The Tour de France got underway today with a Grand Depart from Leeds, England. 198 elite bike riders lined up at Harewood House where they greeted by the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Her Royal Highness cut the ribbon to officially commence the annual bike race to Paris. Kate wore her bright green Erdem 'Allie' coat featuring a zipped front and Peter Pan collar. She first wore the wool crepe coat on Day 6 of the Royal Tour in New Zealand. Today, she accessorised the coat with her taupe LK Bennett 'Avona' clutch and matching 'Sledge' pumps. We again got a glimpse of the Suzannah 'Budding Heart' silk tea dress. Oh when are we going to see this dress in its full glory!? The Duchess was given the honour of presenting Marcel Kittel with the yellow jersey after he won stage one of the Tour de France in Harrogate. The next public engagement for the Duchess of Cambridge will be in just over 3 weeks, when she, William and Prince Harry will attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 28th & 29th July. SHOP KATE'S LOOK FOR LESS ... This morning the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge commenced the final leg of their royal tour Down Under in the nation's capital city of Canberra. First on the itinerary was a visit to the National Arboretum perched high on the hills overlooking Lake Burley Griffin. The arboretum was recently opened in the wake of the bushfires that ravaged the area over a decade ago. The royal couple planted an English Oak tree to make a contribution to the efforts of the arboretum. The Duchess wore a vivid grass green coat dress by Catherine Walker. This is a bespoke piece that fuses design elements of the Catherine Walker 'Evelyn' coatdress and the 'Lara' coat from the current collection. Both are fabricated from Venetian wool and it is evident that Kate combined the zip scuba collar of the 'Lara' with the full skirt of the 'Evelyn' including the hand pick stitching and belt. We got a glimpse of the Suzannah Green Budding Heart silk tea dress under her coat. Kate also wore this dress under her green Erdem coat when she recently visited the Waikato region of New Zealand. On her feet were the infamous LK Bennett 'Sledge' taupe patent pumps. Kate wore her emerald and diamond earrings and Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. The Duke and Duchess then attended a reception hosted by Prime Minister Tony Abbott in the Great Hall of Parliament House. Prince William made a short speech and told the audience of 600 how much he and his family had enjoyed their visit to Australia. He also made a comical remark about Prince George's affection for his plush toy wombat. Immediately following the reception, William and Kate headed to the National Portrait Gallery where they viewed some of its prized paintings, including one of Australian native, Princess Mary of Denmark. SHOP KATE'S 'ARBORETUM' STYLE FOR LESS ... On their final evening of the Royal Tour, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a cocktail reception at Government House hosted by the Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove. The royal couple mingled with 100 carefully selected guests from the arts, sport, business and charity. Kate looked elegant in a monochromatic outfit and with her hair in a loose chignon. She wore an ivory fitted peplum dress from American designer Lela Rose. This is the first occasion we have seen the Duchess wear this label. The linen-blend sheath dress is from the Spring 2012 collection. It features circular lace short sleeves and peplum waist. It originally retailed for US$1295. Kate contrasted the dress with her black suede Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch and Jimmy Choo 'Cosmic' platform pumps. The Duchess completed the ensemble with her dazzling diamond earrings and bracelet set which she tends to favour for formal events. She also wore her Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. Tomorrow is the last day of the three-week royal tour. The Duke and Duchess will attend an ANZAC Day service at the Australian War Memorial before boarding a Royal Australian Air Force plane bound for London at around 2pm. SHOP REPLIKATE'S OF THE LELA ROSE DRESS ... You can read full details of today's events on the official website of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
On Day 6 of the Royal Tour, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Waikato region of New Zealand, covering the towns of Hamilton and Cambridge. Upon arriving at Hamilton airport, the royal couple went separate ways. William visited the Pacific Aerospace Centre at the airport, while Kate attended a tea party at the Rainbow Place Children’s Hospice. Kate wore a bright grass-green coat by Erdem, featuring a zipped front and Peter Pan collar. The sleeves have matching zipped cuffs. The US$2500 coat is fabricated from 100% wool-crepe and is detailed with a tab waist and front pockets. We managed to get a glimpse of the dress Kate wore under the coat. It was a tea-length frock by London-based designer Suzannah, called the 'Budding Heart Silk Tea Dress'. The dress is tailor made in England and features a beautiful white budding heart print onto green Italian silk crepe de chine. The smocking detailing at the shoulder and under the bust add a wonderful vintage charm, with the bias line of the skirt skimming to below the knee. It is currently in stock and retails for £475. She accessorized with her black suede Episode 'Angel' pumps and her Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch, also on black suede. Kate coordinated her green ensemble with her emerald and diamond drop earrings, first worn in November 2011 when she attended the opening of the Natural History Museum Treasures Gallery. We also see her wearing the Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. The royal couple reunited in the afternoon to officially open the Hamilton Avantidrome velodrome, a state-of-the-art cycling arena. The organisers presented them with a gift for Prince George, a bespoke Avanti Lil Ripper bike. You can read further details of today's events on the official website of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined the Irish Guards at Mons Barracks in Aldershot, Hampshire for the traditional St Patrick’s Day parade. The Duchess presented shamrocks to members of the regiment, which she has done for the past few years. Prince William, an ex-RAF Search and Rescue Pilot was made Colonel of the Irish Guards shortly before his wedding in 2011; a position previously held for 38 years by The Queen Mother, until her death in 2002. Today, Kate looked festive in an all green ensemble. She wore a pine coloured trench coat from Hobbs London. This is a new piece in her wardrobe, not previously seen on the Duchess. The 'Persephone' trench is currently in stock and reduced from £279.00 to £195.00. The double-breasted coat is made from a viscose/wool blend and features a cut and sew design, raw edges, traditional storm flap and epaulette detailing. The Duchess wore her Gina Foster green beret style hat , previously worn on Christmas Day in Sandringham last year. The most notable piece of jewelry worn by Kate today was the gold Cartier shamrock brooch, first worn by Queen Alexandra in 1901 when she visited the Guards. Kate's other jewels included the Kiki Classic Green Amethyst and Diamond Cushion Drop earrings, first seen last month when the Duchess attended the ICAP Art Room at Northolt High School. She also wore her Tissot watch. Kate opted for bespoke accessories from Emmy. The Duchess wore the 'Valerie' suede pumps and carried the 'Natasha' suede clutch in the same 'carbon' hue. These accessories were first worn by the Duchess in April 2012, when she wore them with a grey Matthew Williamson dress to the movie premiere of African Cats. Kate finished her outfit with a tonal croc-embossed leather belt, used to cinch her waist. GET KATE'S ST. PATRICK'S DAY STYLE ...
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I have retired the "Bits and Bobs" section of the website and started a new segment title "Outfit Chronicle".
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December 2014
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