The Duchess in Self-Portrait for Film Festival Highlights & A Street Cat Named Bob Premiere

The Duchess of Cambridge carried out two engagements this evening: the Recovery Street Film Festival and the UK premiere of A Street Cat Named Bob in London.

Kate's first engagement of the evening was embargoed, with details only released shortly before the engagement began. One imagines this was due to security concerns. The Duchess viewed the highlights of the Recovery Street Film Festival, which focuses on filmmakers who have a lived experience of recovering from drug or alcohol addiction, whether their own or that of a loved one.

The Duchess heard from the makers of the films about what inspired them to pick up the camera. Kate was particularly taken with fifteen-month-old Eden Walker. "Hello, aren't you a sweetheart?" said Kate, bending down to look at the baby. "How old is she?" she asked.

More from the Daily Express:

"At the  event, held at the offices of Four Weddings and a Funeral filmmakers Working Title, the Duchess listened intently as several former addicts told their stories both in person and on film. Among them was Lisa Breyer, a trustee of Action on Addiction, who has been clean for 34 years. She last took drugs at the age of 25 and is now a mother of 19-year-old twins. "Your Royal Highness, you have taken us at Action on Addiction, for who we are and what we do, warts and all. And it is warts and all," she said, promoting Kate to laugh.

The future Queen chatted intently with many of those who starred in the three-minute winning films, including Martina Bell, who works with addicts at HMP Wymott. She said: "She was fascinated to learn about the work we do and how many inmates are in recovery given the environment we are living and working in."

David McCollon, from Warrington, was an addict 14 years ago and lost a leg to gangrene caused by injecting drugs but now has his own media company. "Well done on getting your message across,"Kate told him. "

Kate takes her seat in the cinema room at the Working Titles office to watch the special screening.

The festival was established three years ago by a consortium of charities including Kate's patronage Action on Addiction. The aim is to empower people affected by addiction by giving them a voice, and providing a platform for them to tell the stories of the ‘ups and downs’ and how they reached recovery. The films aim to highlight the problems that are confronted when someone is attempting to regain their place in society: to gain new friends, to revive links with family, secure a home and get a job. You can view the 2016 Shortlist here.

I found reading Ceri's experience very interesting. She won the competition last year and shared an insightful account of her journey:

"I entered the Recovery Street Festival competition after seeing it on Addaction’s Facebook page. I felt like it was a good opportunity to try and show others the impact of alcoholism on the children involved, both as a child and an adult.
My mum was an alcoholic, and my childhood was very chaotic and unstable. I always thought I could fix my mum and kept the alcoholism a secret from everyone. I still meet a lot of challenges with self-esteem and anxiety due to this. My mum died when I was 21 so I feel a huge gap in my life now. 

I really didn't think I'd be able to speak in front of the camera, but decided to just give it a try, with no expectations, but love writing and being creative so tried to just enjoy the process. It was difficult to make at times, some days I could only manage to do it for a few minutes but other days I spent hours editing it. It started at 20 minutes long, so it took a while to edit down to 3 minutes!  I didn't realise at first, but the main benefit to making the film was that after having my son I was again processing the grief of losing my mum. The film helped me remind myself that mum was controlled by alcoholism and it wasn't my fault, and has really helped me move on. 

I've now started helping the charity NACOA (national association for children of alcoholics) and they have been able to use my film and story to raise awareness during Children of Alcoholics week. I think that in the future the Recovery Street Festival could be a great way for people to work through their own stories and celebrate their recovery. It's also a great creative output and really improved my confidence. These films could help all the charities involved educate others of the impact drugs and alcohol have, and show others they aren't alone in their journey and motivate them to make changes to their lives."

You can view Ceri's very moving winning entry Understanding Mum here. I think she did an outstanding job of conveying the experiences and emotions one goes through watching a loved one battle addiction.

From there, the Duchess walked the red carpet for the premiere of A Street Cat Named Bob at Curzon Mayfair cinema.

The Duchess was all smiles upon arrival.

Kate was greeted with cheers from a sea of onlookers eager to snap a photo of the Duchess.

The premiere benefits Action on Addiction, and it was interesting to see the charity linking both of this evening's engagements. Graham Beech, chief executive of the organisation said: "Today, we are highlighting the message which is a theme of the film that even in the depths of addiction, there is hope. Addiction is a devastating condition which affects individuals, families and the wider community, and people find it difficult to talk about the issue. We are grateful to the Duchess for continuing to ensure that the subject of addiction is not ignored, and that people are encouraged to speak out and seek support and treatment."

The view down the red carpet.

Based on the international best selling book, it tells the true feel-good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat. The tale of the unlikely friendship between James and Bob has been described as "incredibly moving". The cast includes Luke Treadaway, Anthony Head and Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates), whom Kate previously met during a visit to the show's set.

Richard Palmer shared further background on James and Bob "They live together in south London. "Bob bought a house and I pay the mortgage," said Bowen, who now does charity work on behalf of the homeless and addicts. "He showed me that everybody has a second chance in life if they want it. He made me see the need to get clean so that I could take care of him and in turn take care of myself. At home he likes to sit down and watch telly. He is a bit of the king in the house."

You can view the movie's trailer on YouTube.

Bob posing on the red carpet :)

A look at Joanne Froggatt's sweeping gown tonight.

Kate with the real star of the show Bob who starred as himself in the movie and James Bowen who inspired the film. Kate stroked the cat and asked "Is he purring or growling?". "I'm really not sure if that's purring or growling" he said, putting a reassuring hand on Bob.

A brief video of Kate meeting Bob :)

When Kate met A Street Cat Named Bob pic.twitter.com/X7qoos6WTK

— ITV News (@itvnews) November 3, 2016

We've seen Kate supporting a selection of new brands this year. Tonight she did just that wearing a dress by the increasingly-popular London label Self-Portrait. The Duchess wore the brand's Pleated Crochet Cotton Blend Maxi Dress from the Resort 2016 Collection.

The dress originally retailed for $640 before selling out. It was described: "Self-Portrait puts its stamp on this season’s Victorian trend with this elegant white crepe maxi dress. Crafted with a crochet bodice and long sleeves, a grosgrain band defines and flatters your waist, before falling to a pleated maxi skirt spliced with a leg-baring split. Complete the look with nude sandals." The dress was recently worn by Paris Hilton according to the fabulous Fug Girls.

ShopBop

Kate's dress is available in black at Lane Crawford for $480 (however, this dress doesn't appear to have a split). The dress is described as "a good balance of the label's conceal-and-reveal aesthetic". The very similar Self-Portrait Mia Dress is also available in all sizes at Net-A-Porter.

Lane Crawford

The brand launched in 2013 and has enjoyed stratospheric success ever since, calling every fashionista and celebrity from Blake Lively, Rachel McAdams and Miranda Kerr to Princess Victoria of Sweden a fan. Fashionista.com wrote an excellent piece on the brand and the designer Han Chong last year:

'Designer Han Chong, a Malaysia native and graduate of Central Saint Martins, has been in the fashion business for over a decade. After co-founding label Three Floor, he decided to strike out on his own in fall of 2013 with Self-Portrait, and its success has been rapid. Net-a-Porter and Bergdorf Goodman have both already picked up the line, attracted to its feminine dresses and separates with lots of lace, embroidery and sheer overlays, as well as its appealing price point: Dresses fall in the $500 to $600 range.'

Two particularly interesting questions from the interview. It was very interesting to see Han Chong's response when asked why he chose to hone his craft at Saint Martins:

'Because Alexander McQueen went to Saint Martins, and I get a lot of influence from him. It’s a very good school. I think it’s the energy, making you want to be better than anyone. The environment was super creative and you can do anything you want there; there’s no restrictions. They don’t tell you, "You cannot do this, you cannot do that," and I think that’s very good at a very young age to experience that, and also prepare you for the real industry afterwards because of the competition. '

Describing the Self-Portrait woman, Mr. Chong said: "She’s not afraid to stand out. She definitely doesn’t want to blend in. She wants to light up, she likes attention, I think, because you get noticed when you wear Self-Portrait. She’s feminine and at the same time, sometimes she’s not afraid to kind of play with gender and clothes." Below, three popular styles from the brand: the Prairie Midi Dress, the Azaela Fit-and-Flare Dress and the Asymmetrical Midi Dress.

Nordstrom

And what did the designer think of Kate wearing one of his designs. Speaking to The Telegraph Han Chong said "It's a proud moment for me as designer to find Kate in one of my designs! She's such an elegant women and it's a dream to see. She looks incredible!"

Kate wore her Buckley poppy brooch.

Kate carried her burgundy suede Mulberry Bayswater Clutch.

And it appears Kate wore her burgundy Gianvito Rossi 105 Suede Pumps. The pumps are available for $675 at My Theresa.

My Theresa

Kate completed the look with her $190 Oscar de la Renta Hammered Gold-Plated Faux Pearl Earrings. The earrings are described: "Oscar de la Renta's earrings are an elegant way to complete day or evening looks. This gold-plated pewter pair is hammered to beautifully catch the light and centered with smooth faux pearls. Wear yours with swept-back hair."

Harrods

You can view a red carpet arrival video here.

What do you think of Kate's look tonight and the engagements?