The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have visited Sunderland today, where Kate wore another new coat for the occasion; this may be about her eight or so in the last month! You can read about William and Kate’s visit here.
Catherine opted for a forest green coat from Italian fashion house Dolce and Gabbana. This coat seems to be an entirely bespoke piece made especially for the Duchess in her pregnancy. It does appear similar to the burgundy Dolce and Gabbana coat that Kate wore during the recent tour of Norway (see here), but there are several differences when you look closely.
The coat appears to be constructed in two pieces. The first part is the main section of the coat which would have the back, sleeves, collar and slight panels to the front. The second piece is a front panel that attaches to the main portion of the coat with large gold buttons on each side of the panel and two gold buttons just under the collar; this gives the illusion of a double breasted coat. However, Dolce and Gabbana have created a very clever trick or twist with the coat. By creating a removable front panel, the coat can be reworked as the wearer grows through pregnancy. Catherine would be having her clothing made many weeks before her engagements which is normally fine as she is always the same size.
During pregnancy this would mean more fittings to ensure her clothes are correct come the day of an engagement. If a coat was found to not fit, it would cost a lot of money and time to have the entire coat remade. The front panel on this coat could be completely remade if needed or the buttons adjusted. This can be done during and after pregnancy for longer wear, so we expect to see this piece in the future.
Kate wore one of her go-to maternity brands, Seraphine. She chose the ‘Phaedra Woven Maternity Dress‘ from the label’s Luxe Collection which retails for £159. Unfortunately, as with all items worn by The Duchess it has already sold out, but check back as they sometimes restock.
This dress features ¾ sleeves, a round neckline, empire waist and A-Line Silhouette. It is made from a soft woven fabric in black with a blue and white speckled pattern.
The Duchess wore her Tod’s black suede block heel pumps, Mappin and Webb ‘Empress’ white gold diamond earrings. These are still available, and are the larger of the two pairs the jeweller sells, featuring diamonds on the earring front of the hoop, too; they cost £3,750. Buy a pair here.
Kate also carried her Emmy London green suede ‘Natasha’ clutch, seemingly in ‘carbon’ – which is actually a green/grey colour, originally costing £290; the Duchess also owns shoes from the label in this colour. Emmy still sells the Natasha clutch (see here) although the look has been slightly updated and are now £350.
Kate also wore her Cartier ‘Ballon Bleu’ watch.
For the visit to the new Northern Spire bridge, Kate changed into her black Russell and Bromley HalfnHalf boots, with an elasticated rear panel and chunky 2-inch heel; she showed us the same pair in brown on the Norway trip, too.
The Royal also donned a bright yellow high-vis vest and white hard hat. Not quite so fashion forward, but very much needed for Health and Safety Regulations. I have to say that Kate did rock the hard hat – perhaps a new topper she could re-wear for Trooping the Colour this year? No?!Get Kate’s look with this
Get your replikates here: