The Royal Visit in More Detail & Kate Attends Private Reception for 1851 Trust

The Duke and Duchess will soon set off for America - New York and Washington (for the Duke). So, with this in mind I thought we could have a refresh over the itinerary and a look at possible designers for the Duchess. I have covered this briefly in a previous post, which can be found here, I thought it might be fun to go into more detail.

We shall start with the itinerary. Kensington Palace have released a much fuller and detailed itinerary which you can read here, but I have kept mine simple to try and make it easier for people to know what's going on. I will go into more detail about each engagement as I complete a post on them. The couple will complete some joint engagements but they will also take part in solo engagements, particularly when the Duke flies to Washington.

Sunday 7th December

Both

Arriving in New York and Attending a Private Engagement on behalf of the American Friends of The Royal Foundation in the evening.

Monday 8th December

William

Traveling to Washington DC and Attending an Anti-Corruption Conference at the World Bank and then Attending a Working Lunch at the World Bank

Back in New York Attending a Reception Organised by the Royal Foundation on behalf of Tusk Trust and United for Wildlife partners: Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy.

Catherine

Accompanied by The First Lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray, to Visit a Local Child Development Centre and then Attending a Lunch, hosted by the British Consul General in New York, to Celebrate the Achievements of a Successful British Community in New York

Both

Attending an NBA Basketball Game to Help Launch a New Collaboration between the Royal Foundation, United for Wildlife and the NBA.

Tuesday 9th December

Both

Visiting a Youth Organisation (to see the work they carry out in partnership with an inner city youth development foundation) then Attending an Event Celebrating the Wealth of British Talent in the Creative Industries based in New York.

William

Attending a Technology Themed Event, hosted by a New York-headquartered Technology Company (to bring together entrepreneurs from both the UK and the US).

Both

Attending the University of St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The couple will be staying at The Carlyle hotel on New York's Upper East Side. Princess Diana stayed at the hotel when she first visited in the 1980s and she used it as her residence in the city for every visit since. 

photo via Wikipedia

We are likely to see a mixture of smart and casual ensembles and a particularly stunning black-tie outfit for the University of St. Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner. Back in November 2012, the Duke and Duchess attended a black-tie fundraiser at Middle Temple Hall in support of St Andrews University's 600th Anniversary Campaign. For this the Duchess chose her Temperley London Amoret gown. It is likely that the Duchess will choose something similar. 

photo via the Daily Mail

A possible designer for the Duchess to choose for this event could be Marchesa. I had mentioned the design brand in a previous post after I saw the Notte by Marchesa catwalk at London Fashion Weekend. The brand was created in America but was founded by two Brits; Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig. I said then that I would love to see the Duchess in this designer as the gowns are perfect for a 'Princess' and I think it would be an ideal occasion for the Duchess to wear them. Net-a-Porter offers a lovely selection of the gowns which range between £6,185 and £9,785. They come with a price tag fit for a 'Princess' too!

These first four gowns are certainly beautiful but not perhaps demure enough for a Duchess, however these two I could easily see the Duchess wearing.

The brand also offers some beautiful clutch bags, which the Duchess could choose. During their visit to Australia the Duchess chose an Australian branded clutch as a nod to her host country. She could well do this again.

I would be incredibly surprised if the Duchess didn't choose an American designer that she has favoured in the past. Most notably Diane von Furstenberg has been a popular choice for the Duchess. She has worn many dresses by the designer since before she married Prince William and chose the DVF Maja Dress, which she paired with a leopard print DVF clutch, for the couple's trip to LA back in 2011.

The Bentley Dress is a ruched jersey dress would work well over the Duchess's going bump as would the Bevin Dress. The satin trimmed jersey wrap dress would also work well for the Duchess.

The Duchess could also choose to wear Michael Kors, again an American designer she has chosen to wear in the past. She wore one of his coats during the visit to Australia earlier this year. There is a beautiful red silk gown which would look lovely on the Duchess. It has a daring split up the front, however the Duchess has chosen gowns in the past that revealed her legs. The bohemian smocked dress could also be a nice option. The shape of the dress would grace over her growing baby bump.

Another designer from the Australian tour was Lela Rose. The Duchess wore the peplum dress. It wouldn't surprise me if she were to recycle this dress or choose another dress by the American designer. My particular favourites, that I think the Duchess could choose, are the metallic fil coupe dress, blush lace dress and the printed silk-twill dress.

I would love to see the Duchess in Oscar-de-la-Renta. The American-Dominican designer passed away earlier this year and is well known for dressing the society-royals of America. He also been worn by many European royals in the past including Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Mary, Princess of Denmark. It would be a touching tribute for the Duchess to wear one of his designs.

I love the lace overlay tweed coat and I think it would look lovely on the Duchess for a formal occasion. The English garden print dress is also very beautiful but perhaps a bit summery for this time of the year. The tropical print flared dress is very suitable for this time of the year and possible this trip too.

An American designer that the Duchess has been choosing several times this year is Tory Burch. She wore one of his dresses in April for the royal tour and again for a private meeting at the Royal Society in July.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Duchess chose the designer again for this visit. The Mariana pencil dress is a lovely smart dress and the Whitney coat would be ideal for the cold weather that New York has this time of year.

The Duchess will also no doubt wear some British designer such as Jenny Packham. This is a distinct possibility for the black-tie dinner on the Tuesday. The Duchess would look lovely in any of Jenny Packham's gowns and I could easily imagine her in any of these ones.

A smart coat by Alexander McQueen is also a distinct possibility. She has chosen Sarah Burton to create many dress-coats for such occasions.

I would also like the Duchess to choose Suzannah again. She wore the Budding Heart silk tea dress during the Australian tour, then again for the Tour de France and then again for the official pictures for Prince George's first birthday. The brand offers some lovely coats that would look lovely on the Duchess.

It is impossible to predict what the Duchess will wear but I know she will look amazing regardless. I will be trying to update the blog as quickly as possible. I will do a new post on each outfit that the Duchess wears to try and make it as clear as possible! I am looking forward to the trip, as I am sure everyone else is!

***

In other news the Duchess attended a board meeting and reception for 1851 Trust - the Duchess's newest patronage. It was heeled at the Goring Hotel - which is where Kate and her family spent the night before her wedding in 2011.

The Duchess attended the launch of Ben Ainslie's America Cup bid in June and was meant to be visiting Sir Ben Ainslie's America's Cup team at it's new £12million headquarters at Camber Docks in Old Portsmouth but had to cancel this visit due to her morning sickness.

photo via the Daily Mail

It was a private event and so no picture were taken.

I will be back tomorrow with the first post of the Duke and Duchess's official visit to New York and Washington...