Tesco to launch a Kate inspired dress

If you were not one of the lucky few to get your hands on the Reiss Shola dress, you may be interested in the Kate inspired dress that will be released by British brand Tesco next month. Tesco is offering their dress at £30 a pop.

Be aware that it's not an exact copy. It has a higher neckline and longer sleeves. Tesco has named it The Florence + Fred Limited Edition dress and is playing up the neutral coloring. The dress is set to hit stores on June 13th. www.tesco/clothing

 Jan Marchant, Buying Director at Tesco says: "Our customers love Kate's look. She is now a true style icon and flying the flag for British high street fashion. Our similar dress is expected to sell-out fast. Many women want to emulate her elegant look and we are delighted to offer Kate inspired pieces at affordable prices."

Reiss Shola Dress WILL be Reissued!!!!

This just in from the Reiss Blog - Kate's Shola dress WILL be reissued! The dress is expected to arrive within five to six weeks and will be sold on a first come first serve basis.

     "Due to the extraordinary customer demand we are delighted to announce that the Reiss Shola dress, as worn by the Duchess of Cambridge, will be re-ordered and available to buy from Reiss once again!

     We expect the dress to arrive within five to six weeks and it will be sold on a first come, first served basis as we cannot guarantee any pre-orders."

Reiss has even created a page to inform it's customers when the dress is back in stock http://www.reissonline.com/shola

Originally, Reiss released 1000 Shola dresses, it remains to be seen how many they will re-release.

Description of The Shola dress from the Reiss website

'Shola is a timeless, figure hugging dress that's sure to catch an eye. It has a box neckline, asymmetric overlays on the skirt and a band around the waist. Shola fastens with a concealed zip at the back. From high shoulder point length is 98.6cm at the front.'

Do You Want to Rent Kates' Reiss Shola Dress?

If buying a $300+ dress is not currently in your budget you can still get the high street style that is afforded to the new Duchess of Cambridge. To sample Kate's fashion sense for yourself, the new site http://www.labellease.com/ has just the offer for you.

You can rent a Reiss Shoala Dress for either 3 nights (£69), 5 (£79) or even  a full week (£89). The site allows you to rent up to two dresses at the same time.

Label Lease is offering a 15% discount to new customers using code LLWelcome.

Kate wears a Reiss Dress to meet Mrs. O

Today, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met President and Mrs. Obama in the 1844 room of Buckingham Palace.

Kate looked svelte and tanned as she conversed with Mrs. Obama. She wore a simple figure-hugging $340 (£175) camel, short-sleeved 'bandage' dress called the Shola, from one of her favorite brands, Reiss. The Duchess has already made famous one of their dresses by wearing it for her engagement photo. www.reissonline.com

At 9 a.m. this morning the Shola was available online but a mere hour later, the dress is no longer on the Reiss site. (As of this writing, it seems that the Reiss Server has crashed due to the high volume of traffic).

For those of you wishing to make a purchase at Reiss, Glamour magazine has a discount code for all orders to the US for 20% off! Enter Code: GLAMOUR20 thru May 30, 2011.

Kate accessorized her look with a statement necklace, black heels and carried a teeny-tiny clutch bag. She maintained the best-of-British theme witth her Anya Hindmarch’s 'Maud' clutch in black silk. http://www.anyahindmarch.com/. The bag can be custom-made in 29 shades of silk and the price starts at £275.

Update 5/25/11: As of today, here are the stores in the UK where you can still buy the "Shola" dress

• Reiss Regent Street, London: Two size 10s, one 8, one 14
• Reiss Canary Wharf, London: Two size 8s, one 10
• Reiss Leadenhall Market, London: Three size 10s

Reiss took to Twitter yesterday to say, ""To all our Shola fans!...The dress has now sold out online and in the US, with very limited stock left in UK stores."

Unfortunately, the dress will NOT be reissued once the current stock is sold out - this was confirmed today by Reiss

Update 5/26/11: The latest on Kate's shell necklace... it is being reported that it was a momento from her honeymoon in the Seychelles.

Kate & Wills Confirmed they honeymooned on North Island in the Seychelles

The location of where Kate & Wills had been was kept secret until today. There has been much speculation but nothing had been confirmed until word came from St. James' Palace that the happy couple had honeymooned on the North Island in The Seychelles for 10 days. http://www.north-island.com/

Prince William booked Villa No 4 – one of a handful of luxury retreats scattered across the island – which costs almost £4,000 a night. The pair had been forced to downgrade from a £6,000-a-night honeymoon villa as its location in the ­Takamaka Forest was deemed to be less secure.

The stunning handcrafted villa has ­amazing views over the ocean and an open-air bathroom area with a sunken bath and shower. The villa also included a romantic four-poster bed made of driftwood, a freshwater rock pool in the ­private garden and an outdoor yoga pavilion.

The royal couple had a personal chef and butler on hand to take care of all their needs. They would have also had access to a well-stocked wine cellar and cocktails.

To get to the North Island the couple set off to the ­Seychelles by private jet from their home in Anglesey, North Wales, on May 10. From Mahé, a helicopter took them the remaining 15-minute flight over to North Island, off the north-east coast of Madagascar.

A closer look at the lace used on Kate's Wedding Dress

There were two types of lace used on Kate's wedding dress. The first was English Cluny Lace and the second was French Chantilly Lace. Below, we will take a closer look.

English Cluny Lace

The Cluny Lace Company located on the border of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire is the only manufacturer left in the UK that makes lace. http://www.clunylace.com/index.htm

The company was established by the Mason family in the 1760s at the start of the Industrial Revolution. It is now owned and managed by the eighth and ninth generations of the Mason family.

On Kate's wedding dress English Cluny Lace was used primarily on the underskirt and on the train. It was also found on the bridesmaids 's underskirts and around their neck and sleeves.

Many of the company's patterns are made nowhere else in the world.

French Chantilly Lace

The rest of the lace on Kate's dress was leavers lace from French lacemaker Sophie Hallette. The company has been in business since 1887 and their lace has accented lavish looks from Dior and Dolce and Gabbana to Valentino and Versace.  http://www.sophiehallette.com/eng/main.html

Sophie Hallete offers over 2,000 lace designs. Kate chose a french chantilly lace with an intricate pattern of shamrocks, roses and lilies that was first created in 1958. The lace was hand-sewn on to the silk tulle which formed the gown’s decollete, sleeves and train.

Update 5/28/11: Clarence House issued a statement that the French lace used on Kate's dress came from the same company that produced the lace for Grace Kelly’s dress. Twenty-five meters (82 feet) of lace was used in the pattern for the gown.

Designer for Kate's Green Frilled Shrug has been ID'd!

If you're like me, you've been dying to know which designer makes Kate's Green Frilled Shrug!

It is by the Amercian luxury knitware brand Minnie Rose http://www.minnierose.com/ The company specializes in cashmere dusters, shawls and sweaters.

Similar styles can be purchased at Saks 5th Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Amazon.com

Kate's L.K. Bennet Wedges to be re-issued.

Would you like to own a pair of patent wedges just like Kate's?

The Greta wedges (£150) that Kate wore at her final wedding rehearsal and when she left Buckingham Palace for her private get-away with her new husband are now being reissued. They have been appropriately renamed ‘The Kate.’ Look for them in June 2011.

It may not be as easy as you think to get your hands on a pair. There is already a waiting list!

Chelsy Davy was spotted trying on a pair last week but opted for a cheaper version by the Office brand (£60). The ones she chose  were suede rather than patent and had a higher rattan heel than the ones Kate wore (modest cork elevation).

Update 5/26/11: LK Bennett has renamed and the 'Greta' wedges - the 'Maddox' (a limited edition version). They will be available in June 2011 and are part of their Summer Collection. Offerings are in three colors: black, turquoise and coral. They are reasonably priced at £165.00 ($265). The shoes have a wedge raffia heel and are high-shine patent leather.

Designer Spotlight: Sarah Burton

Following the death of the famed Alexander McQueen in early 2010, Sarah Burton became the creative director of the British label. How did she get to where she is now?

Sarah joined Alexander McQueen in 1997 after graduating from Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design in London. She took on the role of McQueen’s personal assistant.

In 2000, Sarah was appointed Head of Womens wear and went on to create dresses for Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga along with a slew of other celebrities and well known people.

Kate Middleton first noticed Sarah Burton’s work when she attended the wedding of Tom Parker Bowles and Sara Buys. Sara’s dress was designed by Sarah Burton.

Speculation began in March 2011 that 36-year-old Sarah Burton had been commissioned by Kate Middleton to design her wedding dress. But Burton denied this and told Vogue UK, “I am not doing it”

On Thursday April 28th news sources began buzzing when they saw a woman pictured getting out of a car outside the Goring Hotel. She was hidden beneath an Alexander McQueen fur hoodie.

Grocery Shopping in Anglesey

This morning, the beautiful Kate was seen grocery shopping on the island of Anglesey.

She was dressed down but still looks every inch the immaculately dressed Queen-to-be.  Kate wore her favorite brand of jeans -- a pair of faded black Hudson skinny jeans (£195), a long-sleeve white cashmere v-neck sweater topped with a green frilled shrug, and a pair of French Sole brown mock-croc ballet pumps (£92).

She’s wearing the same pair of Hope Egg earrings (Links of London £275) that appeared in the couple’s official engagement photo taken by Mario Testino. www.linksoflondon.com

Description from the Links of London Website "a very attractive and important symbol in Russian culture, traditionally given for birthdays, festivals, etc. This egg represents hope and new life and is decorated with white topaz and with white rhodolite. Sterling Silver with White Topaz."

Hudson jeans have long been a favorite of Kates' since she was first seen wearing them in 2008 at the Beaufort Polo Club, watching Prince William partake in a Charity Polo Match. The label is based in Los Angeles but Kate buys hers at Trilogy on Kings Road. Get your own pair at www.hudsonjeans.com 

Kate's ballet flats are by French Sole. They are the "India" style and have an elegant quarter inch heel.

Update 12/3/2011

Kate's Minnie Rose Cashmere Ruffle Shawl is again available on the minnierose.com web site. It retails for $319 is made from 100% lightweight cashmere.

Update 3/15/2013

 

 

Kate's sweater has been ID'ed (thanks to Hannah Gladman). It is by Zara.

 

 

 

Kate's Scent

If you haven't already snapped up the £70 fragrance that Kate wore on her wedding, get in line!

According to Clarence House, Kate wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum, a little-known British brand.

A description on the company website describes the scent as

 'fragrant as a vase of white flowers quivering in the breeze by an open window, this is a delicate and nuanced scent.

'The top note of coconut evokes a seaside location, while heart notes of muguet, ylang ylang and jasmine breeze bring a trio of white flowers into play.

'Amber wood underscores this capricious and light bouquet.'

The fragrance is available in two sizes: a 50ml bottle and a 100ml bottle. There is currently a wait list for the 50ml bottle but the 100ml bottle can be purchased immediately.
roullierwhite.com

What scented candles and toiletries were requested by Kate for use inside the Abbey during the wedding? 

A selection of candles, handwashes and lotions, specifically in citrus spring scents including Orange Blossom, Grapefruit and the ever-popular Lime, Basil & Mandarin by luxury fragrance brand Jo Malone

Kate & William Leave on a Weekend Retreat

Kate, looking relaxed and wearing a light blue dress (£49.99 Zara), walked hand in hand with her new husband on April 30th to a waiting helicopter that took them to an undisclosed weekend retreat. Covering the top of the dress, she wore a simple dark jacket and LK Bennett GRETA Wedges.