Kate opted for familiarity today, selecting favored brands for her engagements with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as the UK portion of the Diamond Jubilee tour was launched. Below we see Her Majesty and the Duchess as they are leaving London for Leicester this morning, the Queen was resplendent in another Angela Kelly ensemble, a cashmere coat and hat trimmed in black, Kate wore LK Bennett.
Archive for Duchess of Cambridge clothes
Kate’s St. Patrick’s Day Plans, Her First Speaking Engagement & An Inside Look At Preps for Thursday
We have news of more appearances added to Kate’s calendar, they come after Thursday’s Diamond Jubilee tour kickoff, when the Duchess joins the Queen and Prince Philip in Leicester.
The most immediate addition to the calendar is on St. Patrick’s Day when Kate will make her first military appearance alone, taking part in ceremonies with the Irish Guards. Richard Palmer’s story in the Daily Express has more:
The Duchess will present shamrocks to the Irish Guards and their mascot, Conmael, an Irish Wolfhound, at a St Patrick’s Day parade at Mons Barracks.
St James’s Palace said it would be the start of a long relationship between the Duchess and the Irish Guards.
Some may recall William was appointed Colonel of the Irish Guards last February, Kate and William visited the regiment last June, on Armed Forces Day.
There are at least two frocks we know about already in Kate’s closet that she could elect to wear St. Patrick’s Day, both are green, both have been previously worn. On the left we see Diane von Furstenberg’s green silk Maja dress, worn on the North American tour and to Zara Phillip’s wedding, on the right, the Mulberry Shirt Dress in ‘cabbage’ worn in November at a Buckingham Palace media reception.
Diane von Furstenberg/Mulberry
The event generating the most discussion is on the 19th of this month, that is when Kate undertakes her first public speaking engagement. Kate’s speech is part of ceremonies marking the formal opening of ‘The Treehouse,’ a new hospice facility under the EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices) umbrella, this one is located in Ipswich. More from EACH:
The Duchess will tour the facilities including the sensory room and music room, and meet children and their families who receive care and support from the hospice service, as well as staff and supporters.
The group has been fundraising and building the new facility for some time, below we share The Treehouse page from the EACH website.
EACH
As for why Kate has selected this particular event to start her public speaking career, here is more from The Telegraph:
A spokesman for the Duchess said: “She wanted her first speech to be on a topic she herself is affiliated to and which she is passionate about.
“It is also the first of her solo engagements which has lent itself to a speech because it will include a more formal element than some of her other visits.”
There are wonderful photos of the Treehouse unit on the site, showing the building progress as well as interior shots.
EACH
But once the celebrations have ended, EACH will continue to need funds to operate the The Treehouse. You can learn more about those needs, or see ways you can help the organization by clicking here. Or, you can shop and donate at the same time via the EACH e-commerce site, offering goodies like this Coloring book.
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More now on this Thursday’s events and the kickoff of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee tour. HM, Prince Philip and Kate will travel by train to Leicester, they will visit De Montfort University in the morning.
Preparations for Thursday’s historic visit are well underway, banners are going up on buildings.
A Sensitive Brick Twitter Feed
The BBC reports more than 10,000 Union Jacks and 1000 metres of bunting will be used for the event. Of course, if you are interested in having your own bunting, you may purchase it from the official Diamond Jubilee site. (There are plenty of other items for sale at the site.)
- Official Diamond Jubilee Online Shop
Here is a loose rundown for other events via the BBC.
The tour will begin at De Montfort University with a performance by students and community groups celebrating the city’s diversity in Magazine Square.
The Queen and duchess will then watch a fashion show by students, while the duke meets representatives of the university’s Square Mile initiative, which helps local community projects.
Kate, HM and the Duke will then head to Leicester Cathedral, the programs are printed and ready for “a service of Christian worship…at which people of different faiths will take part”. (Read more about the service from the Diocese of Leicester here.)
Soar Valley Press Twitter Feed
Practices and rehearsals have been underway for days.
Diocese of Leicester Flickr Feed
This is Leicester report reports there will be plenty of music.
Singers aged from eight years will be performing some of the monarch’s favourite music from the past 10 years when she visits the cathedral on Thursday.
Diocese of Leicester Flickr Feed
The service sounds like it will be magnificent: trumpet players will welcome people to the service, 40 children will sing “Jubilate,” and there will also be a prayer sung in Urdu while dancers perform.
Following the church service the action moves to St. Martins House for lunch. Young waiters and waitresses have been busy rehearsing service techniques.
Diocese of Leicester
The Leicester Mercury spoke with a young lady named Felicity, she will be serving Kate’s table.
“I’ve never served anyone famous before. When they asked for five people to serve the main table, I put my hand straight up.
“I’ve got to serve food, wine and water to her. The hardest thing will not be getting in anyone else’s way and not spilling any food on her lap.”
That would be daunting for even the most seasoned waiters and waitresses, let alone students learning their craft. Below, a tweet from St. Martins House:
St. Martins House Twitter Feed
After lunch the group will watch a performance marking the Holi Festival, a Hindu celebration of spring’s impending arrival and unveil a plaque commemorating the visit.
To see more photos of preparations at the Cathedral and St. Martins House, click here for the Diocese of Leicester’s Flickr feed, or follow their Twitter feed here, click here for the Diamond Jubilee page. You can follow De Montfort University’s Twitter feed here, their Art & Design feed here, the Leicester Mercury newspaper site is here, and its Twitter feed here.
aaamiraaa Twitter feed
This is not the first Royal visit to the University, below we see The Queen Mother in 1966.
De Montfort University
No will Thursday’s fashion show be the first watched by members of the Royal Family, another photo shows models from the 1966 fashion show.
De Montfort University
Queen Elizabeth was also on campus for a visit, this one was in December of 1993.
De Montfort University
To read more about previous Royal visits to DMU, click here.
A reminder, don’t forget to vote for your favorite in the student shoe design competition, things have tightened up and two designs seem to be breaking away from the other four.
De Montfort University
We’ll be closing the poll at midnight Wednesday, well before Kate picks the design she likes best while in Leicester on Thursday. It will be fun to see which she chooses and then see it again when it has been manufactured and she wears the shoes.
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A few more quick updates, Kate has been keeping busy since her visit to Fortnum & Mason last week with the Duchess of Cornwall and the Queen, she is said to have visited a new exhibit at the Royal Academy, according to Richard Kay in the Daily Mail:
Kate paid a private visit to David Hockney’s show across the road at the Royal Academy.
Says my source: ‘She arrived around 7pm, after the gallery closed. She was very friendly to the staff telling them how much she enjoyed it.’
Below, a short video about the show.
© David Hockney, Photo: Jonathan Wilkinson via Royal Academy
You can learn more about the Academy and the Hockney show by clicking here.
The next day Kate is said to have visited the V&A Museum of Childhood, among the exhibits she visited was The Value of the Paw,
Museum of Childhood
More from the Daily Mail:
‘She wanted to have a look at the museum and the services it offers,’ confirms an aide. ‘It’s an interest of hers although there’s no suggestion she plans to take it on as another patronage.’
We leave you with the cover of this week’s Hello! magazine, the wonderful photo of the Queen, Camilla and Kate wrapping up their tour at Fortnum’s last Thursday is by photographer Niraj Tanna.
Hello Magazine
We’ll see you Thursday.
UPDATED: The BBC has posted Thursday’s schedule:
- 11:30 GMT (6:30 ET): Arrive at Leicester Station
- 11:45 GMT (6:45 ET): De Montfort University visit at Magazine Square
- 12:45 GMT (7:45 ET): Arrive at Leicester Cathedral
- 13:00 GMT (8:00 ET): Private lunch at St Martin’s House
- 15:00 GMT (10:00 ET): Arrive at Gallowtree Gate
The Leicester Mercury has published a map showing routes and times, click here to see it in a larger format.
Leicester Mercury
Kate broke with tradition today, selecting a non-British designer for her appearance with the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall.
The trio visited Fortnum and Mason’s flagship store in Piccadilly, the event marking rejuvenation efforts in that area of central London.
Fortnum & Mason
Kate chose a lovely blue coat by M Missoni, the diffusion line from parent brand Missoni. All three royal women were in shades of blue, clearly some color coordination went on ahead of time.
Toby Melville – Ian Jones Photography/SplashNews.com
The collarless coat featured multiple panels in the back, exposed seams, and fringe trim at the neck and down the front placket.
©Allpix, Splash/Allpix, Splash
In the UK M Missoni is carried at Selfridge’s, Harvey Nichols and Harrod’s in the UK, although Simon Perry, People magazine’s chief foreign correspondent, shared that the coat was something of a bargain.
Simon Perry Twitter Feed (@SPerryPeopleMag)
Kate’s coat is similar to another M Missoni garment, the cut, exposed seams and fringe are the same on this coat, although it is made from woven cotton, as opposed to the knit boucle seen on Kate.
The Outnet
It also has characteristics of these past season pieces at Nordstrom and The Outnet.
Nordstrom/The Outnet
Our thanks to WKW FB friend Michelle (aka Shellie Bells on Twitter), she spotted the blue jacket on the far left that is the shorter version of Kate’s coat and was good enough to share the photo with everyone. We also want to thank Elisa Roche of the Daily Express for sharing confirmation the coat was definitely a M Missoni piece.
The regal group received hampers laden with goodies from the upscale grocer. From The Telegraph’s story:
They laughed as they rummaged through their goodies and spotted the “hearty treats for happy hounds”.
While the Queen is known for her love of corgis, Kate and William recently acquired a cocker spaniel they have named Lupo.
Another look at Fortnum’s interior:
Fortnum & Mason Piccadilly
Kate wore two daffodils while Her Majesty and Camilla wore leek brooches, in honor of St. David’s Day. He is the patron saint of Wales, daffodils and leeks are both symbols honoring Welsh heritage; all three women were presented with bouquets of fresh daffodils upon leaving Fortnum’s.
The British Monarchy
More on the visit from Hello!:
As a military wife, Kate was particularly interested to meet staff working on the Gifts For Troops scheme, an initiative which sends packages to soldiers serving in Afghanistan.
We saw the return of Kate’s Rupert Sanderson Malone heels in grey suede, previously seen at Order of the Garter events back in June.
©Allpix/Splash News
The shoe features a rounded toe and 4″ heel, it is currently stocked in all sizes, selling at €425, about $565 at today’s exchange rates.
Rupert Sanderson
We also saw the return of Kate’s Hope Egg earrings by Links of London.
Links of London
Kate also repeated the well known blue Zara dress first seen the day after her wedding, repeated for Prince Philip’s 90th birthday.
One of the more intriguing things about Kate’s ensemble today is what was omitted: she carried no clutch or other handbag, something of a departure for the Duchess.
It was also a repeat appearance for the Queen’s ensemble by Angela Kelly (Majesty Magazine’s Joe Little shared that it was first worn in Oman in 2010), Camilla was in a navy and cream Bruce Oldfield coat.
One of the topics discussed with Kate while inside the store was tea, People has more:
She apparently likes it, too. “I would really like to learn to make the perfect cup of tea, as when I last made a pot of tea with dried tea leaves I got it very wrong,” Kate admitted.
Fortnum’s has also unveiled their Diamond Jubilee gift collection.
Fortnum & Mason
We thought it a strong sartorial selection by Kate. Some found the look too staid, saying it was “boxy” and “too old,” while others had more favorable feelings about the style. I am among the latter group, thinking it was ideal for the occasion: a classic cut that was understated but also elegant, and appropriate to the occasion, not something that was likely to distract or overshadow the Queen, a paramount concern. It was a beautiful blue that is very pretty with Kate’s coloring, it was also nice to see her in something other than earth tones.
In conjunction with its story about the appearance The Mirror is running an online poll asking if the choice is a fashion “hit… or Missoni”, here is how the voting looks:
The Mirror
For The Telegraph’s video, click here.
The Telegraph
ITV also has a nice story, its video may be found here.
ITV
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Our other item today is quite lighthearted, it deals with something near and dear to many fashion fans: shoes. As some readers may know, next week the Jubilee Tour is officially launched in Leicester, in central England. The Queen, Prince Philip and Kate will be in Leicester for a dizzying number of events, including a competition among students from the Footwear Design course at De Montfort University. More than 100 students took part in the competition, the list is now down to 6 finalists.
Kate will pick the winning design herself while visiting DMU, and the shoe will then actually be created and she will wear it. How amazing would that be for any young designer, let alone students working hard to learn their craft? Once word of the competition was public, the always-on-top-of-things Carly from Kate Middleton Style blog suggested a poll might be fun, letting WKW readers select their favorite of the six designs.
Not one to turn aside a brilliant idea, we share all six designs (you can see them on the DMU Facebook page), as well as some background information on each.
We begin with a royal blue shoe by Becka Hunt.
Becka Hunt / De Montfort University Leicester
This design is crafted from blue suede with beaded lace overlay, and we all know how much The Duchess enjoys her lace. The styleboard shows that there would be no platform, the heel would not be “too high,” not more than 3″ to 4″. Ms. Hunt counts Jimmy Choo and Alexander McQueen among her idols, sharing more about her inspiration in a Peterborough Today story:
“My design is inspired by 19th century fashions and based around the things Kate wears, her engagement ring and her style.â€
She said: “I love her fashion sense. She’s really elegant.â€
You can read the entire story about Ms. Hunt by clicking here.
Kay Yeng-Chen’s shoe sits atop a sizable platform, similar to that of Kate’s nude Sledge heels from LK Bennett.
Kay Yeng-Chen/De Montfort University Leicester
The primary motif is that of a fairytale, showcased in lavender and fuchsia.
Mei Chun-Lai created a design that celebrates the Year of the Dragon.
Mei Chun-Lai/De Montfort University
The shoe’s shape is inspired by Chinese lanterns, the primary colors are orange and blue. Ms. Chun-Lai shares more of her idea with This is Leicestershire:
“Kate’s style is really elegant but I think she might choose something a bit different with this, maybe.”
In his design Sam Sawkill also used lace, incorporating an English rose theme.
Sam Sawkill/De Montfort University
He told The Mirror:
Sam said: “I wanted to make a cool and sexy shoe for a formal occasion and it’s fantastic to have been shortlisted but it would be great to be selected over all as it would get me recognised as a designer.â€
Summer Spencer uses colors from Kate and William’s Coat of Arms in her design.
Summer Rose Spencer/De Montfort University
The tartan plaid is used as a reminder of the couple’s time at the University in Scotland. This student is also smart, demonstrating her familiarity with shoes previously seen on Kate, including the blue “Art” courts worn to to open Darwen Academy.
Tabitha Duffield has created a classic shoe with what looks like a fairly high heel in nude and soft pink.
Tabitha Duffield/De Montfort University
But Ms. Duffield has also updated the silhouette with laser-cut flowers and a flourish at the back, she shares thoughts all of the finalists would echo More from this student, again via This is Leicester:
“It would mean the world if she chose my design. The fact this competition has even come our way is amazing.”
It is obviously a talented group of young designers, it was fun reading the reasons certain elements and themes were chosen for inclusion in the designs.
Now it’s time for you to vote: of these six designs, which shoe do you think best reflects Kate’s taste and is the one she is most likely to select?
Kate chose Irish designer Orla Kiely for her engagements in Oxford today.
James Whatling/Splash News
The Duchess was greeted by cheering crowds at Rose Hill Primary school and Oxford Spires Academy, she was visiting both on behalf of The Art Room, one of her patronages.
Georgina Brewer ITV Twitter Feed (@GeorginaITV)
More on the organization and its work from The Telegraph’s story:
The Duchess, who studied history of art at university, chose The Art Room as one of the first four charities to which she has given her patronage, as she is a firm believer in the power of art to help build self-esteem.
The charity helps to fund art teachers who give children intensive sessions in a specially-designated part of each school, where they create objects they can take home and keep
The students created an apron for Kate, much like those worn by their Art Room teachers.
Mark Stewart (@RegalEyes)
Here we see Kate with one of the young artists at Rose Hill, watching students paint their interpretations of the famous Edward Lear poem “The Owl and The Pussycat.”
British Monarchy
After her time at Rose Hill Kate moved on to Oxford Spires, where students eagerly awaited her arrival.
Twitter Feed (@MaxFosterCNN)
Below we see Kate being presented with flowers as she arrives.
The British Monarchy
The dress is officially called the Birdie Shirt Dress, crafted of a wool jacquard. The dress originally retailed at £325 ($485), but was on sale for £162 ($242), a discount of 50%.
Orla Kiely Birdie Print Dress
It features 4 oversized buttons on the front bodice, deep pleats at the waist front and back, pockets on the side seams and a self-belt.
Orla Kiely
The UK site offered the piece in Walnut and Turquoise, while the US site also carried it in Slate, all sizes at all online sites now appear to be sold out.
Orla Kiely
This talented designer is best known for her distinctive prints, her products have been sold handbags, stationery and other paper products, housewares and tabletop pieces, she also did a line for the Tate. You can visit the Orla Kiely shop here, and have a peek at her spring styles. If you would like a look at many of the Kiely style’s shown for London Fashion Week, they are in our previous post here.
Some US residents may have been first introduced to her work via her collaboration with Target in 2009.
Target
She has even designed for cars and other motor vehicles, like this bus.
Wikipedia
There is also an Orla Kiely yoga mat created as a fundraiser for another of Kate’s charities, Action on Addiction.
Action on Addiction/Orla Kiely – Yoga Matters
Many will recognize Kate’s booties, they are the Aquatalia Rouge, originally noted by fashion fans when the Duchess joined her fiance at the time, William, for an appearance in Anglesey.
Via Aquatalia Passport to Style
The booties are now sold only at Nordstrom, they have been renamed the “Royal,” and appear to be available in all sizes as of this writing.
Kate also carried her black clutch and wore her Kiki McDonough Grace earrings.
Kiki McDonough
To learn more about the Art Room, visit its web page here, or its Facebook page here, or visit the group’s online shop.
For more on what Kate wore, the Mirror’s story is here, the Daily Mail piece is here, and the Telegraph’s is here.
The Telegraph
The BBC also has a video story up, as well as a slide show with wonderful (and large) photos, and The Independent’s stories (print & video) are found here.
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Also today, a quick look at several style by designers at London Fashion Week.
McQ by Alexander McQueen held its first London show in quite some time, below we share two pieces well-suited to the Duchess, in a silhouette she seems to like.
NOWFashion
If one added several inches in length to either of the red McQ frocks they would appear almost tailor-made for Kate.
NOW Fashion
Showing in London yesterday, Erdem.
NOWFashion.com
The designer’s signature touches were evident: the lace overlays, circumspect hem lengths, along with sophisticated suits and dresses.
NOWFashion.com
Simply put, the collection exuded a ladylike aesthetic, one Kate appreciates.
NOWFashion.com
Today’s final note involves Kate and William’s dog, Lupo. That’s right, today it was revealed the four-legged family member has been named Lupo.
Kate selected a Hobbs coat purchased back in September for her visit to Liverpool today.
