We are back with a wrap-up of the polls looking on favorite pieces worn by the Duchess in New Zealand and Australia, beginning with a look at Kate’s hats.
©2014 What Kate Wore
The dove grey Jane Taylor worn to Easter Sunday services was your top choice, Gina Foster’s ‘Seaford’ style came next in the voting.
Top: Nunn Syndication, Polaris Images/Jane Taylor Bottom: i-Images, Polaris/Gina Foster
The results in the shoe poll were closer than I expected.
©What Kate Wore
The Minx Espadrille Wedges from Stuart Weitzman garnered the most votes, with the Harper pumps by LK Bennett taking second place.
Stuart Weitzman/LK Bennett
More than 4100 votes were cast when considering the suit or ensemble you liked the most.
©What Kate Wore 2014
Kate’s dove grey coat and dress by Alexander McQueen was chosen as your favorite, the McQueen pink separates came in second.
Nunn Syndication, Polaris/Stephen Lock, I-Images/Splash News/Nunn Syndication, Polaris
Next, a look at your choice for a favorite coat.
©What Kate Wore
The winner here was Kate’s Michael Kors Twill Swing Coat; the Alexander McQueen Utility Coat Dress was a distant second.
Credits as shown on Photos
That brings us to the poll with the most participation as measured by the number of unique votes, almost 6400 of you took part in the favorite dress voting.
©What Kate Wore
Your favorite dress worn by the Duchess during the tour: the snorkel blue Lasa Poppy Print frock from LK Bennett. (See our notes below about the dress being re-stocked.)
Photo Credits as Shown on Images
Our thanks to everyone who took part. While the results are non-scientific, these do give us an idea of what you found most appealing, always a good barometer.
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We move now to an overview of the royal family’s participation in events commemorating the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landings at Normandy. The major events get underway tomorrow when the Queen and Prince Philip are received by French President François Hollande at the Arc de Triomphe. This is the start of a 3-day State Visit, HM and the Duke of Edinburgh will be in Normandy for several ceremonies on Friday, returning to Paris for functions on Saturday.
Below, HM with the Queen Mother, speaking with soldiers just a few weeks before the invasion.
Wikimedia
There have been observances throughout the week. The British Ambassador to France, Sir Peter Ricketts, says more than 650 veterans will be taking part in varying ceremonies. In this photo from Joe Tidy of Sky News you see British veterans arriving in Portsmouth. The vets were about to cross the Channel to France under much different circumstances from what they encountered 70 years ago.
Joe Tidy, Sky News Twitter Feed
Mr. Tidy also shared this picture of US veterans in Portsmouth about to join their British comrades.
Joe Tidy, Sky News Twitter Feed
William and Kate will take part in a tea party for veterans in Arromanches near Gold Beach, where British Forces built a temporary harbor, vital for unloading troops and supplies. Following that event they will attend the commemoration of the actual landing at Gold Beach. There were landings at five primary beachheads: the most famous is Omaha; the others are Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold Beaches. Below, British commando troops of the 50th Infantry division coming ashore on Gold Beach.
Imperial War Museum/Wikipedia
“D-Day 70 Years On,” an evening of special performances at Royal Albert Hall, is being streamed live at movie theaters throughout the UK. There is also a charity auction associated with this program.
D-Day 70th Concert
It is a much different vista this spring, as seen in a photo shared by the D-Day Operation Overlord Facebook page.
D-Day Operation Overlord Facebook page
It was an extraordinary undertaking.
US National D-Day Memorial Facebook page
Another view of the invasion.
US National D-Day Memorial Facebook page
A veteran receiving a commemorative medal this week.
70 Normandie Facebook
There is nothing like hearing about it from someone who was there.
Brittany Ferries Twitter Feed
The Royal British Legion shared a poem on Twitter.
Royal British Legion Twitter Feed (@PoppyLegion)
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A re-stocking update about Kate’s ‘Detroit’ dress from LK Bennett.
LK Bennett
The dress is back in stock on the LK Bennett UK/International site. When talking on Facebook about whether or not LK Bennett would ship to N. American addresses from this site, at least one Facebook friend reported that she has had merchandise delivered in the U.S. from the International site.
Additionally, LK Bennett’s Lasa Poppy Print dress is shown as being available in all sizes. Again, this is the company’s UK/International online site.
LK Bennett
The dress remains priced at £245, approximately $400.
One other note, the Imperia shoe is available in most sizes.
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We know of Kate’s fondness for Zara. There is word today that Zara’s sister brand, Stradivarius, is coming to England. More from the InStyle UK story:
When it comes to shopping for directional pieces at affordable prices, few shops rival Zara. But it looks like its hold over the high street might change once its younger – and cheaper – sister store, Stradivarius, comes to the UK.
For the first time in six years, Inditex – the company that owns Zara, Pull & Bear and Massimo Dutti – is bringing a new brand over here from Spain.
You can read the entire story here.
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Finally today, a quick Sales & Savings opportunities to share, beginning with the Jimmy Choo sale on its US site. None of Kate’s shoes are discounted in the sale. The Cosmic style is on sale for $348 (that’s 50% off) in both black and gold glitter, but Kate’s black suede style remains priced at $695.
Jimmy Choo
We’ll see you Friday.
LINKAGE:
the schedule of events for all senior members of the Royal Family taking part in events during the 3 days of commemorations in France may be found here
the UK government official website is here, the Royal British Legion’s home page can be seen here
visit the D-Day Operation Overlord website (click the British flag at the top of the page to see the English language version), and/or the group’s Facebook page
the Normandie Memoire site has a wealth of information, France’s 70th Normandy site is here (be advised there are some bad links on the site),
Stateside readers may want to visit the American D-Day site here; the US National D-Day Memorial page is here, the You Tube channel is here and Facebook page here
The US Army’s info on its role in commemorations may be read here, the schedule of events may be seen here (scroll down for multiple links), the US European Command Facebook page is here,
more information on the Gold Beach (where William and Kate will be) invasion can be read here, the D-Day Museum website is here,
ITV‘s 70th Anniversary coverage can be found here, the Washington Post’s photo gallery is here, the Independent‘s story about the ‘last voices of the longest day’ can be seen here, Channel 5′s story about vets returning to northern France can be seen here