mail story on the Chelsea Flower Show is here; The Mirror’s story is here; The Express story about the Queen and Mary Berry is here; The Express story about Kate attending the show is here
• Simon Perry’s story for People is here; The Telegraph’s photo gallery is here; the Fug Girls‘ gallery is here