The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were spotted en route to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, 17th Dec, heading to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth's annual Christmas luncheon. The couple joined other members of the royal family including Prince Harry, Prince Charles and Princess Beatrice. The Duchess looked festive in her red Katherine Hooker 'Ascot' shift dress, which she debuted last month at the EACH fundraising drive. Her outfit was very similar to the one she wore to last year's Christmas luncheon. Kate wore her in a half-updo, revealing a pair of statement chandelier earrings. The costume earrings date back to 2007 and they have also been spotted on Pippa. Kate also wore her Mappin & Webb 'Fortune' necklace. SHOP KATE'S CHRISTMAS STYLE ...
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. The Duchess of Cambridge visited Blessed Sacrament School in Islington today to see first-hand the progress of the M-PACT project. The initiative aims to provide early support for schoolchildren affected by parental drug or alcohol addiction. The project is funded by The Royal Foundation and Comic Relief, and delivered by charities Place2Be and Action on Addiction, of which the Duchess is a patron. It was launched in April 2013, when Kate and comedian John Bishop visited Willows Primary School in Wythenshawe, Manchester. For last year's visit, the Duchess was seven months pregnant with Prince George and she showed off her baby bump in the printed Erdem 'Sophia' shift dress. For today's event, Kate opted for a solid sheath dress by Goat. The style is named 'Scarlett' and it is rendered in a coral hue. Goat classifies the colour as 'geranium'. The wool crepe dress is characterised by a pleated bust and defined with a matching belt. It retails for £450. It was available from matchesfashion.com and my-wardrobe.com but quickly sold after being seen on the Duchess. The 'Scarlett' style is still available in other colour options. When William and Kate visited Scotland in May this year, Kate wore a Goat geranium sheath dress underneath her Jonathan Saunders coat. It seems very likely that is was the Goat 'Scarlett' pleated front dress. For today's event, the Duchess kept her accessories neutral, carrying her LK Bennett 'Natalie' straw clutch and wearing her Jimmy Choo 'Gilbert' kid leather pumps. We also saw familiar pieces of jewellery. Kate wore her Links of London 'Effervescence Bubble Stiletto' earrings and Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. Kate styled her long hair in a pretty half up-do. SHOP KATE'S LOOK FOR LESS ... This evening, The Duchess of Cambridge joined Her Majesty, the Queen to host a star-studded reception at Buckingham Palace honouring The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), of which the Queen is patron. The Royal duo greeted an estimated 250 guests, including Dame Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett, Sir David Attenborough, Uma Thurman, and Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes. Tonight, Kate looked vibrant in the red peplum Alexander McQueen dress, first worn to the Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in June 2012. It is also believed she wore it to the Queen's pre-Christmas luncheon in December. The Duchess opted for classic black satin accessories, carrying her customised Anya Hindmarch 'Maud' frame clutch and Prada shoes. Both pieces we have seen before, and Kate first wore this combination when she meet the Obama's at Buckingham Palace in May 2011. Catherine has her 'Maud' clutch personalised with the initial C. The bespoke clutch retails for £450 and comes in an array of colours. It is fabricated from luxuriously soft satin, made using tightly woven thread to give a glossy appearance. Kate finished her look wearing Cassandra Goad 'Temple of Heaven' girandole pendant earrings. The 9ct yellow gold earrings retail for £1,365 and have been worn by the Duchess for a number of years. You can read more about tonight's event here.
Currently, the Duchess of Cambridge has no official events planned for the immediate future. I suspect Kate's appearances will slow up over the next couple of months as she plans for the Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand in April 2014. |
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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