First of all, Happy Mother's Day! I appreciate all you do, Mumsie! :)
Here it is! My biggest post yet! As most everyone knows, I have a slight addiction of keeping up with the British royals. I think the Duchess of Cambridge is one of the most stylish women in the world today, mixing couture with high street, classic with fashion-forward. She always has the look of perfection (I'm convinced she could totally rock a potato sack, and even THOSE would fly off the shelves if she wore them), and has already cemented herself as a fashion icon.
I have loved her tour looks so far - each one better than the next. The Royal Tour was in New Zealand/Australia this year, and the couple have even brought little Prince George with them! He is way too cute for his own good - probably one of the cutest babies I've ever seen.
After fawning over Georgie, on to my favorite part of any royal tour - the fashion!
The first leg of the tour kicked off on April 7th, beginning in Wellington, New Zealand.
The Duchess started off the tour deplaning in a chic red Catherine Walker coat dress (many will note it may have been a nod to Diana's first trip to Australia). She topped off her look with a pillbox hat from Gina Foster, matching brown suede heels and clutch from Emmy, a diamond fern brooch on loan from HM, white topaz Kiki McDonough earrings, and, of course, Prince George!
The Cambidges took the next day off to get on the correct time zone, so they would be well rested for Prince George's first official royal engagement on April 9th, a play date!
For the play date, the Duchess chose a black and white printed knit dress from Tory Burch (yep, it was one of those crazy sell-out-in-8-minutes type of deals). She paired the dress with a black suede pair of Jimmy Choo's and Annoushka pearl drop earrings.
The next day, the royal couple had an appearance at the Blenheim War Memorial to lay a wreath down in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the First World War.
For this appearance, the Duchess donned a periwinkle Alexander McQueen suit coat most likely bespoke, accessorized with blue suede McQueen pumps, blue suede Stuart Weitzman clutch, and sapphire/diamond earrings (thought to be a re-done pair from Diana). Chic, yet, somber ensemble for the event.
Now, as far as this tour goes, there weren't very many "fancy" receptions scheduled (aka, no tiaras or fabulous evening gowns to be seen :( ). The one fancier event was the State reception at Government House.
For this reception, the Duchess wore a bespoke (for those of you not familiar with the term, it means customized) black Jenny Packham dress, complete with the New Zealand fern. She completed her look with black Jimmy Choo pumps, a black suede Mulberry clutch, and diamond earrings with matching bracelet.
The next day of the tour called for more relaxed Will and Kate looks, with their day spent greeting base personnel and their families at Whenuapai Air Force Base, followed by a friendly "race" with members of team New Zealand yacht racers.
For the first leg of the day, Kate wore a new navy Zara blazer, paired with Zara jeans, breton top by Me + Em, blue suede wedges by Stuart Weitzman, and her white topaz earrings from Kiki Mcdonough.
For the transition to the yachting portion of the day, she made a couple modifications to her outfit, removing the blazer and wedges, and putting on her taupe Sebago boat shoes. Kate even broke out a pair of brown folding Ray Ban Wayfarers for the occasion!
I just LOVE her nautical style! And for the record, Kate's team beat Will's in the race! :)
For their engagements in Hamilton (Children's Hospice visit and Cycling Center opening), the Duchess wore an emerald green Erdem dress coat (with a green and white flowery Suzannah dress underneath). I love the vibrancy of this jacket! Prince William begged to differ apparently, calling the coat "too bright".
As far as accessories go, she chose to wear her black suede Episode pumps, black suede Mulberry clutch, and emerald/diamond earrings.
The next day held three outfit changes for the Duchess, beginning with her ensemble for Palm Sunday service.
This teal dress is by designer Emilia Wickstead, a designer heavily favored by the Duchess for many bespoke creations. She completed her look with matching grey suede Emmy shoes and clutch, the diamond fern brooch, green amethyst Kiki Mcdonough earrings, and teal Jane Taylor fascinator.
For the coaching event at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium, Kate wore a relaxed look consisting of a super comfy looking cream Jonathan Saunders sweater, blue Zara skinny jeans, and grey Mint Velvet plimsolls.
The royal couple next took a tour of a vineyard, which led the Duchess to wear another casual outfit. She brought back her navy Zara blazer and skinnies, as well as the Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon wedges, but this time paired them with a white and navy blue check blouse from the GAP! For jewelry, she chose to wear her green amethyst Kiki earrings.
During her visit to the earthquake-devastated area of Christchurch, Kate chose a red Luisa Spagnoli skirt suit (which she had previously worn on one of her first official outings being engaged). She made a very conscious decision with choosing red with black accents, as those are the official colors for the town. With this beautiful Italian suit, she wore her Annoushka pearl dangle earrings, black suede Episode pumps, and black suede Mulberry clutch.
For their last day in New Zealand visiting the police college, the Duchess decided to bring back another recycled outfit. This time it was her navy tweed Rebecca Taylor suit, which she paired with her sapphire/diamond earrings, blue suede Stuart Weitzman clutch, and blue suede Alexander McQueen pumps. I love the floral detailing on this suit! It was quite the rainy day, which means bad news bears for suede!
NOW STARTS THE AUSTRALIAN LEG OF ROYAL TOUR 2014!
For their arrival in Sydney for the reception held at the Opera House, Kate deplaned in a yellow Ryedale Roksanda Ilincic dress and her Annoushka pearl earrings. Also, for the first time on this tour, she brought back her nude L.K. Bennett clutch and Sledge shoes! The yellow is fantastic homage to the Australian colors!
The next day, for the couple's tour of the Blue Mountains, the Duchess donned a gorgeous blue batik print Diane Von Furstenberg Patrice wrap dress (yet another one of those few minute sell outs!), with her navy suede Stuart Weitzman clutch and wedges, and sapphire earrings. Beautiful and breezy!
This weekend also ended up being Easter weekend, which brought on an Easter show for the royals to attend, which, in a way, almost reminded me of the Houston Livestock Show! Apparently Will and Kate visited with different farmers' exhibitions of sheep, lamb, and chickens! For this event, Kate went with Australian designer Zimmermann (famous for their bathing suits, especially), choosing a Summer 2014 white lace dress. She completed her look with Annoushka pearl drops, L.K. Bennett straw Natalie clutch, and Stuart Weitzman Minx sandals. Simple and understated, which took her into the next events for the day, being a children's hospice visit and trip to Manly Beach (where George received his first surfboard!).
The next day brought the Duke and Duchess to RNZAF Amberley base to view fighter jets, and their Brisbane reception. For both of these events, Kate went to trusty L.K. Bennett for her dress, being the blue Lasa Poppy! If you're a fan of The Mindy Project, you may remember Mindy wearing the same dress on an episode. So elegant, especially paired with her Mappin necklace and sapphire earrings, Australian designer Oroton blue box clutch (not one of my favorites, I must admit), and blue suede McQueen pumps (back from being water-logged?).
In attending Easter Sunday services, the Duchess went with a fabulous dove grey McQueen coat dress. She topped the look off with a grey fascinator from Jane Taylor, diamond and blue topaz earrings, a taupe McQueen clutch, and taupe suede L.K. Bennett Harper pumps. Very subdued, and quite elegant!
The next day's activities for the royals held a trip to the Taronga Zoo. I really enjoyed seeing all the pictures of Prince George with all the cute animals, and the little prince even had an exhibit named after him! Kate chose another repeat outfit for the day, this time being her supposedly self-designed yellow eyelet dress she wore back on the couple's trip out to the South Pacific. She accessorized with citrine drop earrings from Kiki Mcdonough, Asprey charm necklace, and Stuart Weitzman Minx sandals.
Also to note: apparently little George was not a fan of his bilby stuffy he received, because he threw it straight to the ground when William gave it to him! Haha
That same day, the Cambridges departed Sydney for Canberra. For their arrival, the Duchess wore yet another repeat outfit, this time being her cobalt blue Stella McCartney Ridley dress. She paired her Kiki citrine drops, Asprey charm necklace, and blue suede McQueen pumps with her Ridley dress.
The royal couple attended an "Indigenous Training Academy" graduation ceremony, for which Kate chose another Roksanda Ilincic piece, which is noted as being very similar to her light blue/purple dress she has worn multiple times. This time, the color chosen was a muted taupe, almost purple, which she accessorized with her nude L.K. Bennett Sledge pumps, Catherine Zoraida double leaf earrings, and Asprey charm necklace.
The very same day, on their way to the Uluru Cultural Center and Ayer's Rock (where Charles and Diana had visited almost exactly 30 years prior), the Duchess changed into a less "formal" dress. It was another repeat outfit - her Hobbs Wessex check dress and white braided belt, accented with taupe linen Pied A Terre wedges. The couple stayed at a super neat "glamping" site overnight.
On a quick few hour trip to Elizabeth and Adelaide the next day, Kate wore a bespoke powder pink two piece McQueen peplum shirt/skirt combo. She accessorized the look with her trusty taupe L.K. Bennett Sledge pumps and Natalie clutch, Asprey charm necklace, and Annoushka pearl drops. The couple toured a skate park, and learned how to DJ on this day trip.
The last couple days of the tour were very busy ones, making six appearances. On the second to last day, the first engagement was a trip to the Arboretum, which the Duchess appropriately wore green to. Specifically, she chose a bespoke emerald green coat dress by Catherine Walker, accented with her emerald earrings and taupe L.K. Bennett Sledges. I love that she brought so many brightly colored clothes with her this trip!
There was no change for the trip to Parliament for a meet and greet, or the outing to the Portrait Gallery. Later that day, attending a going away reception at Government House, Kate chose another American designer, this time a white sheath dress by Lela Rose. I like how different this dress is from a lot of her other outfits. It's very youthful and fresh. I'm also glad she went with an up-do, accented with diamond earrings and matching bracelet, black suede Jimmy Choo Cosmic pumps, and black suede Mulberry clutch. Stunning.
Early in the morning of their departure, the couple made a surprise appearance at the ANZAC Day (memorial for all who have perished during war) dawn service. It was quite dark, so it was a bit difficult to see Kate's outfit choice, but it was determined she chose her black Temperley London Noa coat. It looks like she accessorized with a cream wrap scarf and her black suede Episode Angel pumps.
For her last appearance of the tour, visiting the actual ANZAC memorial, the Duchess chose a beautiful blue twill Michael Kors coat. She paired it with a navy blue hat by Australian milliner Jonathan Harris, sapphire/diamond earrings, Asprey charm necklace, blue suede Stuart Weitzman clutch, and blue suede McQueen pumps.
Shortly after the visit to the memorial, it was time for the Cambridges' return back to London. This was a very fun trip to follow, and the family made a fantastic impression on New Zealand and Australia! Cannot wait for the next one! :)
