We have a quick post today. In advance of Kate’s engagement tomorrow it made sense to get this published so tomorrow’s post isn’t of epic length.
Our first item is happy news: the engagement of Princess Eugenie to longtime boyfriend Jack Brooksbank.
Here is one of the formal photos released by Buckingham Palace today.
We’re back with a post covering several topics, starting with an update to Kate’s Calendar for this Wednesday.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Now to the primary topic of our post. Many readers know Catherine Walker was a favorite of Diana, Princess of Wales; she wore hundreds of pieces by the designer.
Embed from Getty Images
The label is also a go-to for the Duchess of Cambridge.
Most recently we saw Kate wearing Catherine Walker for the annual Festival of Remembrance in November.
Two styles very much like designs Kate has worn were part of an exhibit in October celebrating the brand’s 40th anniversary. The private event was held at Spencer House in London; the home belongs to Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer.
Spencer House Facebook Page (click photo to visit page)
The event was a fundraiser for two charities: SSAFA, supporting armed forces members and their families; and Brendoncare, an organization operating multiple nursing homes, and currently building one that would allow couples to be together after a dementia diagnosis.
The display showcased a stunning array of designs worn by some of Catherine Walker’s most notable clientele, as well as styles from the a/w 2017 collection. The pieces chosen for display were curated by Said Cyrus, the label’s co-founder and Head of Design.
Courtesy Catherine Walker & Co. (Click photo to visit the site.)
More from Caroline Leaper’s story in The Telegraph:
For Cyrus, the process of exploring the brand’s 400-piece archive was cathartic. His wife, Catherine Walker, died of cancer in 2010, so exhibiting their life’s work offered a chance to remember the highlights and celebrate their enduring success.
A pencil sketch by Said Cyrus of his late wife.
Catherine Walker Instagram (click photo to visit Instagram feed)
In her People story, Monique Jessen writes about an iconic gown that was part of the exhibit.
One of the outfits, a stunning white lace halter-style evening dress with embroidered pearls, sequins and crystals worn by the princess to a gala in Washington in 1996, is displayed for the first time. Alongside it sits a heartfelt note of praise from the then recently-divorced Diana.
Courtesy Catherine Walker & Co. (click photo to visit website)
A closer look, with thanks to People’s Simon Perry for the photo of the note he shared on Twitter.
A portion of the note reads:
“I was so proud and felt very confident to stride out there and deliver my first speech since the divorce,” the letter reads. “The compliments about your design and expertise would have made your ears burn.”
This gives a better view of some of the detail work on the gown
Courtesy Catherine Walker & Co. (Click photo to visit the site.)
Two designs worn by the Duchess similar to styles made for the Duchess were included in the exhibit. (See update below.)
UPDATED: The pieces shown in the exhibit are not Kate’s garments as I thought. With a big ‘thank you’ to Scarfie1 on Twitter for the input, the two styles seen in the next photo may be showroom samples, or they were created for another purpose, but they are not the specific pieces Kate has worn.
On the left, you see a Melrose coatdress similar to the one worn in Ypres, Belgium this July for events commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele Centenary. On the right, a coatdress very much like that worn in June 2016 for the National Service of Thanksgiving marking the Queen’s 90th birthday.
Courtesy Catherine Walker & Co. (click photo to visit website)
The Melrose is crafted from Venetian wool embellished with hand appliquéd corded lace.
Another view.
The soft blue style has lines similar to the Melrose. 
As noted in our original post, the piece combines elements from multiple Catherine Walker designs. Below left, the Rosa Coatdress; in the center, the Melrose Coatdress, and Kate in the finished design.
Here is a good closeup showing the lace.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the only time any of the Duchess’s clothing has been publicly exhibited, other than her wedding dress in 2011. Again, thank you to Scarfie for pointing out the differences between the styles shown in the exhibit and those made for Kate.
Some of the designs from this fall’s collection that were on display: the Collette flannel coat, the Violeta jacket and matching dress, and the Lilliane suit. For anyone interested in acquiring a Catherine Walker design, the company offers an e-couture service for those unable to visit the studio in person. 
Kate’s coat for the Festival of Remembrance was modeled after another fall design, the ‘Caressa’ jacket.
It looks like it was an outstanding exhibit. This is a label I believe we will continue to see the Duchess wear for years and years.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Our other topic today: the 2018 What Kate Wore calendar, created in partnership with Royal Photographer Mark Stewart (you may know him as Regal Eyes on Twitter). 
This year’s calendar is different from those done in previous years when we focused primarily on recent photographs. When first chatting with Mark about the 2018 calendar he asked what we thought of dedicating each month to a specific year he has been photographing Kate. That sounded like a simply brilliant idea, so Mark commenced going through his archives, all the way back to 2005.
Because he has now been chronicling Kate for 13 years, we combined two years (2005 & 2006) for the month of January (shown above). Below, October showcases pictures from 2015. 
You will see some of Kate’s most iconic looks on the calendar, as well as more recent photos. This is the December page with images from 2017. 
As always, we include our Many Faces of Kate page along with all the info on what Kate wore. 
The calendar measures roughly 11″ by 16″ when open and hanging on your wall. The 2018 version was really a joy to put together because of Mark’s incredible archive of Kate photographs. I knew he had been photographing Kate for years, but didn’t fully realize the breadth of his work. I asked Mark if he realized what Kate’s role would be back in those early years.
When I first photographed Kate in 2005, little did I know that it was the to be start of documenting the fashion evolution of our future Queen.”
The calendar is available in limited quantities here.
LINKAGE:
We are back with a quick update to Kate’s Calendar, and then a look at a topic many of us have wondered about as we have followed the Duchess’s style. First, the engagement added to Kate’s calendar.
Friday, June 16: In her role as Patron of the 1851 Trust, the Duchess will attend the charity’s final Land Rover BAR Roadshow at the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre east of London. Kate will join in an educational treasure hunt with students from four East London schools; the group will also spend time with Sir Ben Ainslie, leading the British effort to win the 2017 Cup.
Qualifying races for the finals have been underway in Bermuda for 10 days. This is the latest from the America’s Cup site:
…the four teams competing in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Semi-Finals; Sir Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR, Dean Barker’s SoftBank Team Japan, Peter Burling’s Emirates Team New Zealand and Nathan Outteridge’s Artemis Racing, are set to resume their battles with each other today.
Sir Ben Ainslie’s team currently trail the Kwis 3-1 in the battle to the first-to-five points needed to progress through to The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs Finals.
