Fashion Flashbacks & Your Favorite New Day Dress of 2020

Hello-Hello, and welcome to another post as we continue with our year-end polls and also share two fashion flashbacks.  In the poll starting today, we are looking at Kate’s new day dresses. For the purposes of the poll, I have not used dresses that we only saw in a Zoom call; we will cover cocktail/dressier designs in a separate poll. 

We begin with the Zara dress worn for a day of engagements in Bradford. 

The brand’s Printed Dress with Belt is midi-length in 100% polyester. Done in an oversized houndstooth print, the piece buttons up the front, has a pleated skirt, v-neck with attached bow, elastic on the inside of the waistband, button cuffs, and wide self-belt.

The next design is also by Zara, seen when Kate and William were in South Wales. 

It is made 0f a viscose/nylon blend. The knit design features a round neck with modified balloon sleeves with an extended cuff.

Kate chose a dress by Alessandra Rich for the couple’s first day in Ireland. 

The Rose-Print Pleated Silk Dress is from the label’s S/S ’20 ready-to-wear line.  The fabric is a print silk crepe de chine, and the dress features a pleated bodice, structured bishop sleeves, and a peplum waist.

Next, a vintage frock that was also worn on the Ireland trip. 

The dress appears to be silk with a ruffled (aka ‘pie crust’ collar) collar and jabot trimmed in black velvet, double-banded cuffs also trimmed in black velvet, a black velvet belt, and gathers at the shoulder and waist.

Our third dress from the Ireland trip is by Suzannah, worn for events in Galway. 

The Valerie Polka Squares dress is 100% silk crepe de chine in a style inspired by a 1940’s design.  It showcases a fitted bodice with a vee-neckline, pleat detailing at the shoulders, bodice, cuffs, with a “slightly higher pitched waist seam, with the skirt being a soft a-line.”

In an April Clap for our Carers video, we saw the Duchess wearing the Ghost ‘Anouk’ dress.  

The dress is 100% viscose in a pattern called ‘Suzie Floral Spray’ in blue. Described as a feminine shirtdress, the garment featured a ruffled collar, cuffs, and hem, fabric-covered buttons, and pleating at the sleeve head.

Kate debuted a new label when helping plant a garden at The Nook Hospice in June. 

She wore the Marie-Louise Midi Dress ($189) by Faithfull the Brand.  It featured a vee-neck and faux front closure with self-covered buttons, a shirred panel to define the waist, puffed sleeves with rows of elastic at the cuff, an invisible back zipper, and a floaty A-line skirt.  The handmade, hand-dyed & hand-printed piece is 100% rayon.

When attending a July tea party at Queen Elizabeth Hospital to celebrate the NHS’s 72nd birthday, the Duchess chose a Beulah London design.

She wore the Shalini Midi Dress, crafted of 100% silk crepe de chine. The fabric was digitally printed in Italy, while the dress itself was constructed in England. It is midi-length with a contrasting white point collar and cuffs, concealed front placket, fitted waist, flared skirt, and self-belt.  

The Duchess was in Emilia Wickstead for a July engagement launching Tiny Happy People with the BBC.

It looked like she wore the Anatola Pleated Polka Dot Shirtdress. The dress is polyester with a touch of elastane for stretch; the lining is also poly.  It features pleats on the roomy bodice and full skirt, buttons under a concealed front placket, a wide point collar, a buckle belt, and long full sleeves with button cuffs. Kate’s dress appeared to have some of the volume removed from the sleeves. 

For a July meeting at Sandringham about the Royal Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund, the Duchess returned to Suzannah.

Some may recall this was a tough dress to ID at the time. It turned out to be Suzannah’s Cotton Shirt Dress in a pattern called ‘Blue Polka,” made of lightweight organic cotton with a semi-fitted bodice, side seam pockets, the coordinating belt, and box pleats providing the volume for the skirt.

In August, the Duchess wore another shirtdress style, this one by Boden.  

The Viola shirtdress is a maxi style with a ditsy floral print. Made of viscose, it has a button front, point collar, tiered skirt, and self-belt.

For September engagements in London, the Duchess chose another style by Beulah London. 

We first saw the piece in a video marking Mental Health Awareness Week in May. The Calla Dress is 100% silk with a cotton collar. Other design elements include a shirtdress silhouette with a concealed front placket, A-line skirt, and slender back tie.

Also in September, a new dress by Gabriela Hearst for an outdoor screening of David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet with Sir David Attenborough and the entire Cambridge family.

It looked like the Duchess was in the label’s ‘Marley’ style, from the designer’s pre-fall 2020 collection. It is 100% cotton with a cotton/silk lining.  The style features a buttoned bodice with concealed placket, adjustable sleeve length with tabs, a self-belt with snaffle closure, and a full skirt accented with mother of pearl snaps on the side.

In October, the Duke and Duchess met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and First Lady Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace. 

The dress was never officially identified, so it is on our UFO list. However, it does bear several design elements similar to Emilia Wickstead pieces Kate has worn.  It is knee-length with a classic fit and flare silhouette, a vee-neck, and a self-belt in a style like other Emilia Wickstead belts. It has darts on the bodice and gathers at the waist like other Wickstead designs.

We wrap up the new day dresses with another Alessandra Rich design seen when the Cambridge family attended a performance at the Palladium in mid-December.

The Petal Print Silk Dress (out of stock) is 100% silk with a multi-tiered ruffle collar, yoke waistband with gathers, button cuffs, and hidden back zipper.

Now it’s time to vote for your favorite.  NOTE 4pm Jan 19: Apparently the poll is not recording votes. I am going to create a new poll and embed it.

UPDATE: Here is the new version of the poll and it appears to be working. Thank you for your patience, and apologies for the confusion! 

Now, our Fashion Flashbacks.  The first was worn four years ago this past Sunday. 

The occasion was a Heads Together event.

The Duchess wore a dress by Erdem called the ‘Evita.’

It was made from matelassé fabric, providing a textured background that adds dimension to the garment. It is a basic sheath silhouette, with a fitted bodice and waist, concealed zipper, and vent at the back hem. Erdem called the print Black Lily Collage, while multiple retailers referred to it as navy.

You get a sense of the fabric texture in this image.

Kate accessorized with her Tod’s Leather Fringe Buckle Pumps.

And her oft-carried Bayswater wallet clutch by Mulberry.

She also wore her Gold Disc Button Earrings by Oscar de la Renta, seen in the lower right corner of the photo below. 

Our other fashion flashback includes a dress you will see in the ‘dressier dresses’ poll for 2020, a design worn one year ago tomorrow.

The dress was by the British label Needle and Thread, a version of its ‘Aurora style. The occasion was a Buckingham Palace reception capping off the UK-Africa Investment Summit.

The upper layer of dress fabric is inspired by vintage lace and done in tulle embellished with sequins, some in a floral motif. (The tulle sits atop a solid layer.) The frock features lace frills at the collar and shoulders, sheer sleeves, a defined waist, and a back zipper.

Kate repeated her ‘Casa’ clutch by Jenny Packham and Gianvito Rossi suede pumps ($695). 

The Duchess wore a new pair of earrings by Soru similar to the pair seen below, the Ruby Earrings in Gold ($186), minus the wide border of crystals.