On Monday night, The Countess of Wessex was in attendance at the State Banquet for the American President’s visit. Sophie chose an older dress of hers, in an unusual blue-purple colour, from Bruce Oldfield.
The Countess wore a gown from Bruce Oldfield, which is a mauve, or maybe periwinkle, version of a couture piece from the designer. It features a v-neck which extends to the sleeves, that sit just on the edge of the shoulder. The bodice is created from ruched layers of fabric, in a criss-cross fashion, finishing just above the hips. The skirt is a-line and skims the floor.
While the colour is gorgeous on Sophie, we think this dress would have looked sleeker if the bodice either finished at a waistband; the way the fabric sits due to the crossover of the fabric hugs the stomach a little, and the angle creates the illusion of a rounder profile.
A closer look at the bodice detailing from a previous outing of the dress.
Sophie carried her Anya Hindmarch ‘Maud’ clutch in silver. This purse-like bag features a snap closure and silver hardware, with the brand’s signature bow logo embossed onto the side; inside is a card slot, and just enough room for your essentials. The Maud is still available, albeit in different shades, and costs £475 here.
The Countess of Wessex chose her wedding tiara for the banquet, which – it was noted – has been reset. Previously, the sections were quite spaced apart, as you can see below. Now the base has a row of diamonds forming the base, giving extra height to the piece, and the three sections have been merged into one central anthemion, having removed some of the smaller fronds. This is much improved on the original, which often looked a bit sparse, and hurriedly put-together.
It is thought the tiara was made from parts of Queen Victoria’s circlet; these ‘anthemion’ elements were interchangeable with other decorative pieces in the circlet.
Her other jewels – chandelier earrings and a cascading diamond necklace – put the Countess up there for the ‘bling’ contest of the night.
Just peeping out from under the gown were an older pair of Sophie’s heels; these are from Kurt Geiger, the peeptoe ‘Hallie’ shoe in a magenta satin. The 4-inch heels feature a distinct v-peep toe, a platform, tapered heel and contouring of the fabric slightly up the ankle, reaching the back of the shoe, where they join with an inset of fabric. Below we show the shoe in oyster satin. We last saw these in 2012.
What did you think of this look? We loved seeing a remodelled and improved tiara!
You can channel the Countess here: