I was totally in LOVE with Kate's oval knit sweater from Jonathan Saunders that she wore during the Rippa Rugby coaching! But unfortunately it was already sold out everywhere and anyway, at a original retail price of $ 595 waaaay above my budget. Therefore, I searched high and low for a decent replikate, but apparantly that was easier said than done :-( But look what I just found! A nearly exact replikate, in the same colour combination (light pink, cream and green) from Australian cashmere brand Gasparre. Still pretty pricey at $360, but definitely the best replikate I have seen after a very, VERY extensive search! Btw, they also have it available in orange/cream. The second best replikate I found (and this one is a lot cheaper) is this one from River Island ($75). It is a bit darker pink, and has a sort of 'statement necklace' attached to the fabric, but to me that seems easy enough to remove ;-)
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As I already said before, I really like Kate's casual style. Some are not that convinced with the skinny jeans, but they work for me. And I LOVED Kate's new sweater by Jonathan Saunders, both the colour combination and the oval knit pattern. Unfortunately the colour is sold out, as far as I know, and even if it wasn't, I'm afraid that sweater really is a bit too pricey for me. So obviously I've searched for some alternatives...
Blazer: Zara / Trousers: H&M / Top: H&M / Wedges: Pied-a-terre / Bag: Modalu / Earrings: Tudorshoppe
Boy, were our fashion hearts rewarded today! Three outfits in one single day! Firstly, the Royal couple flew to Dunedin to attend a Palm Sunday church service at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul. On their arrival at Dunedin Airport they were greeted with a traditional Ngai Tahu (Maori people of the South Island) welcome. For the service, Kate chose for a dress by New Zealand born, London based designer Emilia Wickstead, identical to the one worn by Kate during the Queen's Buckingham Palace garden party on 29 May 2012, only this time in an aquamarine / teal colour. To make the outfit even more chic, Kate added a bespoke felted wool hat (approx £500 - 600) by Jane Taylor Millinery in a matching colour. Her shoes were not new. They were her suede 'Valerie' platform pumps in the colour 'carbon grey' (£400) from Emmy, which Kate combined with her matching suede 'Natasha' clutch (£290). This was also another occasion where we could gaze upon that gorgeous fern brooch, made of platinum and diamonds, which was a Christmas gift to The Queen from the Women of Auckland during the Commonwealth Tour of 1953-4. As for the other jewellery, we (probably, the pendant was under her dress) saw the return of Kate's white gold and diamond 'Fortune' necklace by Mappin & Webb (£3,950), and her Classic Green Amethyst and Diamond Oval Drop Earrings (£ 2,600) by Kiki McDonough, which were a Christmas gift from William in 2011. After the church service the Royal couple went to a sporty event, each coaching a competing 'Rippa Rugby' team at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. 'Rippa Rugby' is a non-contact form of the sport designed for primary school children with players ripping a flag from the belt of an opponent instead of tackling them. Obviously, Kate changed into a casual outfit for this event, combining her J-brand 811 mid-rise dark blue skinny jeans ($219), with a new sweater: a light pink, white and mint green 'Deborah Egg Knit' jumper by Jonathan Saunders ($677).
For their next event the couple flew to Queentown, where they first visited the Amisfield Winery. There, they got a tour through the vineyards and tasted several of the wines. Kate changed again, this time from casual to a bit more 'casual chic', bringing back the new double-breasted navy blazer from Zara (€89,95), but this time combining it with a new shirt from Gap, the 'Fitted Boyfriend Gingham' ($49.95).
Last, but not least, William and Kate went on a whitewater rafting trip on the Shotover River, aboard a jet boat. The Duchess' outfit remained much the same to the vineyard outfit, although she changed her blazer for the same black 'BR1 Channel' jacket by Musto (€279) as she wore during the yacht race a few days ago. She also changed from her high wedges back to her Mint Velvet plimsolls again. We also saw Kate wear again her new 'Folding Classic Wayfarer' (RB4105 50) sunglasses by Ray-Ban in the colour tortoise with polarised glasses ($205). Replikates for the items above will follow in a separate post within a few hours! :-)
This morning, the Royal couple departed for Hamilton, where they first had separate events. William spent the morning at the Pacific Aerospace Centre at Hamilton Airport, viewing the manufacturing plant and static aircraft display, and Kate attended a 'Mad Hatter's' tea party at Rainbow Place Children's Hospice. There, she met with the nurses and staff, and talked with several of the children and their parents. After an hour, Kate left for the town Cambridge, to join William again. There, they paid respects at the WWI memorial, each placing a single rose on it. After a quick lunch they did a walkabout to greet the large crowds present (close to 15,000 people!). After this, both William and Kate returned to Hamilton to open the Avantidrome, a new national velodrome. They also met with several New Zealand’s Olympic and Paralympic medalists. At the end the Royal couple received a miniature bicycle for Prince George. This day Kate opted for green, wearing the wool crepe 'Allie' coat from the Pre-Fall 2013 collection of Erdem ($2,953), and the 'Budding Heart' silk tea dress by Suzannah (£475). (In Cambridge, Kate wold one woman that she liked the coat, but that William thought it was a "bit bright" :-P). I like the all the seams on the front of the coat, the peter pan collar, and I am a big fan of jewel tones, like this emerald green, but the stiff/heavy material and the front zipper didn't really do it for me. We couldn't see the dress in full, because Kate never took her coat of, but we got a glimpse of the hem a few times, like in the picture above. This picture also shows that she was wearing her Ballon Bleu Cartier watch ($5.000) again. The other two pieces of jewellery she was wearing were her UFO emerald, diamond and gold dangle earrings, and a the small New Zealand WW100 poppy pin that both William and Kate were gifted in Blenheim. She paired the outfit with her black suede 'Bayswater clutch wallet' from Mulberry (£495), and her black suede 'Angel' pumps by Episode A replikate collage will follow tomorrow. (I promise! :-P )
In the morning of Friday 11 April William and Kate travelled to Whenuapai, near Auckland, to Air Force personnel and their families at the largest RNZAF base in New Zealand. For the occasion Kate opted for casual chic, wearing a navy double-breasted blazer from the current Zara collection ($ 139), a nautical striped top by British label ME + EM ( £48), J-brand 811 mid-rise dark blue skinny jeans ($ 219), and her trusted Stuart Weitzman 'Corkswoon' wedges in navy suede ($398).
When looking at all the pictures, I also immediately ID'd another item. Not anything worn by Kate though, but of a wife of one of the Air Force base employees :-P It is the 'Electric Wonderland' dress in blue, by New Zealand designer Trelise Cooper (currently on sale for $250). I came across it when doing some research regarding New Zealand designers and possible items Kate might wear during the Royal Tour, and it was also featured as a 'Royal Tour' possibility by Susan from What Kate Wore. It reminds me a lot of the cornflower blue polkadot dress by Jenny Packham that Kate wore when leaving the hospital with Prince George, so if I would be talking to Kate while holding my baby, I would probably choose for this dress as well ;-)
For the yacht race she also traded the navy blazer and the wedges for a bit more comfortable footwear: her beige and white Sebago Bala deck shoes ($94.95).
And last but not least: Kate briefly sported the 'BR1 Channel' jacket by Musto (€279), a high quality jacket designed for coastal sailors. Although I absolutely LOVE looking at all of Kate's beautiful designer dresses and coats (really, they're like a work of art!), I am always so very glad when she wears something more casual, because that is often a lot more wearable for most of us (for me anyway), and easier to replikate! In the collage below only one item costs more than $69.99!
Kate accessorized her outfit with her trusted black suede platform 'Cosmic pumps by JImmy Choo (still for sale at Net-A-Porter) and her unidentified black suede clutch with ribbon.
I am so happy we get to see the Duchess again every day with a new outfit to swoon over! Today, William and Kate left little Prince George at home, and attended a public wreath laying ceremony at the War Memorial and Clock Tower in Blenheim. After that they both did a public walkabout in Seymour Square, to meet some of the local residents that had been waiting to get a glimpse of the royal couple. I noticed that Kate was gifted a purple bear. It actually is the 'Princess' beanie baby from Ty. I immediately recognized it, because I actually have this beanie baby myself (never thought I'd share with you that I used to collect beanie babies when I was young :-P). It was issued in memory of Princess Diana and has a white rose on the front. On the inside of the 'Ty' label there is a poem: Like an angel, she came from heaven above She shared her compassion, her pain, her love She only stayed with us long enough to teach The world to share, to give, to reach. Really nice gesture, isn't it? :-) In the afternoon the royal couple visited the Knights of the Sky exhibition, where they got a tour from Peter Jackson (the director of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit) and looked at (and sat in) some of the old aircrafts. Sounds like a lot of fun! For the entire day Kate was wearing a muted cornflower blue bespoke coat by Alexander McQueen. With that she wore her navy suede McQueen heels (also seen in Canada with her McQueen sailor dress), and her navy Stuart Weitzman 'muse' clutch (still available at Russell & Bromley). For jewelry, Kate wore her sapphire and diamond dangle earrings, and a small poppy brooch.
That enormous time difference between the Netherlands and New Zealand is messing stuff up for me, only being able to write about the Tour hours later, when I am back from work :-S 'Today', William, Kate and little George went to the Government House in Wellington, to meet with parents and their babies of roughly George’s age (8 months), as a playdate for infants. Apart from that, William and Kate had the opportunity to learn more about Plunket (Royal New Zealand Plunket Society in full), a charity that supports parents with the development, health and well-being of their children under five. I totally love these two pictures below! It was said that Kate told people that Prince George liked to bite on his mom's hair, and now we have proof that he does! Maybe that's the reason for Kate's significantly shorter haircut, split ends!? ;-) Several other blogs already identified and discussed Kate's outfit of today, so I am now doing just a quick round up. Kate was wearing the Paulina dress from the Resort 2014 collection of Tory Burch. This is the first time Kate wore a piece by Tory Burch, but her sister Pippa has worn several dresses and shoes from the brand before. I actually always thought it was kind of strange that Kate never wore anything from Tory Burch, since the brand offers so many pieces that are very 'Kate'. Now she has, luckily, as I think this dress is an absolute winner! I always love dresses that are very simple in design, but with interesting details, like in this case the fringe trims, the pleats and waist, and the fabric. Too bad all Paulina dresses were sold out as soon as I had the chance to shop for it :'( The shoes were ID'd as the 'Vikki Sue' model in black suede from Jimmy Choo. Both the watch and the earrings we have seen before. They are the Ballon Bleu watch from Cartier and the Pearl Drop Earrings from Anoushka. As a piece with a print, the Paulina dress was a very difficult item to find replikates for. But I have tried anyway and collected them in this collage below. Hope you like it! Until soon!
As usual, I can't seem to let things go, so I decided to do a little more research in this post, and try to pinpoint 'the ones'. It is pretty obvious that the heels Kate is wearing are made of suede in a camel/beige colour, that they have a pretty low heel, and that they have a natural/nude colored leather sole. All four different shoes that are under consideration to be 'the ones' (see pictures below) have that too, so that doesn't bring us any closer... But, in the above close-up I highlighted some other main style features of Kate's heels that might help determine 'the ones': the curve of the back of the shoe, the curve of the heel, and sides. Based on this, in my opinion the heels of the Emmy shoes are too curved, while the ones from Manolo Blahnik and the ones from Russell & Bromley seem to have not much of a curve at all. Besides that, the side of the shoe of the Emmy pumps are not as low as Kate's I think. * Emmy doesn't offer a Poppy pump in a beige / camel colour on their website, but since Kate ordered custom colours in the past, she might do this again, especially for a Royal Tour. So that's why I've taken them into consideration and changed the colour in Photoshop to match the others. Based on this my guess is that Kate is wearing the ones from Dune. (And I would very much like that, because they are by far the cheapest!) But I am pretty sure we will see Kate wear them again during the Tour so then we will have a better look!
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Hi there! I am a fashion and travel enthusiast living in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Tatiana's Delights is your online resource for preppy and minimalist fashion, travel tips, affordable home decor and adorable cat photos. You can find out more about Tatiana's Delights here.
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