Kate Wears Smythe and Joseph for SHOUT Volunteer Celebration

The Duchess paired her Smythe blazer with a new pair of Joseph trousers for today’s Shout Crisis Volunteer celebration.

The Duke and Duchess were greeted as they arrived this morning. 

The event was at the Troubadour White City Theatre in London.

Shout is a 24/7 text service for people in crisis. People can text SHOUT (85258) when in need of immediate support, and they’ll be put in touch via text with a Crisis Volunteer. The service is designed to encourage people to reach out for help at an early stage, without fear or shame. It is modeled after the Crisis Text Line in the US, which has been operating since 2013 and has processed more than 100 million messages.

As The Telegraph reports, “The Cambridges announced Shout 85258 in May, saying they wanted to utilise the UK’s “incredible national volunteer community” to link up trained home-based support with people suffering anything from suicidal thoughts to anxiety and loneliness.”

You may remember the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex launched the endeavor in May; it is a legacy project of Heads Together. Below, Meghan and Harry at a Shout event.

Victoria Murphy has more details on volunteer training in this Town and Country story:

Volunteers complete 25 hours of online training and need to commit two to four hours per week. They are supported by clinical supervisors along with an algorithm to help detect if a person is at a greater degree of risk.

Today’s party celebrated those 1500+ volunteers. 

In a news release, Kensington Palace noted that today’s celebration “brings together people from across the UK who volunteer around the clock with Shout to support people in crisis. As volunteers access their shifts from computers in their own homes, this event will be an excellent opportunity for this virtual community to meet and see the scale of the national network they have joined.”

The royals watched a presentation. 

And Prince William also delivered remarks. 

The couple thanked Crisis Volunteers, and William said, “Catherine and I, and Harry and Meghan couldn’t be more proud of what Shout has accomplished… We’re hugely proud and hugely grateful to all of you for being part of this.”

William also said, “The fact that we’ve had to launch Shout shows how much in need the mental health sector is at the minute.”

Research shows that in our digital age, young people are more comfortable texting about issues than having a face-to-face conversation or making a phone call.  

The Duke and Duchess spent time speaking with Ian Russell, the father of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life after viewing graphic images of self-harm and suicide on social media.

More about the Russells from The Telegraph’s story:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have reiterated their unwavering support for the father of Molly Russell, the teenager who took her own life after looking at images of self-harm and suicide on social media sites.

In March, the Duke wrote a “personal, heartfelt” letter to the family to convey his support for their campaign.

Mr Russell welcomed the Cambridges’ support on Tuesday, saying: “Support from all ends helps, support from the Royal Family perhaps particularly helps.”

Richard Palmer shared a video of the pair speaking with Mr. Russell.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meeting Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after viewing graphic material on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/nGwDl0mOra

— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) November 12, 2019

Kate and William also met people who answered their public appeal for volunteers.

More than 13,000 people registered an interest with Shout after that public appeal and 3,000 enrolled in training. 

Shout staff members and supporters also attended the event. 

The Duchess was given a lovely bouquet of flowers by Michaela Conway, who is eight.

What a pretty bouquet! 

I know we’ll probably see the tag on the flowers mentioned in a comment. If curious, it says “Freddie’s Flowers”.

Here is a quick video from Shout about the event.

“We really appreciate all the hard work you’re doing and we’re very proud of you. Thank you” – The Duke of Cambridge to our @GiveUsAShout community today.
Our #volunteers operate 24/7 to support people in crisis, because no one should go through one alone. #Shout85258 pic.twitter.com/mIdvgklj50

— Shout UK (@GiveUsAShout) November 12, 2019

Now for our look at what Kate wore to the Shout celebration. 

The Duchess brought back her Smythe 2-Button Blazer ($795, no longer available). 

The single-breasted design is done in a Prince of Wales check made from a wool/linen/nylon fabric.  It features a contrast collar, oversized leather buttons on the front closure with four buttons at the cuff, large angled pocket flaps, welt pocket, and a back vent. Kate first wore the jacket to a Coach Core event last October.

The Duchess had on a new (at least to us) pair of trousers by Joseph, the Zoom style ($515 originally, no longer available).  

The mid-rise style is a viscose/acetate/elastane blend described as lightweight by the retailer. The trouser has a slim fit, with pockets on the side seam and a back welt pocket, front zipper, and belt loops. Ankle-length in design, the trousers are lined in 100% cotton. Many thanks to Caroline Parr of The Mail Online for this ID.

Kate’s top is unidentified at this point.  Thoughts on today’s look from Bethan Holt, The Telegraph’s fashion news and features director.

The look marked a new step in the duchess’s trouser evolution. Where her previous forays in the past months have been wide culotte styles, the cut of Joseph’s design is slim and cropped with a gentle kick flare and smart creases.

The fashion lesson from the duchess’s latest look? That a carefully curated ‘trouser-drobe’ is an underappreciated essential in a modern style arsenal.

Alex suggests on Twitter the belt is by Zara, the Leather Belt with Buckle style ($35.90), which is a good find.

I am still looking for a shot that will better show the buckle. The Zara buckle is antiqued, and I’m not sure if Kate’s buckle is or not. UPDATE: IN the side by side photos below you can see that the Duchess’s buckle looks shiny, not distressed or antiqued like the Zara buckle. The holes on the Zara belt also appear to have black grommets and I don’t see those on Kate’s. 

A great repliKate, but not the belt worn today, I don’t believe.

We also saw the Gianvito Rossi ‘Piper’ suede pumps ($695) again.

The style is available in limited sizes at Net-a-Porter, in just two or three sizes at My Theresa and in only a size 38 at Gianvito Rossi.

Kate also wore her white gold and diamond Empress earrings (£3000, roughly $3800 at today’s exchange rates) and Pendant Necklace (£2750, about $3500) from Mappin and Webb. 

 

VIDEO:

The Royal Family Channel offers about 3:15 on today’s function.

Here is the May 2019 launch video.

LINKAGE:

• Visit the Shout website here; the charity’s Instagram page is here; its Twitter feed is here
• For those in the US, the Crisis Text Line site is here; the organization’s Facebook page is here; its Twitter feed is here and Instagram page here
• The Daily Mirror did a good background piece on the service in August that you can read by clicking here
• The Telegraph’s coverage of today’s event is here; Victoria Murphy’s Town and Country story is here; a Daily Mail article is here
• Hello’s piece is here; Bethan Holt’s Telegraph fashion column is here;