We're back with news of an engagement in Scotland tomorrow and (finally) kicking off our 'Best of 2018' polls. This year, we're taking a look at Kate's best Day Dresses throughout the year and asking you to choose your favourite. The choices span a variety of styles from Kate's maternity wear to repeats and new looks throughout the autumn/winter.
Vote for Kate's Best Day Dress
First up, it's the Seraphine Florrie Dress Kate wore for a visit to Reach Academy in January. The Duchess debuted the dress back in 2015 when she was expecting Charlotte. It is described as "Made in soft woven fabric, this elegant dress drapes beautifully to finish just above the knee, allowing plenty of movement and a flexible fit for before, during and after pregnancy. Featuring a feminine curved empire line to define your waist".
For the launch of Mentally Healthy Schools, Kate was elegant in a Seraphine royal blue tailored maternity dress. The Duchess sported the versatile A-line piece once again the following month for the Royal Foundation Forum.
It was a green bespoke version of the Catherine Walker Bea dress for a day of engagements with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in Sweden.
The following day the Duchess selected a metallic wool-blend boucle tweed Alexander McQueen dress. This remains one of my favourite pieces from the tour wardrobe; the cut and fabric are reminiscent of timeless Chanel designs.
Kate looked effortlessly stylish in the Seraphine Marlene dress in Norway. Described as: "The soft woven skirt sweeps elegantly to the knee, creating a flattering A-line silhouette that’s perfect before, during and after pregnancy. The stunning lace bodice is lined in comfortable stretch jersey, while the elegant long sleeves are made in stylish peek-a-boo lace, with subtle bell detailing at the cuffs. Velvet ribbon detailing at the empire waist, cuffs and collar complete the look." Kate wore the piece again in March for a Place2Be engagement.
Kate wore the Seraphine Phaedra dress for engagements in Sunderland.
Kate was radiant in a red Jenny Packham bespoke dress when she and William introduced Prince Louis on the steps of St Mary's. The dress features a white lace peter pan collar.
For an afternoon at the Houghton Hall Horse Trials, Kate wore the very pretty summery ZARA Flocked Print Dress. The sky blue dress features off-the-shoulder short-puff sleeves, floral appliqué details with a velvet effect and embroidered sequins on the front and sleeves.
For Trooping The Colour, Kate selected a bespoke icy blue Alexander McQueen dress. The piece features defined shoulders and a structured silhouette.
Kate was stylish and casual in the Striped Off-The-Shoulder ZARA dress for a day at the polo with George and Charlotte. The $70 piece is described as "Dress with a plunging neckline and open shoulders. Vertical gathering in the front and back. Belt at the waist in the same material. A-line silhouette. Front button-up fastening."
Kate chose bespoke McQueen for Prince Louis' Christening. The dress features a v neck and puff sleeves. It was a very elegant look and an ideal choice for the occasion.
For an afternoon of impressive tennis at Wimbledon, Kate was appropriately attired in a 'tennis ball' print Jenny Packham dress with ruffle detailing.
The following day, the Duchess chose a summery yellow Dolce & Gabbana dress for a day of courtside action.
For the ministerial mental health summit in October, Kate brought back her much loved lavender Emilia Wickstead dress. The piece has a flattering boat neckline and long darts throughout the back and front of the bodice.
For Princess Eugenie's Windsor wedding, Kate chose a vibrant raspberry pink McQueen dress with ruching at the neckline and waist and a paperbag skirt. This was another winner for me, the shade worked particularly well with Kate's colouring.
The Duchess wore the burgundy Whistles Margot dress for a reception in honour of the BBC Teen Hero Awards.
Kate brought back her blue Jenny Packham dress from the 2016 Canada tour to view letters from relatives who died during WW1 at the Imperial War Museum. It's a beautifully crafted, tailored garment with gathered shoulders, a belt, and detailing at the collar and back.
Kate wore the Alessandra Rich Pleated polka-dot silk crepe de chine midi dress for Prince Charles' 70th birthday portraits. The piece is described as: "Alessandra Rich was inspired by Alfred Eisenstaedt's 1945 photograph of a sailor kissing a stranger in Times Square for her Spring '18 collection. Capturing the essence of that iconic moment, this vintage-inspired dress is cut from polka-dot silk crepe de chine that falls to a pleated midi skirt."
The Duchess wore her blue belted Eponine London dress in November for engagements in South Yorkshire. Kate debuted the dress for a visit to the Anna Freud Centre in 2017. From the 2016 Autumn/Winter collection, it's a classic silhouette from a brand that specialises in bespoke womenswear inspired by the silhouettes of the fifties and sixties.
The Duchess wore her teal wool crepe Emilia Wickstead 'Alice' coat-dress for a surprise BBC visit. She debuted the piece in 2014 during the Australia/New Zealand tour.
Finally, the Duchess looked festive in the green polka-dot L.K. Bennett Mortimer dress for a pre-Christmas visit to her new patronage Evelina London. The £325 dress is described as: "Designed in understated green and cream patterned silk, the Mortimer dress is a key style to wear through the season. The fitted waist helps shape an hourglass silhouette, while the pussy-bow detail adds a feminine touch to this button-down design."
Finally, William and Kate will travel to Dundee tomorrow to officially open V&A Dundee and greet members of the public on the waterfront. The Palace said: "The Duchess of Cambridge will make a short speech celebrating the addition of this major new cultural centre for Scotland and the UK, in her role as Patron of V&A." I understand the media were aware of the visit for a week or two, however it was officially embargoed until today. I imagine there might be another event on the itinerary which is being kept under wraps for security reasons.
See you all tomorrow :)
I went with the yellow worn at Wimbledon. I thought it looked really nice on her.
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteI liked that dress, also! Very summery & flattering. She’s so lucky she can wear almost any colour & look good 👍🏻
DeleteI went with the white McQueen tweed. It was just so elegant and flattering.
ReplyDeleteThis post has reminded me how much I liked Kate’s maternity wear this time around. Third time’s a charm.
I also went withe the white McQueen tweed. Timeless classic. Beautiful fabric and tailoring. She looks so elegant in it.
DeleteIt almost feels absurd seeing Kate pregnant at the beginning of last year. Somehow it feels so long ago!
ReplyDeleteShe had a splendid year, and a really nice work wardrobe.
Will be fun to see them again tomorrow! I really like away days!
I agree, Rebecca! 2018 was a jam-packed year and she transitioned back into her working role with such aplomb. The newest royal baby shared the news cycle with lots of Windsor family news. For what it is worth, I think the raspberry McQueen is one of the most beautiful colors the DoC has ever worn. It suited her perfectly. I also adore the off-shoulder Zara dress worn at William's polo match.
DeleteI thought the same thing, Rebecca. It seems like its been forever...but it was only a year!
DeleteSame here, Rebecca. It feels like ages ago that Louis was born but it was only last year!
DeleteSo many. Seems like this could be broken down into a few polls. Several categories could be made. I cannot choose as there are too many. Some much more casual 'play' dresses. Some more dressy. Some her day events. Just too too many for me to narrow down to one choice.
ReplyDeleteNice selection .
You can vote for more than one, the poll allows for multiple choices.
DeleteYeah! I was so glad to try it and find you had enabled multiple choices. I voted for the white boucle for her maternity look, for the lavender Wickstead for a less formal day dress and for the raspberry McQueen for a more formal day dress, and I give an alternate vote here to the blue Packham worn to the Imperial War Museum. I didn't vote for a "play" dress, although I liked the striped Zara more than the tennis ball print dress. The other one she wore for tennis, the yellow D&G, is very lovely, too much so to belong in a "play" category. Maybe I'll give it another alternate vote, but only here. I was thinking the "play dress" category is one she used a lot more before marriage and children.
Delete@Marci in Utah: Those were my exact top 3 choices, too! :-)
DeleteDid I miss that? Oh well then let me vote! Thank you!
DeleteRaspberry pink McQueen was my choice, she looks beautiful and polished and I think strong colors compliment her, even though she is lovely in light colors as well.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to tomorrow engagement thank you Charlotte here too for your hard work on both blogs :)
Silvia
She does wear the nicest dresses! Some really stand out but all are at least very attractive and definitely flattering. It looks like she and Will are going to be busy as a rule now, so royal watching of the two duchesses should be a lot of fun!!
ReplyDeleteThat white tweet dress was just perfection.
ReplyDeleteBut I did vote for more than one because I love so many of her looks!! She's always perfect!
Excited for the Dundee visit tomorrow!! 😁
ReplyDeleteShouldn't her outfit from Harry & Meghan's wedding be included w/ this grouping?
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteThe McQueen piece in primrose/light blue is a coatdress, that will be included in the coats/coatdress poll.
I'm sure I'll continue to be in the minority, but I voted for the green L.K. Bennett Mortimer dress. It combines my love of the color green (and Kate in it) and polka dots! Close behind were the yellow Dolce & Gabbana, the Whistles Margo dress (I love small prints) and the Alessandra Rich polka dot dress.
ReplyDeleteShe's following the Queen's plan of paring down to a few flattering designs and varying the colors. That makes it hard to choose just one, there's not a huge stand-out runaway WOW! this year. I like the raspberry color, and the green shirtwaist, instead of going for the usual blues.
ReplyDeleteHmm i love all the looks hmm hello Magazine started campaign hello kindness For all the fan wars about The two duchesses of cambridge and sussex im looking forward tomorrow joint engagement
ReplyDeleteWhat about the yellow McQueen to Harry and Meghan’s wedding?
ReplyDeleteDifficult to chose! There are so many lovely looks... anyway, I decided for the raspberry McQueen, the Dolce&Gabbana yellow and the L.K. Bennett Mortimes dress... but there are many others I like.
ReplyDeleteIt 's so hard to choose.I fallen in love with simply classic of white preganacy dress from McQueen.Also I adore rich shadow of rapsberry,lavendar and sunny yellow.And of course incredible tailoring of christening dress !I like too floral dresses from last periods of pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteI finally chose the lilac dress; it fitted so beautifully. It is difficult to choose, as she looked so beautiful whatever she wore.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing them together today and according to this morning's papers two very different visits and a "meet the people in between"/
ReplyDeleteThere were so many great options. Ultimately, I went with the yellow from Wimbledon; she looked fantastic.
Charlotte, I think everyone (including me) agrees with your top two favourites: the Boucle Tweed McQueen & Raspberry pink dress she wore to Eugenie & Jack’s wedding. Both are sublime 👌🏻She had so many great looks it was hard to choose 🤔
ReplyDeleteI actually don't agree, in fact they are two of my least favorite ones. While the color on the raspberry dress is stunning, I feel that the dress itself is over-designed. Too many pleats and folds. And while I normally like simple designs and textured fabric, the boucle dress to me seems too heavy and bulky - or maybe it's just that she was pregnant. I would like to see a non-maternity version of it and maybe I would change my mind.
DeleteCan definitely see Kate has developed her preferred silhouettes in this selection. I chose the Phaedra for maternity wear, and the pink McQueen because it is such a stand-out color and a style we now associate with Kate. Thanks for the great review of Kates's dresses, Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteI love everything she wears, but its nice to see her relaxing and dressing casual once in a while, so I like the Zara dress at the Polo match the most.
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlotte for the lovely post. You're, as usual, a breath of fresh air amid the current royal conversations.
ReplyDelete~ Jennifer, San Francisco
Loved the yellow and the McQueens. Kate is gorgeous and I like that she not appear overly concerned with being a fashion queen. She does have the figure though, to get a bit more edgy at times. But overall she is comforting to look at and exudes way more confidence lately.
ReplyDeleteI love that Kate is sticking true to her style which is classic, timeless, and elegant. I know a lot of people want her dress more trendy but at end of the day I think we should let her decide on how she wants her style to be. My favorite dresses is definitely the Blue Jenny Packham, Yellow D&G Dress, and the Raspberry McQueen. Looking forward for many more classic looks this year.
ReplyDeleteToo hard to choose, they all look so wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness this post reminded me how much I loved her fashion this year!! My favorite that ultimately won my vote was the Raspbery McQueen. I had no idea it would be the most popular one from all of them! Runner up was the McQueen tweed and then third was the yellow one she wore to Wimbledon. I also LOVED all 3 polka dot ones she wore. I couldn't pick a favorite. Although I guess if I HAD to pick I would pick the blue polka dot with white sleeves she wore in Prince Charles' birthday portrait. Such a great fashion year! Love you Kate and excited to watch your family grow!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlotte for all the love you put into this blog! It's a welcome respite for so many of us from the ugly going on in the world. <3
I have to choose the off the shoulder Zara dress, not for its look, but for the feeling that I got when I saw Kate in it. Kate looked comfortable and relaxed, and this is right after she had Louis! I also liked that she was a bit fuller then and looked healthy and vibrant. Her other dresses are more formal for work, but the Zara dress on a casual outing did it for me.
ReplyDelete