On 27 February and 17 March, the Duchess of Cambridge wore some incredible high heels from Oscar De La Renta, with a gorgeous sparkling effect. The shoes are available here. (Sign up for 10% off!)
Tag: Catherine
Channeling Kate’s Style: India Tour Version
Who didn’t love the recent Royal Tour in India? Kate brought some fabulous style to the table, including some really interesting boho chic looks, as well as some amazing casual outfits too. I loved her hiking outfit and had to snap up her Jaeger linen blouse (still available from John Lewis here) – and I accessorised it with a replikate of her Pickett London scarf, this coral John Lewis wrap. Much cheaper, but still a really pretty and soft piece for summer nights!
But this wasn’t the only tour purchase I made! As soon as I saw Kate’s beautiful Paul & Joe cape I had to snap it up…
But there’s an epic story here in how I managed to track it down… I saw the update about her outfit about an hour after the ID was made (darn those time zone differences) and missed out on ordering it from Net A Porter. So I set myself up on the waiting list (surely hopeless!) and then moped over the listing on the US site (where it was still available). I phoned them up to see if they could sell it to me through their UK site – not a chance of that, I’d have to order it from the US. So with $55 delivery fee plus customs I was wondering whether I really wanted to pay £200 more for this thing to get it sent from America… (The answer is no, I’m not that crazy yet.)
Then I emailed Paul & Joe’s website to ask if they were getting any more in stock and they basically said they might do… (Very vague! And on their Instagram page they’re still giving out an email address for enquiries which makes me wonder if they will re-release it…)
In desperation, at lunchtime I phoned up Paul & Joe’s flagship store in London to see if they had any. Well, they had ONE LEFT! I immediately asked if I could buy it over the phone and they said I could! So out came my card right away… It arrived the next day and I love it!
Look at the gorgeous stitching and beautiful colours – the fabric itself is very thin even though it’s made of wool, making it a great choice for spring and summer evenings. Although I enjoyed Kate’s styling with this, I’m going to wear it very simply with jeans and white shirts – perhaps even the white Reiss Vinnie blouse Kate wore recently?
On the tour, there were also plenty of lovely new accessories, including the Monsoon taupe wedges and Accessorize filigree earrings, which I coupled with a really old Accessorize clutch I bought for Ascot. This is an easy combo for summer – and Kate’s already shown the versatility of these wedges by wearing them with a pair of jeans and a Breton top from J.Crew recently! (One note – to me these seem to be very tight in my usual size, and they’re also not real suede… A bit pricey considering, really!)
Apart from the gorgeous Brora gold earrings (which haven’t arrived yet) I also picked up the Zara biker trousers! Kate’s colour was khaki marl, and Zara recently released the same style in a different colour… Or did they?!
On the bottom you can see the originals and the new ones are on the top. Apart from the difference in the ribbing, there are also differences on the back, an extra zip on the originals and zipped ankles on the new ones! So, when you purchase, if you’re after Kate’s version, double check you’re buying the khaki marl version here.
Did you make any Royal Tour purchases? Let me know in the comments below!
Bag ‘n’ Shoes: Modalu St Ives Grab Bag in Orange and Dune Imperia D Wedges in Natural
I’ve got a real thing going on here for Modalu. I apologise, but it seems as though I’ve turned into a fan girl over night. (I blame Tatiana for everything…) But check out this gorgeous lock detail and tell me you don’t feel the same way?
Russell & Bromley / Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedges vs Sainsbury’s Tu Suede Wedges
Kate Middleton’s most iconic pair of smart casual shoes are probably her blue suede wedges. Most frequently seen during the 2013 Summer Olympics in London, these wedges are by American designer Stuart Weitzman and available at Russell & Bromley in the UK. However, there are also plenty of high street replicas – such as the pairs from Next and Hobbs last year. This year, grocery chain Sainsbury’s is in on the trend, producing a pair of blue suede cork wedges for £18 for their clothing line Tu. I happened to drop into Sainsbury’s yesterday wearing the originals, so I present a quick side by side comparison in the interests of retail science!
(Just an FYI, Sainsbury’s is the lighter blue of the two!)
I thought it was funny to note that 1) these were the only pair left after the Duchess’s appearance with the similar pair the other day, and 2) that they were positioned right next to some Sledge lookalikes!
My verdict: the Tu wedges are a decent replicate at £18, although the colour is not really a match for the dark navy of the originals and therefore doesn’t blend that well with dark jeans – which is the way Kate usually wears hers. For the price you probably won’t be surprised to hear that the suede doesn’t feel as nice, and the shoe itself isn’t as comfortable – although the heel and platform are both lower!
Sainbury’s don’t do mail order but you can find the details, including the item number, here. The original versions are here from Russell & Bromley, although they always sell out after an appearance!
See my previous post about the difference between the Hobbs Myra wedges and the R&B Corkswoons here.
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