Weekly Wrap-Up, 23rd Jul 2016

NEWS

Kate took a week off public appearances but did carry out a private engagement with Prince William and Prince George. The royal trio marked the 75th anniversary of the Special Air Service (SAS) at a high-security military base near Hereford. There are no photos of the event due to the classified nature of the facility. Read more at Daily Mail.

This week there was a very special announcement from the Middleton family. Kate’s younger sister Pippa got engaged to hedge fund manager James Matthews! A spokesperson for William and Kate said: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are absolutely delighted with the news."

UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS

24th July 2016
The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge will return to Portsmouth for the city's second America's Cup sailing event. William & Kate will also visit the America's Cup Race Village to meet the competing teams and young people involved with the 1851 Trust of which Kate is patron.

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REPLIKATE ROUNDUP

Below are my favourite repliKates of the week:

Karen Kane US$42.99

Jessica Simpson US$89

TJ Maxx US$43

DVF US$238

ModCloth US$79.99

Etsy S$150

eShakti $48.95

DBakerJewelry US$30

Saks Fifth Ave US$59.99

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MIX & MATCH

Kate's outfits are always impeccable but can sometimes be a little too formal for most of us to wear on a daily basis.  In this occasional segment, I show how you can create everyday repliKate outfits by mixing and matching key pieces!

The Roland Mouret 'Nansen' Royal Blue Cold-Shoulder Gown was a big hit with fans when Kate wore it for the SportAid Gala.

Embed from Getty Images

There are plenty alternatives for this dress (see here) and I particularly like the ones made from soft jersey fabric. It's such a versatile look that can easily be dressed up or down as shown below:

SHOP DAY LOOK: Dress $19.95 | Earrings $15.00 | Clutch $15.95 | Wedges $54.99

SHOP NIGHT LOOK: Dress $19.95 | Earrings $24.00 | Clutch £14.00 | Sandals $100.00

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PRODUCT REVIEW

This week, Marianna from Books, Birkins & Beauty blog kindly reviewed her recent purchase of the Soru Baroque Pearl Earrings. Here's what she has to say:

The ones I ordered are this season's style, so not exactly those worn by Kate, but there are great similarities, and I expect I'm among the first to receive them, so hopefully it might help others decide!

Embed from Getty Images

The only difference with Kate's is the style of the pearl, which is more elongated and, of course, double-sided in the new season version. 

The ordering process was pleasantly straightforward - Soru Jewellery certainly didn't seem overwhelmed by the 'Kate-effect', as happens to some brands, and that was reassuring! I ordered the earrings on Thursday afternoon, straight after they were identified, and they shipped on Friday.

I received my Soru parcel on the following Thursday.

The earrings came in a lizard-embossed black and gold box tied with personalized ribbon. A handwritten note was included, which was a lovely touch. The earrings were stored in a black velvet pouch with the Soru logo embossed in gold.

Now on to measures, since I couldn't find them anywhere on the Soru website - the shorter style I ordered is approximately 4.2 cm long and 2.2 cm at its widest point. The round ear post is 0.9 cm in diameter.

While Kate's feature double-sided baroque pearls, mine have a plain back in hammered gold vermail, featuring the name Soru rather prominently and stamped with the 925 silver hallmark.

Overall, they have a pleasantly solid, well-made finish (the crystals don't look like they're about to fall off, which is sometimes a concern with cheaper jewellery and would be disastrous here as there are so many), they sparkle beautifully (the photos don't do them justice at all) and the pearls have great lustre.
 
I encourage you to visit Marianna's blog for a comprehensive review.

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FASHION UPDATES

Kate's new favorite shoes, the L.K. Bennett 'Fern' trench leather pumps have finally crossed the pond and are now available on the USA/CAN website! Click to SHOP >

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Also new to the LK Bennett USA website is the 'Lara' dress! It is the new season version of the popular 'Lasa' poppy dress. Click to SHOP >

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If you love all things that glitter and Kate's Mint Velvet grey suede plimsolls, then you're going to WANT Mint Velvet's new 'Lydia' trainer featuring a sparkly back!

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BRAND SPOTLIGHT

Each week I like to devote a little time browsing the websites of Kate's favourite brands and designers. This week, many of the ready-to-wear pieces from Erdem caught my eye. I came across these Duchess-worthy styles by the Canadian-born designer:

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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
[email protected]