The Royal Tour of New Zealand and Australia has commenced! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince George briefly touched down in Sydney this morning before boarding a RNZAF aircraft to Wellington, where the tour will officially begin. Kate wore her Max Mara wrap dress for the flight transfer, first seen in February 2013 when she was about 12 weeks pregnant. She wore a pair of tan suede court shoes, believed to be the Manolo Blahnik Suede BB pumps, however there's active debate that they may be an old pair she has had for many years. Other possibilities include the Dune 'Appoint' court shoes and the R&B '5th Ave' pumps. The Duke of Cambridge was seen holding Kate's black Longchamp 'Medium Le Pliage' tote bag. SHOP KATE'S IN-FLIGHT STYLE ... The outfit was a good choice for the three hour passage across the Tasman where she had to change mid-flight for the arrival into Wellington. The Duchess emerged from the plane looking refreshed and regal in a red double breasted Catherine Walker 'Russian Greatcoat' with a sharply tailored military silhouette, high collar, full skirt and burnished silver buttons. Kate coordinated the coat with a red Jackie-O pillbox from Gina Foster. The 'Seaford' hat features velour fur felt with a felt flower trim. Kate also wore a stunning New Zealand silver fern brooch loaned from the Queen. The brooch was a gift from the women of Auckland to Her Majesty in 1954 on her Commonwealth tour. Kate coordinated the sparkly brooch with her beloved Kiki McDonough 'Grace' white topaz earrings. On her feet were the Emmy 'Valerie' suede pumps in chocolate brown, which the Duchess has worn a few times since March 2012. After disembarking in Wellington, the royal couple enjoyed a ceremonial welcome at Government House. This included a traditional Māori greeting, called a Hongi, and the Haka, a traditional ancestral war cry dance that was performed on the lawn at the stately home. Kate added her chocolate brown suede Emmy 'Natasha' clutch for the visit. The young royal family then resided to a private hideaway just outside of the city, where they will spend the next day and a half trying to overcome their jet lag. SHOP KATE'S WELLINGTON WELCOME STYLE ... 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 ...
This morning, the Duchess of Cambridge officially opened the ICAP Art Room at Northolt High School in Ealing, London. She wore a form-fitting bright blue sheath dress from one of her favourite high-street labels, LK Bennett. The Art Room, of which Kate is Royal Patron, is a national charity which offers art as therapy to children and young people aged five to 16 who are facing challenges in their lives. Today, the Duchess participated in an Art Room workshop and addressed an assembly of children at the school. The sheath dress is the snorkel blue 'Detroit' notch collar fitted dress currently on sale at LK Bennett for £225. The figure-hugging 'Detroit' dress is crafted from elegant crepe with strategically placed panels and cinched waist. The dress provides modest coverage with mid-length sleeves and a clavicle-skimming neckline. Kate contrasted the bright blue frock with her trusty black suede Episode 'Angel' pumps and an unidentified black suede clutch with bow, which she has had for a few years now. Kate also wore her £3,950 Mappin & Webb Fortune White Gold Drop Pendant, first seen on the Duchess in early December 2013 when she visited the Shooting Star Hospice. Kate wore a "new" pair of drop earrings from Kiki McDonough. Kate already owns the diamond hoops, which originate from her Kiki Diamond and Green Amethyst Oval Drop earrings. Today she paired the diamond hoops with a green amethyst drop which is new to her Kiki collection. The earrings can be bought as a set and are known as the Kiki Classic Green Amethyst and Diamond Cushion Drop earrings. We have also seen Kate interchange the hoops with the Kiki Citrine Drop earrings. There was another new piece of jewellery worn by Kate today. We saw her wear a stainless steel watch from Cartier for the first time. This timepiece is part of the Ballon de Bleu collection and retails for US$4,550. More details about the watch can be found on the Cartier website. The next engagement for the Duchess of Cambridge is this coming Monday. Kate will join the Queen at Buckingham Palace for a reception honouring the dramatic arts. Among those expected to attend are Cate Blanchett, Dame Helen Mirren and Sir David Attenborough.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham and started their day with communion at St. Mary Magadelene's Church on the estate. Kate repeated a beige coat which she first wore back in March 2013 to the wedding of close friends in Switzerland. The coat remains unidentified. The Duchess bundled up with a claret red cashmere mix wrap by Really Wild Clothing Company. This is the first occasion we have seen Kate wear this shawl. The £135 piece consists of claret and navy checks and it contrasted beautifully with her beige coat. Following communion, members of the Royal family including the Queen, Prince Philip, William, and Kate were seen taking a walk on the estate before returning to change for the 11 am church service. Kate changed into her McQ by Alexander McQueen green tartan coat dress. The coat was first seen in November of 2012 when Kate wore it for a visit to her old prep school in St. Andrews. The Duchess donned a new green beret style hat by Gina Foster. Kate teamed both outfits with her black suede Aquatalia Rhumba Boots, Kiki McDonough green amethyst drop earrings, and Cornelia James bow gloves.
This afternoon, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited South Africa House in Trafalgar square to sign the condolence book for Nelson Mendala who passed away last week. The royal couple were at the UK premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, a film celebrating Nelson Mandela's life, when the news of his death was broken to them. The film's Producer, Harvey Weinstein said, Kate was very emotional, she was in tears and very moved by the events. We all were. Kate wore an appropriate black polka dot skirt suit for the occasion. The suit consists of a matching fitted jacket and pencil skirt. Kate has worn this ensemble in the past and it dates as far back as 2007 when she wore it to on art opening in Dublin. It remains unidentified. Today, Kate paired the suit with her beloved Episode Angel suede pumps. Kate accessorized with her Annoushka pearl drop/Kiki hoop earrings and her new £3,950 Mappin & Webb 'Fortune Drop' white gold necklace which we first saw her wear last week during her visit to the Shooting Stars Hospice.
The Duchess of Cambridge braved the cold this morning as she stepped out to attend the Place2Be forum; a children's mental health charity of which she is patron. You can read more about today's forum here.
Kate wore a navy Max Mara moto-style jacket featuring an off-centre zip, club collar, and front flap pockets. Unfortunately there are no stock images or any further details about the piece. However we do know that the skirt is the Orla Kiely Solid Crepe Blend Pleated Skirt. The skirt is from the designer's S/S 2012 collection. The mini skirt features wide knife pleats in crepe fabric and originally retailed for €150. Kate coordinated her bespoke Alexander McQueen navy suede pumps with her Stuart Weitzman 'Muse' navy suede clutch, also known as the 'Raz' clutch in the USA. Kate also debuted a new pair of navy gloves with bow detail. The gloves were designed by Andy Shiels in collaboration with Dents Glovers and The Worshipful Company of Glovers in London. They are bespoke, made especially for the Duchess.
The Duchess wore her hair in a simple half up-do which showed off her Annoushka pearl drops with Kiki hoop earrings.
In the UK, the Remembrance Day ceremony is held on the second Sunday in November at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London. The ceremony is attended by The Queen and other members of the Royal Family. Today, the Duchess of Cambridge attended the ceremony, and watched the service from the Foreign Office balcony alongside the Countess of Wessex and Vice Admiral Tim Laurence. You can read more about the ceremony here. This year, Catherine wore the fit-and-flare 'Noa' coat from Temperley London. The black dress coat features a high neck, a single breasted front button fastening, and a jacquard diamond check panel design. The coat is from Temperley London's Fall/Winter 2012/13 collection and originally retailed for £1250. Kate accessorised with her Lock & Co 'Fairy Tale' hat, Cornelia James gloves, and her Annoushka pearl drop with Kiki hoop earrings. She commemorated the day with the Buckley Crystal Poppy Brooch. SHOP fit-and-flare coats ...Update (6th Dec 2013) Kate was seen holding an unidentified clutch bag to the Remembrance Sunday service. It has since been identified as the Mulberry 'Bayswayer' clutch in black suede, after Kate was seen carrying it the UK film premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.
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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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