It’s Kate Spade as Duchess Visits Foundling Museum

The Duchess wore a new dress from Kate Spade for today’s visit to The Foundling Museum.

The Mirror’s Victoria Murphy shared a video of Kate arriving and making a brief comment about yesterday’s news.

VIDEO: Kate on Harry and Meghan’s wedding #RoyalEngagment pic.twitter.com/VBbqzZ8NGD

— Victoria Murphy (@QueenVicMirror) November 28, 2017

The Museum focuses on London’s Foundling Hospital.

More about the Hospital from the Museum’s website:

‘Foundling’ is an historic term applied to children, usually babies, that have been abandoned by parents and discovered and cared for by others. Abandoned children were not unusual in the eighteenth century when the Foundling Hospital was established.

Mothers unable to care for their children as a result of poverty or illegitimacy had few options, leading to some abandoning their babies on doorsteps, outside churches and even on rubbish heaps.

When mothers left their children at the hospital they also left “tokens”; more about those from a Slate article.

…mothers would deposit something small, but unique, with the hospital to serve as an identifier in the event parents returned to reclaim their children. These “tokens”—scraps of fabric, small metal objects, or bits of jewelry—were sealed in the child’s official record as proof of the parental connection, even as the babies themselves were renamed and vanished into the institution.

Kate looking at some of the tokens on display (r) and a few of the tokens (l).

A closer look.

The Foundling Hospital also housed London’s first public art gallery.

More from Bianca London’s story in The Daily Mail:

…she learned more about the museum’s history and the way it continues to focus on its founding principles to use art and creativity as a means to support and engage children and vulnerable families.

The Foundling Hospital still provides services to children through the Coram charity, named after Thomas Coram, the Hospital’s founder. Here you see Kate with children from the Thomas Coram nursery adjacent to the Museum.

The children showed the Duchess some of the lanterns they were making.

Kate also worked on crafts with the children.

And from Simon Perry’s People piece:

The royal mom was at the museum to learn more about the way it uses art and creativity as a means to support and engage children and vulnerable families.

Kate, 35, who has supported art therapy for the role it plays in some of the charities she backs, met families and children — including preschoolers — who have benefited from the museum’s education and outreach programs.

As always, Kate enjoyed her time with the little ones.

Here you see the Duchess with students visiting the Museum from Argyle Primary School.

Now to what Kate wore for today’s engagement. She was in a dress by Kate Spade.

Here you see the piece in another colorway. It features a full, pleated skirt; placed print, faux pearl buttons on the bodice and cuffs, and a gathered back yoke. My guess is the fabric is 100% polyester, or a poly blend.

A closer view of the print and the back.

The Daily Mirror reports the dress will be available in at least one London store on Monday: “The Covent Garden store revealed the ensemble is from their new December collection as part of their Defender range, which will be available on Monday.” Thanks to Michelle of Perth’s Fashion, Kate’s Closet, Carly of Kate Middleton Style and Middleton Maven for their ID skills on this one. UPDATE 7pm Nov 28: With thanks to Sarah on Twitter for the info, Kate’s dress will be available on the Kate Spade website this Friday, the 1st.

Other pieces in the pattern that are now available include a pleated skirt ($209); an open front jacket ($348); a pair of trousers ($139); and a Peplum Sweater ($160). All are shown at Bloomies.  

On the Kate Spade UK site there are other styles in the design: a long-sleeved blouse (£195, roughly $260); an oblong scarf (£80, about $110); and a sleeveless dress (£318, about $425 at today’s exchange rates).  We first saw the Duchess in a Kate Spade dress for World Mental Health Day in October 2016.

Kate wore her burgundy Gianvito Rossi pumps ($675) in burgundy (the official color name is actually ‘royale’). 

She carried her Bayswater wallet clutch by Mulberry.

The Duchess wore her sapphire and diamond earrings.

Kate as she was leaving the Museum.

LINKAGE:

• Learn more about the Museum by visiting its website here or the organization’s Facebook page here; the Museum’s Twitter page is here; the Slate article on the tokens may be read here
• The Daily Mail’s story is here; The Evening Standard‘s article is here; The Mirror’s news story is here; The Express piece is here, and The Sun’s story is here
• Simon Perry’s piece for People is here; The Mirror’s fashion piece is here; the Hello! story is here
• PopSugar’s photo gallery is here; Just Jared’s photo gallery is here; the Fug Girls slideshow and commentary is here