Kate Sparkles in McQueen at the Sun Military Awards

William and Kate were joined by Prince Harry as they attended the Sun Military Awards at the Imperial War Museum in central London. Also known as 'the Millies' (or Night of Heroes), the annual military awards show recognizes servicemen and women.

Kate walked the red carpet in a strapless, black velvet, full length custom Alexander McQueen dress (£4,995). Her gorgeous dress had a frill trim around the bust and a fishtail-style skirt.

Kate's dress is reminiscent of the black strapless taffeta evening gown (by Elizabeth Emanuel) that Princess Diana wore on her first official appearance after her engagement to Prince Charles.

The Duchess of Cambridge accessorized with sparkly earrings (seen at Zara Phillips wedding and in Canada) and a chunky diamond & ruby necklace and matching bracelet that she received as a wedding gift from a family friend.

She held a matching black velvet clutch and donned Jimmy Choo 'Cosmic' ( £435) black suede platform pumps (heel height 120mm / 4.8"). Kate's shiny brunette locks were styled into loose curls with a side part.

The Duchess of Cambridge presented The Most Outstanding Soldier award to Ryan McCready

Earlier in the Day

Kate and William attended a luncheon hosted by The Queen at Buckingham Palace. The couple were among the close relatives invited.

Update 12/20/2011

Thanks to 'My Small Obsessions' here are some close-ups of Kate's beautiful necklace and bracelet (top two).

Looking through McQueen dresses, this is the closest one to Kate's that was once available off the rack, but now sold out (originally $6,850 reduced when on sale to $3,425).

Description from the Net-A-Porter Website:

Strapless gown

Black velvet

Sweetheart neckline

Boned bodice with underwired cups

Half scalloped trim at skirt

Sheer chiffon lower skirt

Partially lined

Concealed zip fastening along back

60% silk, 33% rayon, 7% cotton; lining: 71% acetate, 29% silk

Kate's clutch has been ID'd (thanks to WKW). It is the black velvet clutch bag by Pretty Ballerina (reduced from £185 to £111). As of this writing, it is sold out.

The following description is from the 'Large Designer Shoes' website:

Pretty Ballerina black velvet clutch bag with oversized bow on the front. Double magnetic clasp fastening. Interior zipper pocket. Lined in Jaime Mascaro logo fabric. Bag measures: 29cm long x 17cm high

 

Update 1/15/2014

 

Blogger 'Duchess Kate' has received confirmation from Mouawad (www.mouawad.com) that they were instrumental in the design and manufacture of Kate's gorgeous necklace and bracelet. They have a piece reminiscent of Kate's displayed on their website called the 'Haute Joaillerie Diamond, Ruby, 18K White Gold Necklace and Earrings Suite.'

 

Mouawad

 

Another piece, an 18K white gold, diamond, ruby and pearl set that included a matching bib necklace, bracelet, earrings and ring was worn Najwa Karam (a Middle Eastern superstar) was posted on the Mouawad FB page. The necklace and bracelet have distinct elements seen in Kate's set.

 

Mouawad FB Page

 

Thanks to 'My Small Obsessions' and one of her FB followers, we see that Kate's necklace and bracelet are not bespoke. Moroccan singer Samira Said, wore the same set.

 

Jazarah.net

 

Jazarah.net