The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge grace the cover of Vanity Fair

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge grace the cover of Vanity Fair. The cover features a never before seen photograph of the newly engaged couple. William and Kate can hardly contain their excitement, both with beaming smiles. The photograph, taken by Mario Testino depicts a young couple very much in love. Shot in St James' Palace, Testino was not nervous about shooting Kate for the first time: 'I felt very confident she would be an easy sitter because of her natural grace'. It includes iconic photos of Princess Diana taken by Testino. In the July issue the article discusses who does the chores and why the couple had to have philadelphia cheese on their honeymoon. When the couple looked at their wedding footage they were beside themselves with giggles. The issue hits stands on June 3 and it certainly sounds like an interesting read. I think Testino captures William and Kate beautifully!

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Kate Loves: Gowns Part 2

For Part 2 of 'Kate Loves: Gowns' we'll take a look at all of Kate's evening gown choices since the royal wedding beginning with the rose sequin Jenny Packham gown the Duchess wore for the ARK Gala in June 2011. 

It was Kate's first red carpet appearance as HRH Duchess of Cambridge and the shimmering gown from Packham's Spring/Summer 2011 RTW collection hit all the right notes: elegant, sophisticated, glamorous and perfect for the occasion. We recently looked at Kate's pre wedding gown choices and noted she favoured halternecks, particularly Issa pieces. At the ARK Gala we saw Kate's style evolve and it has continued to do that since.

A closer look at the stunning detail on the dress. Definitely one I hope to see Kate wearing again.

In July 2011 the Cambridges visited Los Angeles after their first royal tour together in Canada. The royals were the toast of tinseltown at a BAFTA reception held at the Belasco Theatre. Kate stunned the crowd in a beautiful Alexander McQueen grecian gown. The couple spent the evening with Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks and Nicole Kidman.

Kate's chandelier diamond earrings were loaned to her by the Queen. They looked beautiful with the lavender gown.

Kate wore the Sarai Dress by Beulah London for 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala held at St James' Palace in October. 

100 Women In Hedge Funds Facebook

Interestingly Beulah London was started by one of Prince William's former girlfriends, Natasha Rufus Isaacs. The label supports a number of charities, no doubt this influenced Kate when deciding to wear the Sarai dress. The silk jersey and chiffon fabric dress retailed at £680.

Kate made her first solo engagement late in October, standing in for Prince Charles, who was in Saudi Arabia following the death of the Crown Prince. A palace aide said Kate was to delighted to step in for Prince Charles at the event held for In Kind Direct.  The Duchess chose a grecian Amanda Wakeley gown with criss-cross straps for the dinner. 

Kate wore a one shouldered satin chiffon Jenny Packham gown for a reception at St James' Palace in support of the National Memorial Aboretum Appeal in November. 

Angelina Jolie wore a very similar Jenny Packham dress to the 'Tree of Life' premiere last year.

Radar Online

Next up, my own personal favourite.

Kate looked stunning a black velvet strapless McQueen gown at the Sun Military Awards in December. Kate's dress was modified from this $6,000 dress. I recall a number of reporters and photographers commenting on how beautiful Kate looked in the dress. The Duchess also wore striking diamond and ruby jewellery which the Palace said were a gift from a family friend.

In January Kate wore a black lace Temperly Amoret gown to the War Horse Premiere in London.

The long sleeved lace dress was recently released by Temperly. It is available to purchase online for the princely sum of €3235. It is a classic, timeless evening gown. Kate adores lace and looked incredibly relaxed at the premiere.

Temperly

William and Kate attended an exclusive dinner at Claridge's in May. Kate wore the Roland Mouret Lombard gown. The creamy white colour, long sleeves and split made for a gorgeous look, In my opinion one of Kate's best. Mr Mouret spoke to Grazia about the much talked about split: 'I think it was quite fantastic there was a split up the front. It was not too much. I think I did quite well'.

A lovely photo of William and Kate leaving Claridge's.

William and Kate supported Team GB in their roles as Olympic Ambassadors at the Our Greatest Team Rises event in May. Kate chose a bespoke version of Jenny Packham's 'Aspen' bridal gown. 

The style combined an emerald lace bodice embellished with Swarovski crystals and a pleated skirt, ribbon waisted with a crystal and flower embellishment. Kate wore her hair up for the event, something of a departure for the Duchess who favours wearing her hair down, allowing the striking detail on the back of the dress to be seen.

Which gown is your favourite? Does any designer stand out for you? Looking forward to seeing Kate's evening gown choices in the future!

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The Duchess of Cambridge's patronages to include helping children, the Arts and becoming a scout volunteer!

It has been officially announced that the Duchess of Cambridge has become patron of four charities. Kate's choices include the arts, utilising her Art History degree and helping children. The lucky four are Oxford based charity The Art Room, The National Portrait Gallery, Action on Addiction and  East Anglia's Children's Hospices. Kate will undetake her first official visits shortly with the first one expected to be within the next eight weeks. St James' Palace said


"The Duchess of Cambridge considers it an honour to be associated with her patronages and is very much looking forward to getting stuck in. Of her four patronages two were selected from letter sent to St James' and the other two through research. Action on Addiction was chosen because as she visited young people's charities almost everyone working in the field pointed to addiction as a major problem and she wanted to help highlight that. More organisations will follow but she wanted to pick a few she can get involved with on a regular basis'.


While in Anglesey Kate will also volunteer privately as a scout with UK Scouting. The palace were eager to stress that William and Kate want to give something back to Anglesey. The Queen is a patron of the scouts and will be pleased to see Kate getting involved.

As an ex brownie, Kate is already well prepared.

Despite her high profile name Kate had to undergo a criminal records check. It is expected Kate will help to supervise games and go on weekend camps. She will also wear the standard uniform, a polo shirt and scarf.


The scout shirt, I can see Kate making this a fashion must have :) (With thanks to WKW FB)

Let's find out a little more about Kate's choices as we will be seeing her working with them in the future. The Art Room is an Oxford based charity aimed at helping 5-16 year olds experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. They currently have five school and offer art therapy as a means of helping to increase children's self esteem and sense of independence. 

Kate made a private visit to The Art Room in November dressed casually. Kate obviously took this decision very seriously and it was months in the planning.

Kate also spent time researching her next choice, The National Portrait Gallery. Kate was spotted spending an afternoon taking a tour of the gallery last September. The gallery is a splendid choice for Kate, as an Art History student Kate can appreciate the fact it has the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. Founded in 1856 the aim of the gallery is to 


'promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who have made and are making British history and culture, and to promote the appreciation and understanding of portraiture in all media'.

Portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots

Kate is eager to use her role for good and her next choice reveals how in touch the Duchess is with social problems. Action on Addiction aims to help people with addiction problems through prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, support for families, education and workforce development. Sadly one in three people suffer from addiction, often in silence. With a high profile figure like Kate supporting this cause hopefully more people will open up and the charity will get the vital support it needs.

Kate's final choice is one that touched my heart. The East Anglia's Children's Hospices known as EACH, supports families and cares for children with life threatening or serious conditions across Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. EACH needs to raise around £4.8 million in public donations to continue providing the service needed. These essential service which include therapies and home care are simply vital. When Kate visited the hospice a thirteen year old girl grabbed her by the hand and took her to the play room, Kate took off her shoes to play on the mats.

The hospice is always planning exciting new projects and ways to improve the service offered to children. They are currently fundraising for a new play area. 

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