All of Kate’s Wimbledon Looks and a Book Giveaway!

Hello, and welcome to a post on the Duchess’s Wimbledon style over the years and a book giveaway.

We start with the Wimbledon looks. When putting together a separate post, I realized most of the Fashion Flashbacks from last week and this week were from the same place: Wimbledon. While I covered them just a few years ago, it seemed a good idea to take another look.

We begin in 2011 with Kate and William’s first appearance at Wimbledon when they watched a match between Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet. The Duchess wore the Moraiah dress by Temperley London, with a fitted, structured bodice, hand-embroidered straps with rows of half-circles, and a tiered skirt with three layers of ‘floaty ruffles.’

When watching Roger Federer in 2012, the Duchess repeated a sailor-style dress from Alexander McQueen. The cable knit dress had a dropped waist, vee-neck with a self-tying scarf, and navy tipping accents at the hem, collar, and cuffs. It was first worn in Charlottetown during the 2011 North America tour.

Kate was joined by her sister Pippa for another 2012 match, this one with Andy Murray facing Roger Federer. The Duchess repeated the sleeveless ‘Vanessa’ dress by Joseph that featured grosgrain ribbon at the gathered waist, a scoop neck, and serged edges at the neckline and arm openings. She repeated a jacket that was also by Joseph, the brand’s Nessie style in white cotton with decorative pockets and buttons; it was first seen at the Epsom Derby in 2011.

After missing Wimbledon in 2013, when expecting Prince George, Kate returned for the Gentlemen’s Quarter Final match in 2014 repeating the ‘Roamer Day Dress’ by Zimmerman we first saw during the 2014 Australia tour. The broderie anglaise dress showcased a floral motif, with a fitted waist and sleeves, full skirt, and insert trim at the waist, sleeves and hem.   

Kate also attended the Gentlemen’s Finals in 2014. She brought back the ‘Evelyn’ dress by Jonathan Saunders, another tour repeat, this one worn during the 2012 Jubilee Tour. It featured a structured design in a geometric print with short sleeves and self-belt.

The Duchess chose a piece by LK Bennett for a Gentlemen’s Singles match in 2015, the retailer’s ‘Cayla’ long dress in ‘cardinal red.’  Another fit and flare style, the Cayla hit well below the knee, with elbow-length sleeves and hidden zipper.

When watching Serena Williams take on Elena Vesnina in 2016, Kate brought back another tour design, the Roksanda Ilincic’ Ryedale’ dress in wool crepe. The colorblocked dress had a square neckline, inset fabric panels, and elbow-length sleeves. It was initially worn in Sydney, Australia, during the 2014 tour.

Also in 2016, the Duchess returned to Centre Court for the Gentlemen’s Final match. On that occasion, Kate sported an Alexander McQueen design in the brand’s ‘Obsessions Talisman’ print, described as having “…soft shoulders and military lines…that are a nod to the 40s silhouette.” In addition to the placed print, the dress also had an A-line silhouette, a jewel neckline, a fitted waist, and a hidden zipper.

In 2017 the Duchess wore Dolce and Gabbana to watch the opening round of Gentlemen’s Singles play. The polka-dot silk dress featured a fitted bodice with a full skirt, three-quarter sleeves, a scoop neckline, and a concealed zipper.

When it was time for the 2017 Gentlemen’s Singles final, Kate wore a Catherine Walker design. The white frock was a classic fit and flare design with the Fleurs Sauvages, or “Wildflowers” pattern, covering the skirt.

For Kate’s first Wimbledon visit in 2018, she was in Jenny Packham. The cream and black print dress featured distinctive ruching at the shoulder and hip in a print that resembled tennis balls.   

When watching the 2018 Gentlemen’s Finals match, Kate wore a vibrant yellow dress from Dolce and Gabbana. The knee-length design also had a fitted bodice, round neck, and ruffled sleeves.

Last year the Duchess was in a Suzannah dress for her first Wimbledon engagement of the year.  Made of Italian silk crepe, the Flippy Wiggle Dress has pintucks at the front yoke and waist, half-sleeves with a button cuff and contrasting silk covered buttons.

For the 2019 Women’s Finals, the Duchess was joined by the Duchess of Sussex and Pippa Matthews.  Kate repeated a Dolce and Gabbana dress first worn during the September 2016 Canada tour. The piece was crafted of a stretch crepe fabric made of a viscose/acetate/elastane blend. Design elements include a fitted bodice, flared skirt, a ruffle at the upper shoulder seam, goldtone buttons and concealed back zipper.

At her last Wimbledon match of the year, the Gentlemen’s Finals, the Duchess was in Emilia Wickstead. The custom version of the brand’s ‘Jordin Dress’ featured a classic fit and flare design, one of Kate’s favorite silhouettes. It also included a fitted bodice with a squared neckline, twisted strap detail, a midi-length hem, and a full, pleated skirt.

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Our final item involves a new book from our friends Jessica and Heather, aka “The Fug Girls.” Many readers are familiar with the duo, renowned for their witty fashion critiques. They write brilliantly about celebrity fashion and continue their can’t-miss royal style coverage. (I don’t consider it a complete week unless I’ve made time for the weekly Royals Roundup.)  Some may remember the Fug Girls wrote an insanely popular book back in 2015, The Royal We, the tale of American Bex Porter and Nick, the British prince she met and married.

It was a terrific read, so I was excited when the Fug Girls announced there would be a sequel. There is, and it was published this week: The Heir Affair is now available in all formats ($25.20 hardcover, $12.99 for the Kindle edition, the Nook version, and also for the iBooks edition.)   

Here is a bit of background about the new book from Grand Central Publishing: 

“Making it up the aisle was the easy part: Rebecca “Bex” Porter must survive her own scandals and adjust to royal British life in this “highly anticipated” follow-up to The Royal We, a “fun and dishy” bestseller (People).

After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca “Bex” Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends and family, and escaping the world’s judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance.

I think Heather and Jessica are clairvoyant; this was written well before recent events! If missing your book group during lockdown this may be of appeal: Grand Central Publishing is doing a special read-along on Facebook. 

I’m excited to be giving away a copy of The Heir Affair! To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment telling us your favorite Kate look. It doesn’t matter what it is – it can be formal, casual, anything and everything in-between. (It does not have to be one of the Wimbledon looks.) There are no right or wrong answers; the only rule is to have fun! Just tell us your favorite look worn by the Duchess! Entries close at midnight EDT Sunday, the 19th and we’ll need an accurate email address to get in touch; we’ll pick a winner Monday morning.