A new designer! Big earrings! Much excitement! Tonight the Duchess of Cambridge appeared at the opening night of “42nd Street” at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London on behalf of her patronage, EACH. Following the production, Kate joined the actors on the stage to celebrate a job well done, at which point she was given her very own pair of tap shoes.
The show is helping to raise money for The Nook, a new hospice facility in Norfolk, for which Kate carried out an engagement earlier this year. You can read more about it here.
Here’s video of Kate arriving at the event:
The Duchess of Cambridge in @MarchesaFashion arriving at opening night of #42ndStreet pic.twitter.com/BpmNmY6vaT
— Laura Harding (@LauraSHarding) April 4, 2017
One 12-year-old who also attended and relies on EACH told reporters:
“I feel very good about meeting Kate Middleton. She’s very pretty and I want to talk to her about the hospice and how I like going there. I also want to tell her about Pokémon.”
I, too, wish this kid had gotten to talk to Kate about Pokémon. Why not?
Now for the fashion: Kate wore a new designer, which, if you care to follow her fashion, is rather exciting. And it’s a big brand – Marchesa, albeit via its little sister label, Marchesa Notte. She paired the dress with a jeweled belt, Gianvito Rossi suede heels she has worn before and one of her favorite Mulberry clutches.
Her earrings were most certainly also a debut and are made by Kate Spade.
So, let’s start what I liked: I love it when Kate branches out into a new designer. She most definitely sticks to her favorite labels (as do we all), but her comfort level with “big” brands has come over time. For a while there she understandably stuck to Alexander McQueen, the designer of her wedding dress, and more High Street labels. In the last 18 months or so we’ve seen a definite pop of high fashion labels like Carolina Herrara, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Oscar de la Renta. Even her Balenciaga accessories hint that she might be ready to dip her toe in their apparel soon (I hope and please correct me if I somehow missed this).
I also love the color, the tulle and dramatic flare of the skirt.
Unfortunately, what I didn’t like about it was just enough to keep me from loving the overall look. I kind of hated that this had short-sleeves and I really wish this had skipped the lace along the shoulders and just been sleeveless (not strapless). That’s really my only complaint with the dress itself. And honestly, the more I look at it the more I think that wouldn’t have bothered had what I actively didn’t like been addressed.
That essentially boils down to 1) why must everything match always? and 2) I think she should have worn her hair up. The action and movement of the skirt should have been the focal point and given the busyness of the color, the texture and the detailing it would have helped keep everything just on the right side of sleek. As it was, her hair almost made it seem too casual somehow. And too distracting.
When you look at how the look is styled on the brand’s website, the model’s hair is pulled back and it really allows you to appreciate all the various elements of the dress. And honestly, the more you look at it, the more beautiful you realize the dress is.
Anyway, next event on Kate’s schedule is tomorrow when she is due to attend a service at Westminster Abbey alongside the Duke and Prince Harry in honor of the victims and responders from the recent terrorist attack in London.
