UK Children’s Mental Health Week, Fashion Flashbacks, & A Poll Do-Over

I am back with a mishmash of topics: The Duchess’s video for Children’s Mental Health Week, some Fashion Flashbacks, and a “do-over” on our coat poll.

The week is organized by Place2Be; Kate is the organization’s patron. This year’s theme is Express Yourself, “finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas, through creativity.” 

More about the week’s history from the site:  “Place2Be launched the first-ever Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015 to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health. Now in its seventh year, we hope to encourage more people than ever to get involved and spread the word.”

Kensington Palace reports the video was shot when the Duchess was out for a run at the family’s country estate, Anmer Hall. Here is the full video; it runs just under one minute.  

Place2Be is a children’s mental health charity offering counseling and mental health support, and training in UK schools.  The charity reports that it worked with 700 schools in England, Scotland, and Wales last year, reaching 380,691 children and young people.  

Many will recognize the Duchess’s jacket, her Barbour Longshore Quilted Padded Jacket (£160, no longer available) first noted when worn during a 2019 visit to Northern Ireland.

I haven’t been able to locate the exact hat the Duchess wears in the video, but my friend Micki found a very close version by Athleta sold at Gap but is no longer available in navy.  

UPDATE FEB 5: With thanks to Bethan Holt at The Telegraph for the tip, it looks like the Duchess may be wearing the Cable Knit Faux Fur Pom Pom Hat ($47.77) by Popski London. It is a blend of wool and acrylic, and the pom-pom is detachable.  

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Now for our two Fashion Flashbacks. We begin with a bright green Eponine London dress worn two years ago Friday for school visits. 

The focus of the visits was Children’s Mental Health Week 2019. 

The Duchess visited Lavender Primary School and Alperton Community School. 

The Duchess spent time with art students. 

Another view. 

Kate’s Eponine London dress was crafted of wool bouclé and featured long sleeves, cut-out pockets with button detailing, topstitching at the neckline and bodice, and a concealed back zipper.

She accessorized with the Marissa boots by LK Bennett, a lace-up style with four eyelets, an almond-shaped toe, and a 3.5″ block heel.

She carried her trusty Bayswater clutch by Mulberry. 

And wore her Kiki McDonough Lauren earrings (£1916).

Our second Flashback is an Alexander McQueen design worn three years ago this past Monday for a black-tie dinner in Oslo during the Sweden/Norway tour.

Below, the Duchess and other royals as they proceed to dinner. King Harald escorted Kate while Prince William was with Queen Sonja.

The Duchess was seated next to King Harald.

Another view during a toast. 

The blush pink gown by Alexander McQueen looked like it was made from lightweight silk. It had a round neckline, sleeveless bodice, and a sheer overlay that transforms into a cape covering the sides and back of the dress, creating a very soft, floaty feel.

The gown was embellished with hand-sewn rhinestones in a floral motif. I think there was also faux-pearl beading, along with a few mother-of-pearl embellishments.

My friend Kelly Lynch pointed out the similarities between Kate’s dress and a McQueen style available at the time at My Theresa.

Kate carried a Jimmy Choo suede clutch adorned with pavé rhinestones on its frame; it is the brand’s Celeste style.

The Duchess’s hair was up, and she wore HM’s Diamond Frame Earrings.

A closer look. 

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Now to the re-do of the poll for your favorite new coat worn by the Duchess in 2020. Unbeknownst to me, in January, the company providing the poll software implemented a new structure requiring payment for the system; because I wasn’t aware of this, votes stopped being counted after just 167 votes.  Now that things are back up and running, I wanted everyone to have a chance to vote for their favorite coat again, with apologies for the hassle factor.  (For today’s re-do, I greatly abbreviated the content seen in the original post.)     

The Roksanda ‘Denton’ Coat was worn in early January when the Duke and Duchess attended church at Sandringham.  It is done in a striking fabric that mixes midnight-blue and orange hues in a midweight wool blend. The Denton features a funnel neck and double-breasted design with distinctive bar-shaped hardware closures in a copper color. It also has lightly padded shoulders, front slit pockets, and a back vent. The fabric is a wool blend described as a “midweight” blend of 65% wool, 30% other, 10% polyamide.

In mid-January, the Duchess debuted a new coat by Alexander McQueen, worn for a day of engagements in Bradford. The structured garment featured a high collar, fitted bodice with multiple darts and flap pockets, exposed seams with topstitching detail, waistband, concealed placket, diagonal besom pockets at the hip, and princess seams on the back of the bodice.

When rolling out her 5 Big Questions survey in late January, the Duchess was in a design by Massimo Dutti, a label appearing more frequently in her wardrobe.  The  Limited Edition Cashmere Wool Camel Coat showcased double-breasted styling with front flap pockets, peak lapels, and a deep back vent for ease of movement.

At another 5 Big Questions event at Stockwell Gardens Nursery & Preschool in London, Kate wore a new design, a petrol blue coat that hit just below the knee with notch lapels and flap pockets. It remains a UFO.

For February engagements in South Wales with Prince William, the Duchess sported a new design by Hobbs. Kate wore a military-inspired coat called the ‘Bianca,’ a blend of 78% wool/22% polyamide in a maxi-length style. The structured design showcased a double-breasted silhouette with distinctive burnished buttons, oversized patch pockets, and shoulder epaulets.

When the Duke and Duchess began their three-day visit to Ireland in early March, Kate wore Catherine Walker.  The bespoke piece with a double-breasted fit and flare silhouette. It also featured a broad collar, a slight flare at the sleeve cuff, and a back vent. 

It was October before we saw the Duchess in another new coat; this one was another Massimo Dutti style. The Handcrafted Checked Wool Coat was made of an 89% wool/11% nylon blend in a small gingham print.  It had a straight cut, notch lapels, front buttons, and large patch pockets.

Kate debuted a rich red Alexander McQueen design for the community launch of the Hold Still photo project in mid-October. Design elements of the double-breasted style included peak lapels, front flap pockets, contrasting black buttons at the cuff, and front closure.  

Our final new look was worn for Remembrance Sunday.  The Duchess chose a military-inspired design by Catherine Walker for the annual service. The fitted piece had a high mandarin collar, angled braided embellishment at the waist, epaulets, flared sleeves at the wrist, and silver buttons.

Now it is time to cast your vote! 

 

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Captain Sir Tom Moore, the extraordinary WWII veteran who raised more than £33 million for NHS charities, died yesterday at the age of 100.  He started his fundraising effort by walking laps in his backyard.

In July at Windsor Castle, he was knighted in the Queen’s first official in-person engagement since the lockdown started in March. While other investitures were put on hold because of the pandemic, this ceremony was specially arranged to take place at Windsor.

The veteran said, “I am absolutely overawed.” Here he is with his medal on that sunny July day.

Prince William described him as a one-man fundraising machine in a BBC Breakfast Club interview. In this clip, you see Captain Tom (at the time) reacting to the praise.   

Captain Sir Tom was being treated for pneumonia and tested positive for the Coronavirus last week. His family shared yesterday’s news on Twitter, and in a statement, Sir Tom’s daughters Hannah Ingram-Moore and Lucy Teixeira said:

“The last year of our father’s life was nothing short of remarkable. He was rejuvenated and experienced things he’d only ever dreamed of…Whilst he’d been in so many hearts for just a short time, he was an incredible father and grandfather, and he will stay alive in our hearts forever.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, “The Queen is sending a private message of condolence to the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Cpt. Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year.  Her thoughts, and those of the Royal Family, are with them, recognizing the inspiration he provided for the whole nation and others across the world.” Tributes large and small have been pouring in since the news broke. Below, Picadilly Circus.

Flowers being placed at his home today.

Flags are being flown at half-mast. 

Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships flew flags at half mast today as a mark of respect to @captaintommoore who passed away yesterday.

Ensigns and Union Flags were lowered to honour the 100-year-old former soldier, inspirational figure and fundraiser. #resurgam pic.twitter.com/a2W8Ok7Vj5

— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) February 3, 2021

And tonight, there was a special clap for Captain Tom.  

People across the nation have joined Boris Johnson in a round of applause to Captain Sir Tom Moore and healthcare workers ? #ClapForCaptainTom

Follow live: https://t.co/mKxzLJTXLt pic.twitter.com/1R7oXELUnn

— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 3, 2021

  We have been living in a time when seeing the good in people has become increasingly important, and Captain Sir Tom exemplified so very much of that good. Here is the BBC’s look at his life.

 

LINKAGE: 

• Learn more about Children’s Mental Health Week at this website; visit the Place2Be Facebook page here; the group’s Instagram page is here