Weekly Wrap-Up, 13th Feb 2016

I'm back and so is the Duchess of Cambridge! This week Kate resumed her royal duties, so I thought it was the perfect time to recommence the Weekly Newsletter for 2016!

NEWS

Kate's first appointment of the year saw her attend a service marking the 75th anniversary of the Royal Air Force Cadets.  Click to read more >

Embed from Getty Images

That same day, The Duchess of Cambridge helped launch Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2016.  As patron of the charity, Kate delivered a prerecorded video message on their behalf. Click to read more >

Embed from Getty Images

On Monday some candid photos emerged of Duchess Kate boarding a helicopter on the grounds of Kensington Palace just hours after her engagement with the Air Cadets. Click to read more >

A photo posted by @rainbowceline on Feb 7, 2016 at 2:25pm PST

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS ...

Kensington Palace has announced some upcoming engagements for the Duchess of Cambridge:

17th Feb 2016
Kate will join The Huffington Post UK as guest editor from Kensington Palace. She will be highlighting the importance of children's mental health and helping to launch "Young Minds Matter".

18th Feb 2016
The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge will visit RAF Valley, Anglesey to attend the Search and Rescue Force Disbandment Parade.

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WHAT'S NEW IN KATE'S CLOSET

This week, two new pieces were revealed from Kate's closet:

Mulberry 'Paddington' wool-blend coat (£990)

Rupert Sanderson 'Malory' Navy Suede Pumps (US$675)

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REPLIKATE ROUNDUP

Below are my favourite repliKates of the week ...

Belle Badgley Mischka US$199

Macy's US$69.50

Hobbs £132

Nina US$114

Dress Lily US$25

Nine West US$89

Etsy US$48

Vince Camuto US$109.95

Cole Hann US$298

Etsy US$36

Pink Queen US$79.80

Donald J Pliner US$99

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PRODUCT REVIEWS

Giulia (lelepug) is a frequent contributor to Kate's Closet and she has been busy stocking up on a few essential Kate items these past few months! She has kindly reviewed her recent purchases which include the Azuni Earrings, Mint Velvet Bea Plimsolls and Beulah London Shibani Scarf!

Azuni London 'Aqua Chalcedony' Earrings

I ordered my pair of earrings directly from Azuni London’s website.

The packaging was a white paper box and inside there was a little fabric bag with Azuni’s logo on it, there was also a little folded paper bag adorned with a little bow and Azuni’s logo as well to use in case of earrings are a gift for someone else, I love this attention and care of details. 

They are so tiny and delicate, just amazing. I expected the stones were pretty opaque but surprisingly they are so shiny and sparkly as the gold metal is as well. 

I think they are a great idea as a first “real” Kate’s item because of their super affordable price and because they are very versatile. 

P.S. I posted a pic of them on my Instagram account and I tagged Azuni’s page, they immediately left a nice comment about how they are satisfied when also their customers are and I really appreciate when customer service take care about their customers even after they did a purchase.

Summary of review:
Shipping: 4.5/5
Packaging: 5/5
Price/Quality: 5/5
General Impression about the product: 5/5

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Mint Velvet 'Bea' Plimsolls

I ordered my Mint Velvet 'Bea' at John Lewis.
Shipping was pretty fast (I ordered them on Saturday and I received them in the middle of the following week, so about 8-9 days) and their tracking service works so well, I could follow the shipping step by step.

They came in their box and wrapped into white paper, other paper was inside every shoe to keep them in the right shape. 

I ordered my usual size and when I tried to wear them they were pretty narrow but I think it is because of their slim shape, once your foot is in they are perfect in length, the only doubt is about two spots (on both outer side, by both pinkies) that hurt pretty much, I talked with some girls that have them too and they said it is normal, after 4-5 times it doesn’t happen anymore, at the moment I wore them only once so I’m using patches and it’s ok! 

About the product and how it is made I can say they are simply perfect, when you have them on you can perceive they are high quality shoes since they simply look great, no wrinkles on the fabric (real suede), no visible glue or other flaws. They look perfect, I love this, it is like they would say “we are a pair of well crafted shoes”. They make a really good impression.

Summary of review:
Shipping: 4.5/5
Packaging: 4/5
Price/Quality: 5/5
General Impression about the product: 5/5

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Beulah London Shibani Scarf

I ordered my scarf via Beulah’s official website and I chose “click and collect” as shipping method since a friend of mine would have been in London and she offered to pick the scarf for me. 

I wrote to Beulah’s customer service to be sure everything was ok and I told them the exact day my friend would have been there.  On that day unfortunately their shop was closed for unforeseen circumstances and my friend wasn’t able to get the scarf. I sent an email to Beulah and they immediately told me they would have shipped the scarf free of charge and expressed their deepest apologies for the inconvenience. 
They shipped the scarf on Monday and I received it the day after (I live in Italy)! I was very impressed!

The Shibani came all wrapped into a WONDERFUL white paper box with red ribbon, gold Beulah’s logo and an envelope addressed directly to me with their best wishes for Christmas. Inside the box it was wrapped into red paper with their gold logo again. 

Now let’s talk about the scarf itself, one word: STUNNING. It’s super soft (wool and silk mix), bigger than how  I expected and perfumed with a “clean and fresh” scent. 

So my experience with Beulah was absolutely great despite of the inconvenience, I really appreciate their thoughtfulness to fix any problem and I absolutely would buy again from them!!

Summary of review:
Shipping: 5/5
Packaging: 6/5 :)
Price/Quality: 5/5
General Impression about the product: 5/5

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FASHION UPDATES

One of Kate's favorite designer, Jenny Packham has a diffusion line called No. 1 Jenny Packham. It is an exclusive collection done in collaboration with the UK department store, Debenhams. I recently noticed that they restocked the Gold Sequin Maxi Dress, which is identical (as far as I can see)  to the original Jenny Packham gown worn by the Duchess to the Tusk Conservation award ceremony in 2013. The best part is, it retails for a fraction of the price of the original! SHOP >

The diffusion line also has a clutch similar to the one Kate carried to the James Bond movie premiere. It too is a fraction of the price of the original Jenny Packham 'Casa' clutch! SHOP >

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Kate has got a lot of wear out of her Mint Velvet Bibi plimsolls! If she's looking to replace them with a fresh pair, she might choose Mint Velvet's new-season 'Emily' plimsolls.  The 'Emily' sneakers are identical in style to Kate's 'Bibi' but they have been updated with a contrasting  metallic silver back and grey suede tab.

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Each season, LK Bennett offers an updated collection of their iconic 'Sledge' pump in a range of fresh colours. This season, they introduced the 'Sledge' in Pearlised Champagne patent leather. The soft blush tone is neutral and coordinates with any outfit, while the pearl finish works well with evening or formal wear.

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SAVVY SALES

Stuart Weitzman has permanently reduced their popular 'Corkswoon' and 'Minx' wedges by a whopping 50%!   

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I always love hearing from fellow repliKaters, so if you would like to submit a review of your recent repliKate purchase or showcase your repliKate outfit/closet, please drop me a line at
admin@katescloset.com.au