I had a feeling that we would get a fashion recycle today and lo and behold, we did. It’s fairly typical of the Duchess, after debuting a series of new items, to slip in a repeat outfit. In this case, it came in the form of her tried and true red Luisa Spagnoli suit, first debuted during her engagement in 2011 when she and the Duke made a visit back to their alma mater, St. Andrews.
This is actually the suit’s fourth appearance – Kate recycled the suit in 2014 while on the Oz/NZ tour and again for an engagement with Prince Philip in 2015 when he passed on his role as patron of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. (Fun fact: an engagement with this very organization has been added to Kate’s calendar on February 14.)
Anyway, today Kate wore the suit for the first of two events with William in London. The engagement entailed a visit to Mitchell Brook Primary to launch Children’s Mental Health Week, an annual initiative started by Place2Be, one of Kate’s patronages. This year’s theme was “Spread A Little Kindness,” on which Kate spoke during a brief speech she made at the event (!) This actually surprised me given that Kate gave a speech for Heads Together last month and she usually spreads those out over the course of a year.
Between a second speech in a matter of weeks and the frequency with which engagements have been scheduled for her and William in 2017, they truly seem to be doubling down on their royal duties as promised.
In her remarks, Kate said:
“My parents taught me about the importance of qualities like kindness, respect, and honesty, and I realise how central values like these have been to me throughout my life. That is why William and I want to teach our little children George and Charlotte just how important these things are as they grow up. In my view it is just as important as excelling at maths or sport.
[…]
“People often ask me why I am so interested in the mental health of children and young people. The answer is quite simple – it is because I think that every child should have the best possible start in life.
“When I was growing up I was very lucky. My family was the most important thing to me.
“They provided me with somewhere safe to grow and learn, and I know I was fortunate not to have been confronted by serious adversity at a young age.”
Her full speech can be read here and a short video clip of it can be seen here:
Now, moving on to this suit. When Kate first debuted it in 2011 I wasn’t a huge fan, but I think that was largely due to how she styled it with a turtleneck and tall boots. Between the peplum detailing on the jacket, the belt and the black buttons, I think this is a case of less is more and letting the suit shine. I’ve warmed to it as she’s subsequently worn it with a simple court shoe and no visible undershirt.
Stay tuned for a later post on Kate’s second engagement with William for the day.
N.B. Going forward, all of the looks for Kate’s engagements, as well as the accompanying post, are tracked on “The Duchess of Cambridge’s 2017 Engagements,” which can be accessed from the home page.