Fashion Flashbacks of the Red and Green Variety & A Royal Train Tour Poll

Hello-Hello, and welcome to a post covering three festive looks previously sported by the Duchess, and a quick poll. We begin with a design worn four years ago this past Saturday to an annual Heads Together meeting and Christmas party with Princes William and Harry.   

The red and green print dress was by a designer new to Kate’s working wardrobe, Vanessa Seward. 

During the meeting, the Duchess took part in a live online chat about volunteers and counseling.

After the meeting ended, there was a party with staff, volunteers, and those supported by youth services charity The Mix.  

Kate working on some decorations at the party.

Meeting staff and volunteers. 

More decoration work. 

The Duchess was in the ‘Cai’ dress by Vanessa Seward, who launched her eponymous brand in 2014. It was described as having “a flowing draped design.”

The piece featured full sleeves, a button front with black enamel buttons, on-seam side pockets, and a self-belt the Duchess elected not to use. 

The Duchess accessorized with her Gianvito Rossi Black Suede Pumps ($486) and trusty ‘Bayswater’ Clutch by Mulberry.

She also wore what appears to be a suede version of the Alexander McQueen ‘Glossed Leather’ Belt, and her Annoushka Pearl Drops with Kiki McDonough hoops. UPDATED DEC 22: With thanks to Melissa for her comment, the earrings worn by Kate were actually the Catherine Zoraida Fern Hoops, *not* the Kiki/Annoushka set mentioned above. They are shown below when worn to another engagement.

Our next look is from mid-December 2018 when the Duchess wore a dress by LK Bennett for multiple engagements with Prince William in London. 

The first engagement was at Evelina Children’s Hospital. This is the day it was announced that Kate was the new royal patron of the hospital. 

The Duke and Duchess both worked on making Christmas cards with the children.

I remember really liking this photo because of the little girl’s face and her fierce concentration.

After the crafting, it appeared Kate made a new friend.

Kate delivered remarks at the event.

The hospital was also launching its 150th-anniversary commemorations in December 2018. Below you see the Duchess with 4-year-old (at the time) Cruz Brown as they unveiled a new banner at the hospital, officially marking the 150th-anniversary celebration.

The Duke and Duchess then left the hospital.

And headed to their next stop at The Passage, an organization that “…provides resources which encourage, inspire and challenge homeless people to make lasting and long-term changes to their lives.”

This was the first time the Duchess had been to the charity; that is not the case for the Duke. He first visited when he was 12, accompanied by 10-year-old Prince Harry. They were taken on the visit by their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.  

The couple took part in a roundtable discussion while at The Passage in 2018.

They met volunteers and staff, along with people receiving assistance via the charity’s resources.

And they took part in an arts and crafts workshop.

The project? Making bracelets.

Now for our look at what Kate wore.

She was in LK Bennett’s ‘Mortimer’ dress. The piece was 100% silk with princess seaming, a bow at the neck, flared skirt, gathers at the shoulder seam and cuffs, and faux pearl buttons down the front and at the cuff.   
It looks like the Duchess wore her Gianvito Rossi olive pumps ($486 at Matches Fashion and $695 at Farfetch), and she carried the ‘Dora’ clutch ($250, no longer available in this color), another LK Bennett piece.

She had on familiar earrings. 

Her Annoushka Pearl Drops and Kiki McDonough hoops.

Our final look is a repeat the Duchess wore for a December 2015 Christmas party.

The event was at the Anna Freud Centre in London. There were lots of activities at the party; one of them involved making paper hand cutouts.

The paper hands were part of a collage being made for a wall display at the center.  

The party also included a group rendition of Queen’s We Will Rock You, with Kate playing along on a Djembe drum.

When it was time to leave, one young man wanted to give the Duchess a hug.

Now for our look at what the Duchess wore to the party, a piece familiar to many, a repeated dress by Alexander McQueen.  

The vibrant red dress was first worn to the Jubilee River Pageant in June 2012 (below right), and then again for a dramatic arts event at Buckingham Palace in February 2014 (below center).

It is a custom version of this style by Alexander McQueen; the addition of long sleeves and a bateau neckline were the primary changes to the original design.

Kate accessorized with two oft-used accessories: her ‘Power’ pumps from Stuart Weitzman and ‘Bayswater’ Clutch by Mulberry.

The Duchess wore her Kiki McDonough ‘Lauren’ earrings (£1916, roughly $2500 at today’s exchange rates).

Three festive occasions and three seasonal looks from the Duchess. 

Do you have a favorite? 

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Our other topic today, a quick poll on all the looks worn for the Royal Train trip last week. 

Our first look was when the couple departed London on December 6, an Alexander McQueen coat accessorized by the Grace Han Love Letter Top-Handled Bag, Ralph Lauren Collection suede boots, ‘Alice’ merino wool gloves by Cornelia James, Maple Leaf Tartan scarf, Amaia Kids mask, and Simone Rocha Faux Pearl Curb-Chain Earrings.

The next day started with the blue Catherine Walker coat first worn in February 2018 during the Norway tour, when the Duchess was expecting Prince Louis.  Kate carried a new bag, the Multrees Chain Wallet style ($355) by Strathberry. She wore her Ralph Lauren Collection boots (changing later to her Half ‘n Half pair by Stuart Weitzman), along with an Amaia Kids mask, a pair of UFO gloves, and her sapphire and diamond drop earrings.

Later that day, Kate switched to her ‘Bianca’ coat by Hobbs London, an off-white sweater, her Jigsaw trousers, another Amaia Kids mask, her Emmy ‘Josie’ pumps, a new Métier London ‘Roma’ bag, and Simone Rocha Faux Pearl Curb-Chain Earrings.

Monday night brought another ensemble, this one repeating the Hobbs ‘Bianca’ coat, along with a new Brora Sweater, another Amaia Kids mask, UFO gloves, and the Simone Rocha Faux Pearl Curb-Chain Earrings.

Tuesday started with the repeat of an Alexander McQueen coat, an Emilia Wickstead tartan skirt first noted at a 2018 Kensington Palace Christmas party, matching tartan scarf, unidentified black turtleneck, the Grace Han Love Letter Top-Handled Bag, masks by both Amaia Kids and Emilia Wickstead, and her Spells of Love ‘Alia’ earrings. 

For the final event associated with the train mini-tour, a family gathering at Windsor Castle, the Duchess brought back a Catherine Walker coat updated with a  Faux Fur Lapel Collar by Troy London. The Duchess also had on her Ralph Lauren Collection suede boots, her ‘Alice’ merino wool gloves by Cornelia James, another Amaia Kids mask, and the Queen’s Diamond Frame Earrings. She carried an Alexander McQueen black velvet box clutch. 

Now it is time to vote for your favorite overall look. 

 

I am sending good wishes to everyone dealing with the run-up to Christmas, and all continuing to cope with the pandemic.  I’ll have one more post this week that will hopefully brighten the day.