Kensington Palace never announced the timing of this event, but unfortunately for our [my] purposes, it was an evening one, which conflicted with my calendar and now here we are, several hours later. Without further ado, let’s catch up!
You may recall the Duchess of Cambridge carried out an engagement at the V&A Museum last June wearing a tweed mini-dress by Gucci. It was one of her more memorable 2017 looks, and it turns out it was but a harbinger of what was to come, for in March of this year, KP announced that Kate was taking over as patron.
Seven months – and one new prince – later, Kate was back to support a new photography exhibition.
As we know, Kate is herself an amateur photographer, and some of her own photos have been made public over the years (including a few of her children). Between her degree in art history, William’s reference to her yesterday as “the arty one” and her focus over the years on programs that open access to the arts for children, it’s no surprise that this engagement – and this museum – are a perfect fit for the Duchess.
Indeed, her patronage with the National Portrait Gallery seems to be one of her favorites given how many events she partners with them for year to year. I have a feeling this is but one of many exhibitions she’ll be opening at the V&A in the coming months and years, which is great for our purposes because evening receptions and galas always bring evening wear and just a tad more glitz.
Which brings us to this evening’s fashion – Erdem. Kate has regularly worn this brand since her 2011 tour of North America shortly after her wedding and it’s been a mainstay in her closet ever since. The designs have become bolder over the years, some even just outside of Kate’s comfort zone, but her loyalty and trust in the brand means that they often service as a conduit to Kate wearing styles we wouldn’t otherwise see her in. (I’m obviously thinking of one or two looks from the Scandinavian tour earlier this year.) Tonight’s tweed off-the-shoulder was somehow surprising and classically Kate all in one.
There’s a lot going on with this dress, from the texture to the fringe to the buttons to the neckline – and yet, while that would normally garner a “no” from me, I like this. What helps tie it together for me is a detail that would normally do nothing for me – the velvet sash. That splash of aubergine combined with the matching velvet Jimmy Choo heels and the J Box clutch are fantastic. The earrings are a lot, but also working for me here.
So, a win! And a lovely autumnal debut into evening wear for the season. Next on the horizon is Princess Eugenie’s wedding on Friday. See you then 🙂
I like this dress too, it’s got the fashionable (Duchess of Sussex) boat neck – (or similar as I’m not a fashion historian).