Kate Sparkles at Paralympics Opening Ceremony

 

Two weeks after the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, Queen Elizabeth and her family took their places once again in East London's Olympic arena to celebrate the opening of the 14th Paralympic Games.

 

 

Kate watched the spectacular ceremony alongside Prince William.

The Duchess of Cambridge donned the cream and gold brocade coat dress by Danish designer DAY Birger et Mikkelsen for the third time.

 

She wore the dress to Zara Phillips' wedding last year and in 2006 at Laura Parker Bowles' wedding

 

 

Kate teamed her coat with her favourite nude £185 LK Bennett 'Sledge 2' heels and a Wilbur & Gussie gold clutch.

 

Kate & William Attend the wedding of Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall

Kate & William attended the private wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall at Edinburgh's Canongate Kirk. The couple paused briefly to wave to the crowd before ducking inside the church.

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a gorgeous cream knee-length brocade style coat dress and matching hat with rose enhancement. Her coat dress was never identified but in my opinion, it looks very similar to the blue Jane Troughton Coat dress that Kate has recycled.

She also wore her taupe LK Bennett Sledge2 Court shoes and carried her woven straw LK Bennett Natalie clutch.

A half-up hairdo and pretty drop earrings completed her look. Our wonderful follower TH mentioned that Kate wore the same Diamond Cluster Drop Earrings that she wore to the Canada Day Concert.

Photo credit: Dianas Jewels

The coat dress looks like the same one she wore to the wedding of  Laura Parker Bowles and Harry Lopes in 2006.

Just a guess on my part but at the Parker Bowles/Lopes wedding above we see the lace skirt peeking from beneath her coat dress which could very well be the dress that she wore to the Simon Sebag Montefiore Book Launch in 2007. I wonder if that is what she chose to wear today as well?

One last picture is of the stunning bride Zara Phillips (she will keep her last name). She is wearing a beautiful ivory silk and duchess satin Stuart Parvin Wedding Gown.

Update

Our follower Annis let me know that the lace dress Kate wore to the 2007 book signing could be a Collette Dinnigan design. Looking through some of Ms. Dinnegan's past collections, I have found some similar dresses. The top two are from the 2005 ready-to-wear collection and the bottom dress is from the 2006 collection.

I also found this article in an Australian newspaper confirming that Kate is, in fact a customer of Collette Dinnigan.

'The Sydney-based designer told us that the princess-to-be is a loyal customer.

In the past she's purchased lace pieces that complement her slim figure and she seems to have a good understanding of the styles that suit her shape, Dinnigan said.
Middleton and her sister, Pippa visit the London boutique regularly.'

Update 7/31/11

After looking at what seems like a zillion pictures, I found a picture that confirms that Kate is wearing the same lace dress under her cream dress coat as she wore to the Parker Bowles/Lopes.

Update 8/1/11

Kate's dress coat had been ID'ed!!! It is by a danish designer Day Birger et Mikkelson from their 2006 resort collection. I found a listing on Ebay for the coat (it has since sold for £600.00). Below are some pictures of the coat from the Ebay listing.

Kate's dress has been ID'ed as well. Collette Dinnigan confirmed via her Facebook page that it is her dress.

'Investment dressing doesn't get any better! So Chic - Princess Catherine recycles Collette Dinnigan french lace dress'

Another Update 8/1/11

Follower TH has alerted me to the fact that Kate's gorgeous hat is a Gina Foster design. It is from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection www.ginafoster.co.uk/index.html 

Additional details - the hat is a natural straw coulis, called 'Launceston Place.' It retails for $675 and was customized by the duchess herself in a visit to the hat maker 10 days before Zara's wedding. Kate decided to add an additional flower under the bow detailing.

Gina formed her own label in 2006 and opened her Millinery Boutique in 2010. Below is a similar hat that I found on the Gina Foster Millinery website.