“Her Majesty, the Queen, is pleased to order that in future, upon St Patrick’s Day, all ranks of her Irish regiments shall wear, as a distinction, a sprig of shamrock in their head dress to commemorate the gallantry of her Irish soldiers during the recent battles in South Africa.”
That decree came in 1900, and this St. Patrick’s Day the Duchess of Cambridge was on hand to distribute shamrocks to 40 Irish Guard officers.
Anwar Hussein/Press Association
Kate Is Regal In Another Bespoke Bridal Gown for Olympic Gala, A Garden Party On Her Horizon
It was another formal affair for Kate and William tonight, they were guests of honor at the Greatest Team Rises event, something of an official launch party for Team GB and ParalympicsGB, marking the final countdown to the Games. The Duchess returned to a favorite designer for tonight’s gown, Jenny Packham.
SplashNews.com
Once royal journalists tweeted word that Kate was wearing Jenny Packham, the brilliant Anna of My Small Obsessions rapidly discovered the dress Kate’s was modeled after.
Via Raihan-Wed.com
Kate is in a bespoke version of Jenny Packham’s ‘Aspen’ gown, a design showcasing beautiful silk chiffon, light and lacy cap sleeves and an ornately embellished waist. All the design traits combine for a knockout dress, this one is a head-turner.
We see another angle from the always wonderful David Wilkinson of CNN, he shared this image as Kate and William arrived.
David Wilkinson Twitter Feed
The back of the dress is exquisite, arguably prettier than the front.
SplashNews.com
This is how Jenny Packham describes the frock:
Here we zoom in a bit to better show the stunning lace and shimmering crystals.
SplashNews.com
That image also shoes Kate’s elaborate updo of multiple braided sections. Below you can see a side angle of the style, as well as what appear to be new earrings for Kate, rhinestone or diamond-set dangles.
SplashNews.com
The dress is lovely, here we see it in a photo spread at Miss Bush Bridal Wear.
Photos: Eddie Judd Photography via Miss Bush Bridal Wear
Below we have another look at on model Ally Murray, she actually tweeted her delight in wearing the dress.
Ally Murray Twitter Feed
The MSRP on the Aspen gown was £2875, approximately $4620 USD at today’s exchange rates.
Kate carried a matching clutch in the same silk and lace, she also sported the glittering Jimmy Choo Vamp dress sandals.
Splash News
The shoes remain available on the Jimmy Choo website and also at Nordstrom.
Jimmy Choo
Guests signed messages of support for Olympic and Paralympic athletes on their way in to the event, below we see 5-time Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave writing well wishes, with thanks once again to CNN’s David Wilkinson for sharing his wonderful photos.
David Wilkinson/CNN Twitter Feed
More on the event from People‘s story:
Tonight saw the first performance of “One Vision,” the official Team GB and ParalympicsGB song, as well as other excitement, including adventurer/survivalist Bear Grylls making an aerial entry.
Team GB Twitter Feed
William addressed the crowd before dinner, Hello! magazine editor Rosie Nixon posted this photo.
Rosie Nixon, Hello! Magazine Twitter Feed (@Rosie_Nixon)
Paul Harrison of Sky News shared some of William’s remarks via Twitter.
Paul Harrison, Sky TV Twitter Feed (@SkyNewsRoyal)
The Duke also displayed his sense of humor:
Paul Harrison, Sky News (@SkyNewsRoyal)
This was an outstanding look for Kate, the gown offers a level of sophistication that very much suited her. The rich teal or turquoise (the jury is out on the precise color) enhanced Kate’s coloring, while the sheer elements of the frock provided a little va-va-voom without being inappropriate. The Duchess oozed elegance without being overpowering, a very tough combination to pull off.
As A Petite Princess pointed out, this is the second time we know that Kate has chosen a designer’s bridal gown for a formal event, Kate wore a bespoke version of a Temperley bridal dress to the War Horse premiere (more on that here) in January.
Splash News/Vogue Australia
The Telegraph’s story is here, Daily Mail’s story on the event may be found here, and a nice ITV video piece is here.
ITV News
The BBC’s story is here.
BBC News
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We have a few quick updates to share as well this evening, beginning with word that Kate will be attending an upcoming garden party, Rebecca English of the Daily Mail has the exclusive story:
Also new since yesterday, photos of Kate on a camping trip with Lupo and some Scouts, PopSugar has the photos.
PopSugar.com
The event is part of Kate’s volunteer work with Scouting, she sported Paige Denim’s ‘Skyline Peg’ jeans (WKW Facebook friends Kerianne identified the jeans, Ashley Margot received confirmation from Paige), Le Chameau boots and
an unidentified gilet.UPDATED: Feb 2014: It turns out the vest is from UK retailer John Lewis.
The vest is shown in an eBay auction, discovered by eBay seller CopyKate. The piece is made of brown leather, with a full front zipper, interior drawstring waist and front pockets. (The vest has long been out of stock.) I have updated the original blog post, but wanted to note this is a great reminder for me: even retailers and designers can be mistaken in claiming an item is theirs, as in this instance.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One final note tonight, a quick reminder to be sure and enter the Great Kate $500 Giveaway from Shop It To Me. To learn more about the contest, read yesterday’s post. Or, scan this shortened version of things:
Good luck!