This evening, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a lavish state dinner hosted by the Governor General at Government House in Wellington. During the reception, William and Kate unveiled a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by New Zealand artist Nick Cuthell. The painting was commissioned for the New Zealand Portrait Gallery. For the reception, Kate wore a bespoke black crepe Jenny Packham gown with embellished crystal ferns on the shoulder, representing New Zealand's national emblem. Kate accessorised with her trusty black suede Jimmy Choo Cosmic Pumps which she favours for formal events. The shoes are available from Net-A-Porter for US$695. She carried her black suede Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch, first seen at last year's Remembrance Sunday service. The clutch is no longer available in black suede, but is currently available in soft grain leather for £495. She completed her dazzling look with her art-deco inspired diamond earrings and bracelet set which were a wedding gift from her father-in-law, Prince Charles. SHOP KATE'S STATE RECEPTION STYLE ... You can read further details of today's events on the official website of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The royal motorcade was spotted leaving Wellington on Monday after the traditional welcome ceremony at Government House. It is believed the Cambridge's retreated to the Wharekauhau Country Estate Lodge to relax and rejuvenate after their long-haul flight from London. The sprawling luxury estate resort has a grand lodge and 15 guest cottages on the private grounds with plenty of privacy for the royal family to enjoy. Day 2 of the tour was a rest day for the royals and their entourage. No doubt they made the most of this day to regroup and gear up for the next three weeks. On Day 3, the Royal trio returned to Government House in Wellington to meet with the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society, an organization that provides health care to children and new families. Their Royal Highnesses arrived ahead of schedule, and Kate was spotted wearing the same grey MaxMara wrap dress she wore when landing in Sydney earlier this week. After a quick wardrobe change, Kate emerged wearing a black and white patterned knit dress named 'Paulina' by American designer Tory Burch. The Tory Burch 'Paulina' dress is from her Resort 2014 collection. The dress has an alternating white open-knit and solid black knit pattern. The fit-and-flare silhouette is defined by a cinched-in waist and a pleated skirt. The short sleeve cuffs and hem are finished with tactile fringing. At time of posting, the dress is still in stock in limited sizes, retailing for about US$450. Today's event marked Prince George's first official royal engagement, which included meeting with a preselected group of families for some baby playtime. The heir to the British crown was just a regular little bub this afternoon as he played with ten other 8-month-old babies in the grand Blundell room of Government house. This is the only event that George is scheduled to attend during his time in New Zealand and Australia. Kate wore a new pair of black suede court shoes. The shoes were identified as the Jimmy Choo 'Aimee'. The Italian made pumps have a black suede upper and feature an almond toe with a platform. Kate's kept her jewellery to a minimum today, wearing her Mappin & Webb Fortune necklace, Annoushka pearl drops with Kiki hoop earrings and Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. You can read further details of today's events on the official website of the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge. Prince George will retire from the spotlight for the remainder of the New Zealand leg of the tour, while his parents continue with their jam packed itinerary. Tomorrow, the Duke and Duchess will travel to Blenheim to attend a wreath laying ceremony, followed by a visit to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Center where film director Sir Peter Jackson will give the royals a personal tour of his private plane collection. Later that evening (local time), they will head back to Wellington to attend a State Reception at Government House hosted by the Governor General. Tonight, the Duchess of Cambridge carried out her first official engagement of the year. She attended the Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery in London in her role as patron. The dress code for this evening's event was "black tie with a touch of sparkle", and the Duchess certainly looked the part in a ink blue Jenny Packham gown, previously worn to the 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala at Kensington Palace last October. There was however a sparkling addition to her outfit tonight. Adorning Catherine's neckline, was a priceless diamond necklace, on loan from Her Majesty the Queen. It is reported that the necklace was a wedding gift to the then Princess Elizabeth from the Nizam of Hyderabad, then King of a state in India. Kate paired the necklace with her much loved diamond earrings, believed to be a wedding gift from Prince Charles. Kate completed the look with her trusty black suede Jimmy Choo Cosmic Pumps which are available from Net-A-Porter for US$695 12/02/2014 UPDATE: It appears the Duchess of Cambridge has a new addition to her ring collection. Along with her sapphire engagement ring and wedding band, it was noted that Kate was also wearing a diamond eternity band, reminiscent of this one by Tiffany & Co. Currently there is no official ID or any further details on the new ring. 29/05/2014 UPDATE: After some exhaustive research, My Small Obsessions has confirmation that the ring is the Annoushka Eclipse Diamond Eternity Ring. The 2mm wide ring features brilliant-cut micro pavé white diamonds hand-set into a 18ct white gold eternity band. It retails for £820.
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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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