Duchess Kate debuts Dolce & Gabbana to showcase British creative culture to Chinese President21/10/2015
This morning, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met the Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Madame Peng Liyuan at Lancaster House to view the "Creative Collaborations" exhibition, as part of the Chinese state visit to the UK.
The event was a celebration of the cultural ties between the UK and China and was an opportunity for the foursome to meet a range of UK and Chinese companies working in creative collaboration.
My favorite photo of the day is of Kate walking past the TARDIS and a Darlek! Yes, I'm a Doctor Who fan :)
Kate surprised us today by debuting a new frock from Dolce & Gabbana. The Italian design house isn't a brand we would normally associate with the Duchess. In fact, this is the first piece she has ever worn from D&G.
Kate choose a deep purple Guipure lace dress designed with a high neck. The sheer lace dress comes with a silk-blend slip for coverage. It retails for US$3,495 and is currently available from Net-a-Porter, My Theresa and Luisaviaroma.
In addition to D&G, Kate premiered another Italian designer. On her feet were the Gianvito Rossi 'Gianvito' pumps. A huge thanks to @YourLoveMoments for the ID! The 'Gianvito' model is Rossi's signature pump and the style comes in a range of colours, fabrics and heel heights. I emailed Gianvito Rossi and they have confirmed that Kate wore the 'Gianvito 105' (105 mm heel height) in Royale Burgundy suede.
Kate completed her outfit with a couple of familiar pieces. Kate wore her Mappin & Webb 'Empress' earrings and carried her Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch in cranberry suede. You may recall that Kate also owns this clutch in black suede.
The black suede version is one of her go-to clutches but we have only seen Kate carry the cranberry 'Bayswater' clutch on one other occasion. It made its debut on Christmas Day in 2011.
I'll be back on Friday to cover William and Kate's visit to Dundee, Scotland where they go by the titles, The Earl and Countess of Strathearn. They have five engagements planned while there, including a walkabout and participation in an anti-bullying workshop.
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The Royal Family rolled out the red carpet tonight for the visiting Chinese President, Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan. Her Majesty the Queen hosted a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in honour of the President and First Lady. Queen Elizabeth was joined at the head table by her husband Prince Philip, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
This was the Cambridge's first state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Both looked majestic, with William in white tie, and Kate in a glittering red Jenny Packham gown and Papyrus tiara on loan from the Queen.
The Lotus Flower (or Papyrus tiara) was first worn by the Duchess at the white-tie reception for diplomats at Buckingham Palace in December 2013. The tiara dates back to the 1920's and was made from a diamond and pearl necklace given to the late Queen Mother when she married the future King George VI. In 1959 the Queen Mother gave it to Princess Margaret but it passed back into the Royal Collection after her death.
Kate teamed the tiara with diamond chandelier earrings also on loan to her by the Queen.
You may recall, that Kate first wore these earrings in 2011 at the the BAFTA event in Los Angles.
While the jewellery vault was open, Kate opted to also borrow two diamond bracelets, one for each wrist. On her left wrist Kate wore a diamond bracelet that was a wedding gift to HM from Prince Philip. It is made from diamonds from a tiara once belonging to his mother, Princess Andrew of Greece.
On her right wrist, Kate wore the Queen Mary Chain-Link bracelet. It was originally a choker that belonged to Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of George V. It was later converted to a bracelet by the late Queen Mother.
Tonight Kate wore a a bespoke Jenny Packham dress, in the colour of China's flag. The floor length gown has a round-neck, cap sleeves, sequined fitted bodice and full skirt.
Hopefully HD photos showing the full gown will be released by the Palace. For now we have to make do with this screen grab from the BBC footage.
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Following their engagement at Harrow College to mark World Mental Health Day, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge headed to Twickenham stadium to watch the Rugby World Cup match between Australia and Wales.
Kate made a wardrobe change and arrived at the stadium wearing her Reiss 'Delany' coat atop a black turtle neck top and black stretch skinny pants.
You may recall that Kate debuted the coat in December 2013 when she visited the Shooting Star House Children’s Hospice. The Reiss 'Delaney' coat is a collarless jacket with seam detailing, a flared fit, slit pockets, and fastens with a single concealed button. It retailed for £275.
On her feet were her trusty Aquatalia 'Rhumba' boots.
Tonight, we also saw the return of another favourite, the Tod's Dove Grey D-Styling Bauletto Bag. This piece has been in Kate's closet since 2009.
When Kate entered the stadium she put on a dark red scarf. Due to the poor quality images, it is impossible to identify the scarf.
However, there's a chance she could be wearing the Welsh Rugby Union 'Bevan' scarf (sold out).
She kept on her new KIKI yellow gold diamond pave leaf earrings from earlier today.
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Today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Harrow College to mark World Mental Health Day. They attended an event hosted by Mind, the mental health charity which provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
Work to build awareness and understanding of mental health problems is a priority for the Cambridges. Prince William recently took part in an anti-bullying workshop run by the Diana Awards charity, while Duchess Kate visited the Anna Freud Centre in London to extend her work on the mental health of children.
Today, the royal couple meet young people who have battled their own mental health problems and now volunteer with Mind in Harrow or the anti-stigma campaign "Time to Change", to raise awareness about mental health with other young people.
To ensure the media focus stayed on today's important event, Kate opted to recycle her Tory Burch 'Paulina' dress.
She first wore it in 2014 during the Royal Tour of New Zealand. It premiered at the Plunket Society playdate with Prince George.
Kate accessorized with her usual combination of Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch and Stuart Weitzman 'Power' pumps, both in black suede leather.
There was however a new addition to today's ensemble. Kate debuted the Kiki McDonough 'Lauren' yellow gold pave diamond leaf earrings (£2,200). These elegantly small 18ct yellow gold and pave diamond leaf motif drop earrings are from KIKI's new Lauren Collection inspired by the British ballerina Lauren Cuthbertson.
There's a good chance we will see the Duke and Duchess again today at the Rugby World Cup match between Wales and Australia. Stay tuned!
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