Kate's Designers: Fashion Week

Don't you just love fashion week? Since I began blogging about Kate it's become even more interesting for me. Seeing Kate's favourite designers showcase their latest looks and getting a glimpse into what the Duchess might wear next is always fun. New York Fashion Week has just taken place. A number of designers displayed their Autumn/Winter 2012 collections. 


Beginning with Jenny Packham's glamorous collection. 

The collection is a little different from what we're used to from Packham. Bias cut gowns and 1940s pencil skirts dominated the show. However there were a number of elegant, ethereal evening gowns which we will no doubt see Kate wear throughout the year.

I read Jenny designed the collection with two of her best customers in mind, Kate and Angelina Jolie. The beautiful dress below is an 'Angelina' and is reportedly being considered for her Academy Awards dress. It would look incredible on Kate but without alteration it simply isn't her style.

The moment I saw the Ralph Lauren show I instantly thought the designs were inspired by Downton Abbey and Sherlock Holmes. Boy for girl suits and houndstooth coats dominated the first half of the show. As always I've selected the looks I feel Kate would most likely choose.

Beautiful halterneck and one shoulder gowns were also displayed. The second black dress would be *amazing* on Kate.

London Fashion Week is currently in full swing with a host of Duchess Kate's favourite designers holding shows. We've yet to see Kate wear an Emilia Wickstead piece but we know she's a fan. Beautiful elegant collection. Adore the combination of black and pink.

 Temperly opted for the 'polished folk' look with their collection. Alice continued to honour the royal wedding with sheer long sleeves evident in many pieces.

Embellishment and delicate detailing are a signature of Alice Temperly.

I don't know if we will ever see Kate wear Issa again. If we do I expect she'll be wearing the red lace dress below. As you can see the green dress is heavily influenced by Kate's engagement dress.

I've been very excited to see what the Mulberry show had to offer especially after seeing their fashion week invite, a giant gold key.

Emma Hills collection was more than a match for its stellar front row according to the Telegraph's Fashion Blog.

"This is classic Manhattan winter gear - and that's the market Mulberry has been successfully pitching for. That meant a whole ton of Mongolian fur, swinging from gilets, jackets, coats and bags."

Maurice Sendak's book 'Where The Wild Things Are' provided inspiration for the collection.

More looks from the collection.

Moments before the show Mulberry unveiled their new star bag named 'Del Rey' in honour of the singer Lana Del Rey. Described as a twist on old Hollywood glamour it is reminiscent of Kate's polly push lock bag.

Lana carrying her own bespoke bag. A definite possibility for Kate in black.

More of Kate's favourites including McQueen and Erdem will show their collection in the next couple of days. Some beautiful pieces and many of the collection designed with a certain Duchess in mind :)

Hope you all had a good weekend.

Source (Telegraph Fashion Blog, Style.com, Twitter, Mulberry, Daily Mail)

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LK Bennett To Reissue Kate Pieces, Summer Fashion For Kate, Royal Wedding Anniversary Coins + More

Whilst waiting to see what Kate chooses to wear next, the fashionable reporters over at Grazia have given us a glimpse into how the Duchess would look in this seasons most stunning pieces. The first mock-up that caught my eye featured Kate wearing red, by designers Roland Mouret and Antonio Berardi. Obviously Kate would opt to wear these in a more conservative manner, I think red is really her colour. Kate is joined by actress Carey Mulligan wearing Roland Mouret.

During the Royal visit to Leicester Kate judged several pairs of shoes created by students at De Montfort University and selected a pair of blue suede shoes covered in lace and delicate beading by design student Becka Hunt. 

Should Kate choose to wear the blue shoes what could she team them with? Below we see her in three beautiful pieces by Nina Ricci, Carven and Erdem. Blue is very much on trend this season,  There are often Amazon promos and codes available for designer fashions and cosmetics commoners can purchase :)

To really show off the shoes while staying true to her classic style, a white dress would be the ideal choice. Below we see Kate wearing Andrew Gn, Blumarine and Erdem. 

Kate looked beautiful in Calgary wearing a primrose yellow Jenny Packham dress. Will we see her wear yellow again this summer? Below we see Kate looking trendy in Mulberry, Erdem and Burberry. I simply love the lace Erdem not sure the other two would be to Kate's taste. Which of these looks would you like to see Duchess Kate wear?

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Some very exciting news for fans of Kate's style. LK Bennett has announced they will be reissuing the Davina dress in teal and the Darwin shearling jacket in black, brown and new colour camel.(With thanks to What Kate Wore) Both pieces will be available on the website from mid April. If you would like to go on the waiting list please email your desired size and information to customerservices@lkbennett.com 

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The Treasury of the British Virgin Islands have launched two new coins to mark the thirtieth birthdays and first wedding anniversary of William and Kate. The coins which are struck by the Pobjoy mint in the UK and carry informal portraits of the couple in their evening wedding attire. We see Kate wearing her Sarah Burton satin gown with a soft angora cardigan. The site also features coins commemorating Her Majesty's diamond jubilee. If you wish to find out more about the coins or purchase them please Click here.

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Duchess Kate's sartorial choices have been revitalising British fashion and now front of house staff at Kate's London home, Kensington Palace are following in her footsteps. The new uniforms designed by Jaeger were unveiled as part of the royal residence's £12 million transformation. The 128 year old firm created bright red, double breasted blazers teamed with black trousers and knee length skirts.

Design director Stuart Stockdale said

"I have been inspired by centuries of royal and court style and married this with modernity to offer the palace staff a bespoke uniform that they can feel proud of and enjoy wearing."

What are your thoughts on the designer uniforms?

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Prince Harry recently completed his celebrated royal tour in Brazil. During his time there he candidly spoke about his sister Kate and Olympic plans.

"The Three of us, my brother and my sister, will be as involved in the Olympics as we can be. I thought you were going to ask me if Kate was giving me fashion tips! She's not giving me tips yet."

I thought it a truly touching comment by Harry. No doubt Kate also think of the Prince as a brother. Looking forward to seeing future jubilee engagement with William, Harry and Kate.


Kate and the Queen feature on the current cover of Hello magazine.

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Tomorrow Prince Charles will introduce Kate to his charity Children and Arts. See you all then :)

Sources ( Grazia, LK Bennett, Hello, What Kate Wore Facebook, People)

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Kate Presents Gold Medal, Attends Rowing, Tour Itinerary, Kate's New Hairdresser + More

Kate watched the Athletics tonight and presented a medal to Great Britain's Aled Davies who won gold in the men's discus. It is the first time Kate has taken part in a medal ceremony, in her role as Olympic Ambassador and she appeared to enjoy it immensely.

Channel 4

Commentators, members of the audience and the athletes were incredibly excited to see the Duchess presenting. 

Channel 4

80,000 people sang 'God Save the Queen' with Kate in the Stadium.

Stephane Houdet Twitter

The Duchess in the stadium watching the athletics.

British Monarchy Flickr

Kate looked every inch the royal tonight in a navy suit.

The British Monarchy Flickr

Kate's blazer appears to be the Emilio Pucci double breasted jacket she wore whilst visiting Team GB's women's hockey team. It retailed at Selfridges for £1,145. The Duchess teamed the jacket with a navy dress/skirt.

Selfridges

Kate wore a Paralympic scarf.

The Duchess completed the look with her Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedges.

Stuart Weitzman

Aled Davies shared a photo of him and Kate via Twitter (With many thanks to What Kate Wore)   

Aled Davies Twitter

You can watch a video at Channel 4.

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Duchess Kate braved the rain earlier today to witness Team GB's Paralympic rowers successfully compete against Germany at Eton Dorney. Kate clutched an umbrella as she walked into the venue and sat beside Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor. Kate chatted to Lady Louise, who was a flower girl at the Royal wedding. The two appear to get along wonderfully.

London 2012

Set in a 400 acre park within a nature conservation area, Eton Dorney, rowing centre at Dorney Lake, is acclaimed as one of the finest rowing venues in the world. It is located twenty five miles west of London.

London 2012

The rowing team added the gold medal to the world title they won last year. 

London 2012

Kate wore a Team GB jacket with skinny jeans and her red Adidas Supernova Glide 4 shoes.  Obviously the Duchess is supporting Team GB with her clothing choices for the Paralympics as she did with the Olympics.

Adidas

Kate thoroughly enjoyed the rowing and was seen punching her hands in the air when Team GB  won. You can view a selection of fabulous photos from the event at PopSugar.

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Exciting news regarding the upcoming royal tour. William, Kate and Harry's Principal Private Secretary and Equerry Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton has released a statement which includes a detailed itinerary for the South-East Asia tour. It's is a very interesting read. On the sidebar you will see 'Kate's Upcoming Dates' which has been updated to include the couple's engagements during the tour. It certainly looks like it's going to be a wonderful tour. Are you looking forward to it? :)

The statement finishes with information on the tour party and flights. The couple will travel on all scheduled flights except between Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabulu and between Sabah, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu and will return home to London via a brief change of aircraft in Brisbane.

'The tour part is consistent with Their Royal Highnesses' last tour to Canada, and the only difference is the addition of an orderly, who will manage tour logistics and other practicalities. The tour party consists of me (Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton) and the Assistant Private Secretary Rebecca Deacon, two press officers at one time, including Miguel Head, a personal assistant, the orderly I just mentioned and  - paid for privately - a hairdresser. Sir David Manning will also accompany Their Royal Highnesses'.

The hairdresser who will accompany Kate is Amanda Cook Tucker. The 50-year-old is no stranger to  royal circles and has previously cut William and Harry's hair. Kate is a loyal customer at the Richard Ward salon but has been using Mrs. Cook to style her hair at home. With the hot and humid weather having a hairdresser close by will be an invaluable asset for the Duchess.

Daily Mail

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Despite being one of the world's most famous women, Kate managed to go unrecognised when she visited a watersports store near her Anglesey home. Kate popped into the shop in the tiny resort of Rhosneigr to buy a wetsuit but had forgotten her cash and credit card. She then asked owner Dave Buckland if she could reserve it and pop back later. A source told the Daily Mail:

'He was happy to reserve the suit, but then produced a pen and asked for her name. Perhaps she was trying to play down her destiny as future Queen, but she replied "Mrs Cambridge". He commented it was quite an unusual name. She just smiled and said she'd be back. He hasn't lived it down since'.

A look at scenic Rhosneigr.

Wikipedia

Kate is expected to watch the Athletics tonight. See you all then :)

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Kate loves: Restaurants

Tonight's post is a continuation of our 'Kate loves' series. I would like to thank you all for your suggestions, I will include as many as possible. For this post let's take a look at Kate's favourite restaurants. Again I hope it will be helpful for those visiting the U.K. or anyone hoping to get a glimpse into Kate's favourite eateries.


Last March Duchess Kate was photographed enjoying a meal at Italian restaurant, Riccardo's.

Riccardo's has been a popular restaurant in Chelsea since 1995. The concept is quite different from your usual Italian. 'no starters, no mains, just great tasting dishes in the order of your choice'. If you reside within close proximity you can avail of home delivery. Pricing is also incredibly reasonable. Take a look at the menu which includes gluten free, vegetarian and vegan alternatives.......

The review for Riccardo's are excellent. Good quality Italian food is a part of almost everyone's diet and this restaurant ticks all the boxes. 

MyChelsea.com

'Riccardo's restaurant is a godsend. I was recently put on a wheat free diet and I didn't think I'd ever be able to eat pasta outside my own kitchen again. Not so - Riccardo's offers several truly delicious wheat free versions of classic dishes alongside their regular kind. All the food wheat free or not is delicious and the atmosphere is pure Chelsea'.

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Kate celebrated her 26th birthday at Tom Aikens Restaurant.

Tom Aiken's specialises in French cuisine. We know Kate is a fan of foie gras having ordered it at Koffman's for a pre wedding lunch date with Camilla. One can expect to pay an average of £55 for a meal there. Located on 43 Elystan St. the restaurant has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment and was reopened this month.

William and Kate enjoyed a casual lunch at Tom Aiken's sister restaurant, Tom's Kitchen in 2009.

Located on Cale Street, Tom's Kitchen is a very relaxed, casual eatery. Comforting favourites such as blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and steak sandwiches. 

A look at the delicious breakfast menu.

Despite the wonderful food, one of the most inviting aspects of Tom's Kitchen is the beautiful decor. 

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William and Kate reportedly enjoyed romantic dinners at unorthodox restaurant Dans Le Noir. You're probably wondering about the unorthodox bit. Well the concept of Dans Le Noir is quite simply, dinner is eaten in the dark and customers are served anonymously by blind waiters. The perfect venue for a couple wishing to remain anonymous. Customers can also avail of surprise menus whereby one does not know what dish they will be served.

One can also 'immerse their sensory experience' by trying one of the delicious cocktails available at the bar or lounge. 

I think it's safe to say a feast for the sense can be expected at Dans Le Noir :)

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Many of you may have heard a rumour that has been circulating in the press regarding William and Kate participating in a run in aid of Sport Relief. The run which takes place on March 25 seemed like the ideal appearance for the couple. However Clarence House have announced the couple will not be participating. Dates for Prince Harry's tour of brazil are being released so I'm hopeful we'll hear something about William and Kate's tour plans shortly!

sources (daily mail, zimbio, clarence house, big pictures,)

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