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It’s Alexander McQueen & Jane Taylor for Prince Louis’s Christening

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The Duchess wore Alexander McQueen for the christening of Prince Louis this afternoon.

The ceremony was held at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace.

Here you see the royal family arriving in a video from Kensington Palace.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, did the christening. He also christened Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Below, the Duchess chatting with the Archbishop.

The guest of honor was very relaxed, he appeared to be sleeping throughout most of the afternoon.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall; her dress was by Fiona Clare and hat from Lock and Company.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Meghan is wearing a Ralph Lauren dress and hat by Stephen Jones.

Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton. Michelle of Perth’s Fashion noted Carole Middleton appeared to be wearing this Suzannah dress.

And Kate’s sister, Pippa Matthews, with husband James Matthews.

Middleton Maven reports that Pippa was wearing Alessandra Rich.

Today’s order of service.

Earlier today Prince Louis’s godparents were announced. Here is a video Rebecca English tweeted of the godparents arriving for the service.

More on the six godparents chosen by William and Kate:

  • Hannah Carter, née Gillingham, is a longtime friend of Kate’s, attending Marlborough College with the Duchess.
  • Lucy Middleton is Kate’s cousin, Michael Middleton’s niece.
  • Lady Laura Meade is a family friend; she is also married to James Meade, who is one of Princess Charlotte’s godparents. Below you see the couple at Pippa Middleton’s wedding last May.

Here you see Lady Laura arriving at the Chapel Royal today with James Middleton.

  • Nicholas Van Cutsem has known William since they were children; he is one of four Van Cutsem brothers close to both William and Harry. You may remember his niece, Grace, famously covering her ears at Kate and William’s wedding. Prince William is godfather to Grace. Grace’s cousin, Florence, was a bridesmaid at Meghan and Harry’s wedding.

  • Guy Pelly is a well-known nightclub owner and has been friends with William, Harry, and Kate for a long time. The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex both attended Mr. Pelly’s wedding in Memphis in 2014.
  • Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and the Duke of Cambridge have been friends since they were young. His January 2011 marriage to Louise Stourton was the first wedding attended by William and Kate after their engagement was announced. He was one of the ushers at Kate and William’s wedding.

Neither the Queen nor Prince Philip attended; we have more from the BBC:

…the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh did not  attend, with the decision made “some time ago” and not on health grounds, Buckingham Palace said.

The Queen, 92, was travelling back from Norfolk on Monday and has a busy week ahead, with celebrations marking the centenary of the RAF on Tuesday and US President Donald Trump’s visit to Windsor on Friday.

Another view of the Duchess today.

And Prince William with Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

We do not have loads of great photos showing Kate’s dress in detail. Here is another look at Kate’s ensemble, although it is really tough to see the dress.

From Vogue’s story:

Middleton’s latest outfit was modern and elegant—perhaps her most directional McQueen moment yet. The dress featured a peaked demi-leg-o-mutton sleeve, a nod to Elizabethan tradition, and worked well with a plunging v-neckline.

Kate accessorized with a new piece by Jane Taylor that appears more like a headband than a hat. The ivory straw is accented by a variety of silk flowers, pearl beads, and other embellishments.

Thoughts on the headwear from the Daily Telegraph’s style writer, Olivia Buxton Smith.

Rather than don a classic circular fascinator, her hat-cum-headband, served as a nod towards the current trend in fashion for Alice bands, which has trickled down from the spring/summer 2018 catwalks and triggered a revival in the traditionally Sloaney accessory.

Whether intentionally or not, the Duchess has put a modern spin on an otherwise classic combination.

NOTE: The headband was originally IDed as a Jane Taylor piece and then I changed that to a Juliette Botterill piece, which was wrong. It is by Jane Taylor.

The Duchess also had on a new pair of earrings, a pearl (or faux) cluster style. It looks like she was wearing the Cavolfiore Pearl Studs by Cassandra Goad (from £4360).  

The design is inspired by the clusters seen in cauliflower, with the pearls set in 18ct yellow gold. Many thanks to Samantha Salazar for her outstanding identification of the earrings.

We have seen Kate’s heels before. They are the Romy style in nude patent leather from royal favorite Jimmy Choo. The shoe is a classic point-toe style in nude patent leather, its heel is 4″. The style is available at Nordstrom, as well as at Jimmy Choo and at Bergdorf; the style is $650 at all three retailers.  

As expected, Kate stayed with Alexander McQueen and Jane Taylor, making it a trifecta for ensembles chosen for all three christenings. Below, you see the Duchess in October of 2013 for Prince George’s christening, again in July 2015 for Princess Charlotte’s christening, and then today for Prince Louis’s christening. 

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A quick note about tomorrow: the Royal Air Force Centenary events get underway with a service at Westminster Abbey. While Kate is not attending, some may be interested in the ceremonies and flyby. (This may well be the largest flyby since the Queen’s coronation in 1953.)

And the timings.

Here is the schedule for all of the day’s events.

  • 10:30 am (5:30 am ET) Westminster Abbey service
  • 11:25 am (6:25 am ET) Parade on the Mall
  • 1:00 pm (8 am ET)
  • There will be live coverage on BBC One from 9:30 am to 1:20 pm BST

 

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Emily

Thursday 12th of July 2018

I am loathe to complain, but it seems that the What Meghan Wore site covers events that Kates at more thoroughly than this one now. Its better laid out, more pictures, neat montage of clothing that was worn at the end, lots of history and previous photos etc. Its a pity that WKW is seemingly playing second fiddle to WMW?

SaraF

Friday 13th of July 2018

I've only been to WMW once and it was a while ago so I can't really speak to the differences between the two sites. But I do want to say to Susan that this site is wonderful and pretty much perfect the way it is. Please don't feel pressured to change your format.

Enny

Wednesday 11th of July 2018

I think it's very disrespectful to still call her Middleton. She's been married for so long now and her proper names is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. It's not like the newspapers write about Terry Brazier who currently lives at Number 10.

JR

Tuesday 10th of July 2018

Reading through dozens of comments (as far as I could before my eyes glazed over), I was reminded of a comment after Kate and William's engagement (I don't think it was in the engagement interview, but can't remember where), when she expressed an interest in being more than a fashion plate - am I dreaming that? No idea.

At any rate, it should be abundantly clear to anyone still following the DoC that she is a sentimental, romantic dresser. However clean-lined her clothes are, there is no question that this is her fashion personality. Three McQueen coat dresses that are strikingly similar, in three different shades, worn through several years, should scream to all who gaze upon her, that she is not going to ever be running with the fashionistas. Even when she's branched out (to the horrified gasps of the comments section), it's been a romantic, sentimental look, and very often one that is telling a story.

Commenters can repeat over and over, "she's so beautiful, I just love her, etc. etc. etc....BUT", and it makes no difference - she is not a doll. She's a human being with a personality, and a lot of responsibility that extends far beyond fashion. These websites were set up by others, not by her, and not at her request - she isn't the one soliciting feedback, we're choosing to do that all on our own.

ElizaMo expressed surprise at how many disliked the olive color (worn by the DoS) and gave some fine examples of why she enjoyed that color so much for summer - but it's a simple explanation: despite great examples, it just isn't the preference for some/many people. I really wish we could accept that personality plays a huge part in fashion choices, and put to rest the "wishing" that Kate, or Meghan, or anyone else, would "wear something else/better/younger/etc.". Kate's choices actually are a window into who she is, and I so enjoy seeing this happy woman building her family with William, enormously focused on tradition, family solidarity, fun, and England. She's an outstanding ambassador, and I'll say it again - she conveys the idea that she'd be a great friend to have. That is a great image to project, and I hope she continues in that image going forward.

Others can fill the fashion plate role, starting with Meghan, and I am having great fun watching her love affair with fashion, but I love that Kate hasn't gone that route. That isn't a knock on Meghan at all, because fashion is great fun, and Meghan is clearly having a joyful time in married life thus far. But I hope very much that Kate resists the urge to be who she is not, and stays true to what she enjoys - in fashion and beyond.

And yes, I thought she looked just wonderful today.

Amy

Monday 16th of July 2018

Brilliant comment! Thank you!

Allison

Thursday 12th of July 2018

I love the idea that her choices are a window into who she is. Thank you for the lovely comment!

Gwen P

Wednesday 11th of July 2018

Absolutely wonderful comment! Good insight and spot-on.

Brenda JM

Tuesday 10th of July 2018

I'd never head of the leg-o-mutton sleeve so I looked it up. Here's some interesting history on it: http://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/8295/a-brief-history-of-the-leg-of-mutton-sleeve.

I'm in the pro-headband camp. My grandma didn't wear stuff like this so it just looked pretty and elegant to me.

Faith

Tuesday 10th of July 2018

Without a full view of this dress, I hesitate to form an opinion. Obviously, not an unexpected design. I'm not a fan of the childish puffed shoulders but do appreciate the deep V neckline. In the limited video, the back of the skirt does move gracefully with its owner.

For me, the star of the ensemble is the unexpectedly delightful headband topper. So nice to see Kate try something different, and what a piece of art it is! I think weddings and christenings are the perfect occasions to pull out all the stops and embrace opulent romanticism. I do wonder if she was charmed by Princess Madeleine's lovely floral halo and decided to sport a version of her own. Whatever the inspiration, I'm a fan. I will say that this is not her best updo as it is functional rather than pretty and, perhaps, less people might find the hat frumpy and old if she had her hair in a younger more attractive style. For me, the culprit is the hair not the hat.

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