Tonight, The Duchess of Cambridge attended a meeting of the newly established 23rd Poplar Beaver Scout Colony, in Bow, London, in support of The Scout Association's "Better Prepared" campaign. The Duchess is an official volunteer with the organization, while Queen Elizabeth is patron of UK Scouting. Kate helped the young Scouts work on their Disability Awareness Activity Badge. Many of the activities were designed to educate the children on the challenges encountered by people living with disabilities. Activities included decorating a cupcake while blindfolded, trying to cut a chocolate bar while wearing boxing gloves, and trying to eat a piece of chocolate using chopsticks. Kate opted for a casual ensemble for tonight's engagement, wearing the i.SCOUT Ladies Zip Print Hoodie in black (£28.00). She paired the hoodie with black skinny jeans (most likely the Topshop Moto Leigh maternity jeans) and Russell & Bromley 'Charge It' boots (£275.00). Tonight, we saw the return of her KIKI 'Grace' White Topaz and Diamond Stud Earrings (£795.00) and Mappin & Webb Fortune White Gold Drop Necklace (£3,950).
This morning, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge visited Ground Zero and paid their respects at the September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Kate laid white roses at one of the two reflecting pools, the state flower of New York.
The bouquet included a handwritten note from the royal couple.
Kate and William where then given a tour the museum including the In Memoriam room, where photographs of nearly all of the victims line the walls. Joe Daniels, the museums’s chief executive and president, said of the couple: “Just looking at the faces – of the old, the young, every race, every color – [William and Kate] were struck by the breadth and the scale of the loss we suffered that day.”
Following the sober tour of the September 11 Memorial, Prince William and Kate made a visit to a youth development program, The Door and watched a performance from CityKids Foundation, which supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
For this morning's engagements, Kate wore Mulberry’s Double Breasted Coat in cerise, which provided a lovely contrast to the bleak New York weather. The wool crepe coat features a double-breasted front with 6 horn buttons and flap front pockets. It retails for £1,500.
Kate recycled her accessories, wearing her Episode 'Angle' black suede pumps, Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch and Cornelia James Imogen gloves.
The Duchess completed the look with her Kiki Classic Green Amethyst and Diamond Cushion Drop Earrings (£1,300).
SHOP KATE'S STYLE FOR LESS ...
This morning, the Duchess of Cambridge was in Norfolk to attend the launch of the £10 million capital appeal for a new East Anglia Children’s Hospice (EACH) in Norwich.
EACH provides supportive services for families with seriously ill children. Catherine has supported the charity as Royal Patron since January 2012.
The Duchess debuted a vibrant shift dress from Katherine Hooker. She wore the 'Ascot' style in red.
Katherine Hooker provides customization of the 'Ascot' dress, offering it in a range of fabrics and sleeve styles. Below we show the ready-to-wear 'Ascot' in dupion silk and black wool crepe (£380), and the bespoke option with a sleeveless silhouette in red dupion (£495).
Kate contrasted the red hue with her black Stuart Weitzman 'Muse' clutch bag and Jimmy Choo 'Aimee' platform pumps.
She accessorized with her Kiki Green Amethyst Cushion & Diamond Earrings and Mappin & Webb 'Fortune' necklace.
There are currently no scheduled events for the Duchess until her trip to New York city with Prince William. They will arrive in New York on 7th Dec and participate in a number of engagements over 3 days including a glittering black-tie charity dinner, a NBA basketball game and visits to see inner-city youth projects. This evening, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge were the guests of honour at the Royal Variety Performance at the Palladium Theatre in London. This is the first time William and Kate have attended the show which is traditionally reserved for senior members of the Royal family. Their presence tonight reflects their growing role within the monarchy. Kate looked stunning in a black lace dress, wearing the DVF 'Zarita' gown. The Zarita is a full length lace gown with a fitted bodice and waist, which opens into a sweeping fluted hem. It has 3/4 sheer lace sleeves, scalloped lace detail at the neckline and v-shaped back. It retails from £780 and is available from DVF UK, Net-a-Porter and Boutique 1. The 'Zarita' style is also available in a cocktail length and comes in a range of colours. On her feet were her Jimmy Choo Cosmic Platform Pumps (US$695). She carried her sparkly black bead clutch bag first seen last month at the Action on Addiction gala. It remains unidentified. Kate added a hint of colour to her otherwise all-black attire wearing her Kiki McDonough Lola blue topaz hoop earrings. The next announced engagement for the Duchess will be on 19th November, where she will attend Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Awards hosted at the Kensington Palace State Apartments.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent the day in Wales, visiting the Valero oil refinery on the Pembrokeshire coast to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
The refinery was officially opened in 1964 by the Queen Mother and it has since become a major contributor to the local economy, employing 1,200 people and supplying more than 10% of the UK's fuel.
Upon arrival, Their Royal Highnesses viewed a display which chronicles the 50 year history of the refinery and its relationship with the community. They then met with refinery workers and various community organisations who are supported by the refinery.
The visit concluded with a performance by the Young Actors Studio who works in partnership with the refinery through the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Kate and William unveiled a plaque and a painting by a local artist upon departure.
The double-breasted wool coat is from the Autumn/Winter 2014 collection. The colour is described as Pacific Opal blue. The coat fastens with silver-tone dome buttons at the front, as well as a concealed button in the interior. It is fully lined in a printed silk - tiny blue star constellations on a black silk background. There is a vent at the bottom of the centre back for a comfortable fit. Double pockets feature on each side.
This is only the second occasion the Duchess has worn a Matthew Williamson design. Back in 2012 she wore a customised Matthew Williamson sheath dress to the Premiere of 'African Cats'.
Today we saw the return of Kate's beloved Aquatalia 'Rhumba' black suede boots, a style she has worn since February 2011.
She also carried her black Stuart Weitzman 'Muse' Clutch in black suede.
We got a glimpse of a brown shirt dress under the coat.
The girls at What Kate Wore were quick to identify the dress. It is the Hobbs London animal print shirt dress in light bitter chocolate brown. The classic style shirt dress features a tonal animal-print embossed silk jacquard with a covered placket and coordinating belt. It is currently on sale at Hobbs and John Lewis for £118.
After the visit, Kate and William - who is the vice patron of the Welsh Rugby Union traveled to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to attend the Rugby Union international match between Wales and Australia. During half-time, the royal couple meet privately with injured servicemen in the President's Box.
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I. At 11pm (BST) on August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany after the Germans had invaded Belgium. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge commemorated the anniversary by attending a number of ceremonies in Belgium. William and Kate arrived at L'Abbaye Saint-Laurent in Liege, where they were received by Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. Following the official greeting, they walked to the Cointe Inter-allied Memorial for a service, during which Prince William gave a speech paying tribute to the host nation Your Majesties, if I may say so, Belgium's steadfast remembrance of your war dead, and ours, is a great credit to your nation. On behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, head of the Commonwealth, thank you for the honour you do us all. For today's commemoration services, the Duchess wore a cream ensemble featuring a Alexander McQueen coat dress. The coat has many feminine touches including a Peter Pan collar, puffed accent sleeves and a pleated skirt. The design is bespoke but fuses elements from a couple Alexander McQueen pieces. Kate's headpiece is by Jane Taylor Millinery (credit to @AnnieElizabethN for the ID). She wore the 'Fleur-Ruffle' straw beret in nude/blush pink. The headpiece has a tonal hand dyed ruffle detail and is from the current summer collection. It retails for £615. Kate wore her trusty L.K. Bennett taupe 'Sledge' pumps. Kate accessorized with her Annoushka pearl drop earrings paired with her Kiki McDonough diamond hoops and Ballon Bleu de Cartier Stainless Steel Bracelet Watch. The Duchess carried her customized Alexander McQueen suede clutch. SHOP KATE'S STYLE ... In the afternoon, William and Kate traveled to the town of Mons where they were joined by Prince Harry for a reception at Mons Town Hall. The royal trio concluded the day with a twilight ceremony at Saint-Symphorien Military Cemetery. The Duchess laid a floral tribute. Tomorrow, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince Harry will continue their WWI commemorations with a visit to the Tower of London's "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" poppy installation in the Tower's moat.
Today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince Harry attended various sporting events on Day 5 of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Kate wore an all navy ensemble, a look she has favored for many sporting events since the London summer Olympics in 2012. Kate paired her Zara navy double breasted blazer paired with dark wash Zara skinny jeans. The jacket was first seen on the recent royal tour while in Auckland, New Zealand. On her feet were her trusty Stuart Weitzman 'Corkswoon' wedges in navy blue suede. There is some active debate that the clutch is not her Russell & Bromley 'Muse' clutch. The front flap appears to be slightly different to the 'Muse' and the silhouette is not as long. I think the style is more like the Emmy 'Natasha' clutch. Kate owns the 'Natasha' clutch in a carbon and chocolate hue. Emmy offers fabric customization so it's possible Kate has now added another to her collection in a bespoke navy suede, but I believe it is the carbon suede clutch that she carried today. We saw a new addition to the familiar ensemble. Kate changed up the outfit with a sleeveless striped shirt (yet to be identified). The collarless shirt appears to have dome-shaped navy buttons and a pleated front. Today, Kate wore gold toned jewellery which consisted of her Kiki McDonough Citrine Drop earrings and Asprey London necklace featuring 'Woodland' charms. Another familiar piece was her 33mm Cartier Ballon Bleu wristwatch. There was a lot of criticism on social media about Kate's uniform-like recycling of this outfit. While I long to see new additions to her closet, I respect her choice and admire that she has the confidence to pull off the same look time and time again. SHOP KATE'S CASUAL SPORTY STYLE ... Today, Clarence House released the full set of family photos to mark the 1st birthday of HRH Prince George. A short statement was also released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to coincide with the photographs: We would like to take this opportunity on George's first birthday to thank everyone over the last year, wherever we have met them, both at home and overseas, for their warm and generous good wishes to George and our family The photos were taken by PA staff photographer, John Stillwell, when the royal trio visited the "Sensational Butterflies" exhibition at the Natural History Museum. We got a glimpse of them leaving the exhibition earlier this month. As previously noted, Kate wore the Suzannah 'Budding Hearts' silk dress. The frock retails for £475 (US$810). Below are some cheaper alternatives for this style. We first got a glimpse of this dress under her Erdem coat on a visit to the Waikato region of New Zealand during the 2014 royal tour. In the photos, we can also see that Kate is wearing her Annoushka pearl drop earrings paired with her Kiki McDonough diamond hoops. The next engagement for Kate will be next week. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince Harry will attend events at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games from 28th July.
The Queen celebrated her official birthday today with the Trooping the Colour parade. Although Her Majesty was born on 21 April, it has long been the tradition to publicly celebrate the Sovereign's birthday on a day in the summer. The Duchess of Cambridge attended her fourth consecutive Trooping the Colour event. Today she wore an ice blue separates outfit by Alexander McQueen. The jacket appears to be a modified version of this ready-to-wear piece, first identified by Kate Middleton Style Blog . This fauna silk-cotton jacquard jacket has a peplum waist and short stand-up collar with thin V neckline. It has a concealed hook and eye closure. The long sleeves are finished with four button cuffs. Kate's skirt appears to be made of the same matching fabric. The Duchess donned a new bespoke hat from Jane Taylor Millenary. Another new piece included a pearl cluster brooch, details of which are yet to emerge. She wore her Annoushka pearl drops with Kiki McDonough hoop earrings. Another familiar accessory was her modified Alexander McQueen clutch. GET KATE'S TROOPING THE COLOUR STYLE FOR LESS ... Following a breakfast reception at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, the Duchess of Cambridge dashed back to London to attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace. Also in attendance was Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip, who was celebrating his 93rd birthday. Catherine changed out of her Jaeger contrast crepe dress and into the much-adored Alexander McQueen champagne lace dress, first worn two years earlier to the Queen's Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral. For today's event, Kate opted to remove the tonal sash belt and complete her look with new accessories. The Duchess wore a new hat from Jane Corbett Millinery which is a bespoke piece designed to coordinate with her frock. Kate accessorized with a new pair of nude patent heels which are currently unidentified. One possibility is the LK Bennett 'Florete' pumps. She carried her Russell and Bromley nude patent 'Park Avenue' clutch. She kept her jewellery to a minimum, wearing only her Annoushka baroque pearl drops with Kiki hoop earrings (in addition to her wedding rings, of course!). SHOP KATE'S GARDEN PARTY STYLE FOR LESS ... 12/06/2014 - ID UPDATE Ashley Marie contacted LK Bennett regarding their 'Florete' pumps, but they wrote that this was not the style the Duchess wore to the Garden party. I then contacted Russell & Bromley to ask if their '5th Ave' court shoes could be an ID. They responded with a denial but did claim that the '5th Ave' style used to be available in beige patent (the same colour/fabric as her R&B 'Park Ave' clutch). Ashley Marie persisted with this and managed to get a hold of someone more knowledgeable at R&B. They confirmed that the '5th Ave' style is indeed the one the Duchess wore. Despite my efforts and the misinformation I was given by Russell & Bromley, I'm delighted that Ashely Marie got to the truth!
The '5th Ave' court shoe in beige patent was from their 2013 collection and is no longer available. It is currently available in a variety of shades and fabrics. These point toe courts feature a slim 8cm heel height. |
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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