The Duchess wore a very cheery multi-coloured floral print by Orla Kiely to the National Portrait Gallery Victoria Giants: The Birth of Art Photography Exhibition.
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After the Royal Foundation Forum Kate made a quick change for her second engagement of the day, from Seraphine into Orla Kiely.
Kate wore the ‘Margaret Viscose Print Smock Bib Dress’ in black £490 here. A very subtle nod to Victorian styling with a ruffled high collar and ruffled cuff sleeves. The long sleeve midi-length dress has velvet ribbon collar, cuffs and ‘v’ down to the bust line, which is smocked, complete with ruffle detail. It also features a hidden back zip with a pink, orange, yellow and blue floral print with white polka dots on a black viscose fabric.
At the time of writing this the dress is still available – go here.

This Orla Kiely print also comes in the Leith X Orla Kiely ‘Ethel’ velvet panel multi floral print dress. Available to purchase for £390 from Very Exclusive.

I found this look a little odd for this engagement, not only because it was snowing and she must have been freezing in a midi-length dress with no coat, but because Kate is normally one who works closely with her styling team to create looks that reflect the engagement that she is attending. As this was a Victorian Era photographic exhibition, perhaps a piece that was stronger in representing Victorian-esque fashion. Something along the lines of Alessandra Rich or Vilshenko, though not as much as the Steam Punk style of Vivienne Westwood. Still it can be very hard to walk the fine line between capturing the mood of the event and looking too costume-y.

Kate re-wore her Kiki McDonough ‘Candy Pink Tourmaline & Green Amethyst drop earrings’, which are estimated at around £8,050. These are a bespoke pair of earrings made especially for the Duchess and the price is an estimate from online of how much her earrings would cost.


The Jimmy Choo ‘Celeste’ suede clutch in Ballet Pink was used once more, costing £1,120 at Nordstrom and a little cheaper at Jimmy Choo online. We first saw this clutch on the visit to Norway earlier this year, and Catherine also owns the piece in a deep red; see here. The top clasp clutch has a pink pave crystals embedded into the metal frame and a hidden shoulder strap.



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The Duchess wore her Gianvito Rossi ‘105’ Praline suede heels in ‘praline’ costing £496, perfectly matching her Jimmy Choo clutch. The pointed toe stilettos are so-named as the heel height is 105mm.

The Orla Kiely dress looked very pretty on Kate and is what I would typically call a “Kate Dress”. However, I am still unsure if it was the right dress for this event? What do you think?
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Try these to replikate the Duchess’ look: