Best Day Dress of 2017
The day dress poll had one of the largest number of options this year, from bespoke tailored pieces to floral designs, the Duchess outdid herself with her choice of dresses. With over 7,000 votes, the winner with more than 20% of the vote is the beautiful Erdem Evita Dress in Black Lily Collage. Vibrant lilies in yellow, green and blue boldly punctuate a light weight, textured black matelassé background; intensely gathered around the waist, neckline and down the sleeves. Not only is the dress fabulous, but Kate's hair never looked better.
Kate's Best Coat of 2017
The Duchess loves her coats and has assembled a stunning collection over the years. In 2017, Kate added a number of stylish new additions but which one won your vote? The award for 'Best Coat of 2017' goes to the pale blue bespoke Emilia Wickstead coat worn in Luxembourg. The full-skirted garment was the ideal choice to take Kate through a number of engagements on the day in style.
Kate's Best Gown of 2017
The pink Marchesa gown Kate wore to the Spanish State banquet takes the award for Kate's Best Gown of 2017. The sparkling Jenny Packham worn for the Royal Variety Performance was an incredibly close second; pipped to the post by just 29 votes. The Marchesa gown was a departure from Kate's signature evening style with distinctive flared cuffs, a plunging neckline and a v-neckline at the back.
Kate's Best Evening Dress of 2017
The award for Kate's Best Evening Dress goes to the Marchesa Notte Embellished Tulle Dress the Duchess wore for the opening night of 42nd Street. The garment is detailed with tactile lattice and rosette motifs. Partially lined to create a sweetheart neckline, the fit-and-flare design has flexible boning and a defined bead and crystal-embellished waist.
Kate's Best Skirt Suit of 2017
The skirt suit category featured a nice selection of options. Last year, Kate debuted a number of stylish designer suits perfect for a variety of daytime engagements. The winner is Kate's smart red skirt suit by Armani Collezioni. Made in Italy, the $848 single-breasted suit features a dart-seam front zip jacket, round collar and pencil skirt. It's a classic Armani suit and very professional looking.
Kate's Best Hat of 2017
The hat poll was a particularly enjoyable one this year! Despite hefty competition, the winner is the exquisite pink Jane Taylor hat with swirling design Kate donned for Trooping the Colour.
Least Popular Pieces of 2017
The pieces which garnered the least number of votes in each category above are as follows: the GOAT Elodie dress, Hobbs London Celeste Coat, DVF Zarita Gown, Rebecca Taylor Sparkle Tweed Suit, Somerset by Alice Temperley Peony Dress and the Sylvia Fletcher for Lock & Co Salsa fascinator. With the exception of the GOAT Elodie and the Temperley dress, all items listed above are repeats which have been worn on several occasions.
Best Designer of 2017
And the award for Kate's Best Designer of 2017 goes to...Catherine Walker! With competition from signature designers Alexander McQueen and Jenny Packham, Catherine Walker takes the crown thanks to a variety of timeless, regal ensembles created for the Duchess to wear for royal events at home and abroad last year. From a gorgeous green coat on St Patrick's day to a royally stylish black velvet garment, to the perfect summer dress for Wimbledon and an elegant skirt suit, the brand is fast becoming one Kate is relying upon as she forges and refines her styles as her role increases. I suspect this fashion relationship shall continue to thrive. Looking forward to seeing Kate in another collection of Walker designs this year.
What do you think of the winners? Did your favourites come first? A big thank you as always; I very much enjoy activities with plenty of reader participation. The annual polls are always fun :)
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Also today, news of a new addition to Kate's Calendar. On Wednesday, 7 February, the Duchess will officially open a new treatment centre in Wickford. The centre opened its doors to clients in October 2017 and hosts a rolling cycle of nine week-long addiction recovery programmes. While at the centre the Duchess will learn more about the charity's community-based recovery programme.
William and Kate's four day Royal tour of Sweden and Noway kicks off on Tuesday. I'll be with you blogging each event with posts published as quickly as possible. Although it's a short tour, the itinerary is packed and involves very interesting engagements, opportunities to take in the sights, glamorous evening events, and a number of appearances with members of the Swedish and Norwegian royal families.
The Cambridges fly over on Monday with engagements commencing on Tuesday morning. Here's a look at the schedule for Tuesday. You can view a detailed itinerary on our Kate's Calendar page:
Tuesday, 30 January, Stockholm
- The tour will begin in Stockholm with a morning visit to a bandy hockey event at Vasaparken, an outdoor ice-skating venue in the centre of Stockholm. The Duke and Duchess will arrive at the rink from the Residence of the British Ambassador to Sweden, where they will have stayed the night before. The Duke and Duchess will meet a group of local bandy players on the ice, and learn more about the sport and its popularity in Sweden.
- Next, the Duke and Duchess will travel to the Royal Palace of Stockholm to attend a luncheon hosted by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to welcome William and Kate to Sweden. Approximately fifteen members of the Swedish Royal Court will attend the luncheon, including Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel.
- Following the luncheon, the Duke and Duchess, accompanied by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, will walk through the picturesque cobbled streets of Stockholm from the Royal Palace to the Nobel Museum. During this walk, Their Royal Highnesses will have an opportunity to meet members of the Swedish public that will have assembled in Stortorget, the oldest square in Stockholm, and a charming public space outside the Nobel Museum. Once inside the Museum, Their Royal Highnesses will meet a number of Nobel Laureates, and will hear more from the Museum's curator about Science in Sweden and the Nobel Laureate system.
- From the Nobel Museum, the Duke and Duchess will travel to Ark Des, Sweden’s national centre for architecture and design. Here, Their Royal Highnesses will attend an event celebrating architectural collaboration and the best of Swedish design, from the most iconic and global furniture brands, to up-and-coming homeware designers with new takes on sustainable furnishings.
- That evening, the Duke and Duchess will attend a black tie dinner at the Residence of the British Ambassador, attended by members of the Swedish Royal Family, and representatives from government, and popular culture, including Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, and actors Stellan Skarsgård and Alicia Vikander.
Are you all looking forward to the tour? :)
Hooray!! I’m glad Catherine Walker won best designer! Her green coat from St. Patrick’s Day was a stunner 😍
ReplyDeleteDon't pop on here very often- but had to thank you Charlotte for your dedication to these polls- and the terrific level of reponse you got! Kudos to you as always!
ReplyDeleteOh well... as suspected- only two of my faves - the Evening Dress and Coat won out. Most of the ones that won, were actually some of my least favourites...that Erdem dress, imho, was so "past- the-trend" as to be an embarassment in my book...outside of the fact that I sorely had issue with the colours in the dress- even if her hair did look great!? :(
Clearly my experience as 30 years being a rather successful dress and clothing designer in the States and Europe mean nothing...( and a good thing I'm retired!)
To be honest, I was frequently disappointed by the majority of her sartorial choices this year although I felt there were some REAL stunners that didn't make the grade:
Imho, she never ever looked better than in the lavender Wickstead leaving Germany. The McQueen white Ascot dress and the black McQueen at the British Embassy cocktail party in Paris were to me some of the best standouts of the year. Aside from my personal favourite that I do desperately wish she'd try harder to acheive the sartorial level of more frequently: it had to be the Polish designer's white dress with black trim in Warsaw.That dress in Warsaw, you'd see other royalty throughout Europe wearing, but no not our emerging "Safetee- Katie..." All got to be a bit dull, although, we are able to see her WORK shine more as a result! ( is that her goal?? hmmm! indeed, I'd say!)
She shone on some other occassions but not as much as she did in these, imho. and yes, I voted for McQueen as her best " go -to" option...at least there's still a bit of sparkle for her when she works with them!
( again: glad I retired.lol)
welcome, Oliver. 😊
DeleteThanks, SG... ;) See you have interest in Sweden. Used to live there, too. We'll see how it goes. bound to be coolish! lol!
DeleteJust curious, in so many pictures she never takes the coat off indoors. Is that a style choice? Is it cold inside? Is it a coat dress because you don’t take it off? What if she gets hot??????
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the Scandinavian tour! I am especially interested in the Swedish venues! My great-grandparents emigrated from Sweden to Massachusetts in the late 1800's and my grandfather was born in Sweden! He spoke Swedish and their church in Massachusetts was conducted in Swedish until the 1950's! There is a large population of Swedes in New England!! This will be so fascinating!
ReplyDeleteYeah, there are a lot of us over there :P Do your family still practice any "Swedish traditions" or anything like that? :)
DeleteAny chance that's the Lutheran church in Brockton, Ma, artistswriter?
DeleteHi Rebecca: Our nuclear family incorporated a few things, but my maternal grandmother (married to my Swedish grandfather) was Canadian and did not speak Swedish. Grandpa taught us some words, and I wished I'd pushed him to learn more! I loved it! But, we had a large group of Swedish friends who were totally Swedish and at Christmas time, we participated in Swedish Smorgasbords. i have friends who have extensive collections of Swedish Christmas decorations and I have a few. Also there was a Swedish Smorgasbord restaurant in Boston, that my parents took us to every Christmas. That was a huge treat for us! One of my close friends growing up, is full-blooded Swedish and she and her husband have taken numerous trips to Sweden, to visit relatives. I've always been proud of my Swedish heritage even though I'm only 1/4!! Where in Sweden do you live?
DeleteHow wonderful to hear! I love seeing how cultures incorporate and survive and grow in different parts of the world!
DeleteI live in Småland (don't want to say any closer since I share my name and some personal stuff here!)
Do you go to Norway much? Have you seen that amazing new suspension bridge in Narvik?
Delete(off topic question. sorry. Just excited about that bridge.)
DeleteNever been to Norway! I'm not a big traveller in general. I've only been twice to Stockholm even!
DeleteIf you ever do make it there, you can hopefully see and drive or walk across the bridge. Maybe one day. :)
DeleteGlad you got to visit Stockholm. :)
A message for the Anon poster who didn't want their comment published: Thank you very much :)
ReplyDelete:) You are very welcome. Thank you!
DeleteOther than my support for Catherine Walker, I can't say I did well in the polls but they were much fun. Even before the latest scandal which killed the brand for me - I had heard rumours about Weinstein's conduct so Georgina must have known and overlooked it - I was not a huge fan of Marchesa. Some of the dresses were nice - there would good choices in the dressing Kate feature - but many are too theatrical for my taste. Kate wore the red dress well, but the evening gown looked more fancy dress than formal. I liked the Erdem dress - although I don't recall it being a great favourite at the time, and the Wickstead coat was very good on Kate although I preferred the Walker choices. Kate was smart in the Armani suit but I thought the material looked flimsy and tomato red is not her best colour. So I'm very out of touch.
ReplyDeleteThe Swedish itinerary looks brilliant - the Nobel museum is amazing and I should imagine William and Kate will be most impressed by the palace which is very grand. I would have like Skarsgard fils, not just pere to be in attendance - oh, well...
The winter season will mean many coats but the tour otherwise reminds me of the Norwegian visit over a decade ago when Mette-Marit was heavily pregnant. It will be lovely to see William and Kate connecting with royals close to their age with children of a similar age.
Are they related to any of the Scandinavian royals via Queen Victoria, or was that mostly mainland Europe?
Delete(I’ll google it. :) )
DeleteKing George VI and King Olav of Norway were first cousins, I think twice over, therefore Queen Elizabeth and King Harald are second cousins. The King of Sweden is a third cousin of both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
DeleteThanks Patricia.😊 Because of Queen Victoria’s children marrying into various Royal houses,
DeleteI figured that there were connections like that there somewhere but didn’t know the specifics. More pieces to the vast and intricate Royal family tree. :)
Except for best designer (Congratulations Catherine Walker!), none of my votes won, but I love that we can all celebrate and respect the diversity of everyone's sartorial opinions here.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for the upcoming tour. Many if not most of my all time favorite Kate looks have been from her tours. Beyond the fashion, I'm excited to learn more about Sweden and Norway. Looking at the itinerary for Tuesday, I'm equally excited for the black tie dinner and for the chance to learn more about the Nobel museum.
Thank you Charlotte for such a fun post! A few of my favorites won. The day dress..which I LOVE! The evening dress, and the designer Catherine Walker! I’m super excited to see pics and learn about a part of the world I’ve never seen in person with this tour. Can’t wait :)
ReplyDeleteI don't normally comment on fashion but I did vote this time and to my surprise had selected the first choice for three of the categories. The hat was only successful due a toss of a coin as I couldn't decide between the ascot white hat or the trooping the colour so I tossed a coin heads trooping tails ascot it came up heads! I also decided to discard outfits she had worn before.
ReplyDeleteI chose Catherine Walker because all of her outfits were good not outstanding but smart and professional throughout whereas both Packham and Burton had extremely good ones and others anything but good.
I am looking forward to the tour I hope Kate does not find it too tiring I see they are flying over to Sweden on Monday as the first event is on Tuesday morning, I think the itinary is very comprehensive and covers a lot of different interests. Just out of interest how long is the flight to Stockholm?
2 hours 15 minutes average.
DeleteThe flight time from London to Stockholm is 2hrs45minutes
DeleteThanks a lot Charlotte for all your hard work. This choosing our favorite outfits was enlightening. It's good to know that we all have different tastes. None of my choices were the winners, just goes to show different strokes for different folks. I hope everyone will remember that when they are commenting on Kate's looks, we don't all like the same thing but that should be fine.
ReplyDeleteI am really excited and looking forward to this mini tour.
All of my choices won!!Can't wait for the tour to begin and your live coverage of it!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Siddhii! My only choice that won was Catherine Walker in the Best Designer's cathegory.
DeleteErdem Evita Dress in Black Lily Collage dress is one memorably vibrant material with perfectly spread out floral. It deserved a win.
ReplyDelete-----
Marchesa Notte Embellished Tulle Dress is another well deserved winner.
In preparation for the upcoming tour to Sweden, I thought people here might enjoy this video of the Swedish royal family's 2017 year in review. It has interviews and fun footage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyOgUFk4-II
ReplyDeleteThanks, Denise.😊
DeleteI picked Catherine Walker, the day dress and the evening dress. I knew the Armani suit would be a top vote getter but to me it looks more orange than red and orange is is my least favourite colours. But I really can't get behind theMarchesa evening gown - too costumes for me. I remember thinking at the time that it could have easily been one ofDiana's dresses from the early 80s.
ReplyDeleteThank you Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteI dont mind who wins, or if my favourites win or not. I just love to see Kate in so many gorgeous outfits and styles!
Am looking forward to the Scandinavian soiree. It is an intense schedule for them and their staff. And by default you with blogging !
Thank you for your wonderful work. Again.
Bring on the Scandinavian tour! I can’t wait :)
DeleteGet the coffee and tea stocked up, Charlotte. ☕️
DeleteAnd a bit of bubbly for the DKB tour launch. 🥂
Deletesurfer girl, a bit of bubbly would go down nicely! ;)
Delete:)
DeleteI have been a regular reader of this blog since Prince George was born but have not commented before. I am not overly interested in fashion but thought just for fun I would have a go at voting for the first time. Much to my surprise I actually selected the winners in the best hat, evening dress and gown though I must admit in the last category I wasn't impressed with any of them I really miss the way Kate dressed in the first two years of her marriage she wore so many lovely dresses and gowns I am very tired of Jenny Packham's sparkly evening creations oh for the old days of her lovely classic gowns Sarah Burton does still create the occasional good gown. Thankfully Catherine Walker does still keep to the classic formula I voted for her. There are many lovely dresses around but sadly Kate seems to have lost the plot.
ReplyDeleteAway from fashion one reason I regularly read this blog is the wonderful information Charlotte gives us on the background to wherever Kate is visiting I have learnt so much about the history of many of these places. Thanks you so much you must spend hours doing it.
I am delighted at the way Kate has now progressed from a very unsure and nervous person, her shyness and nervousness not helped by the attacks on her ability to make a speech for a shy person it must have been devastating, to the lovely confident person she is today her engagements highlighting mental health issues in children and maternal mental health have been outstanding and her speeches at the Place to be conference in November and when launching the new initiative for schools a few days ago were excellent her increased confidence really showed. I do think the appointment of her very highly qualified PS Catherine Quinn was badly needed and has made a difference.
Finally I would like to mention how impressed I was by Prince Williams speech at the Charity Commission APM I thought the point he made about charities combineing was very relevant judging by the many begging letters one gets in the post many on similar themes in fact the recent merger of Place to Be with the ART Room is a
good example one a large organisation and the other a small one whose works complement each others.
I look forward to the tour of Sweden and Oslo and all Charlottes information on the places they visit.
I apologise for the length of this input but it has taken me a long time to pluck up the courage to write anything .
Mary G, great comment! I think I only picked the designer correctly ;) I love Catherine Walker. I do hope Kate continues to choose from this label. I noticed Kate’s “enthusiasm” for fashion that she seemed to have in the beginning of her marriage, started to wane a little bit after George was born (not blaming sweet George or Charlotte for some disappointing fashion choices!). It’s obvious her priorities have changed since having children. But I do like seeing the more intense focus on mental health & her growing confidence while giving speeches. Loved William’s speech, also :)
DeleteThe main reason I read this fantastic blog, too, is the thorough background info that Charlotte gives us. I can get lost in reading it all! & she is always so kind & generous with her time x
MaryG.😊 welcome. enjoyed your comments.
DeleteI think we’ll see even better fashion choices this
tour. I, like you and many others, would also like to see Kate’s true fashion spark ignited once again. 👒
Mary G, I'm very glad you plucked up the courage! :) Hope you go on commenting!
DeleteWelcome, Mary G. Thanks for commenting. We need a variety of opinions. I have been impressed with Kate's improvement in making speeches, too. She is obviously working very hard on it. Her charities are carefully chosen. I hope she has time to carefully choose her clothes, as well.
DeleteWelcome to commenting! I hope you plucked up enough courage to continue commenting!
DeleteThe fashion winners are on point and yes!!!! looking forward to the tour. Thanks, Charlotte. Enjoy your day!
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised Catherine Walker "won" for best designer. All of the styles are on point for a Royal lady. I voted for her. The McQueen designs for the most part were a huge miss for me.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised the Emilia Wickstead coat came in first. Especially when compared to all of the beautiful Catherine Walker coats.
I am looking forward to seeing what Kate will wear for the black-tie dinner. I might be mistaken, but I don't think she's attended one before this far along into one of her pregnancies, so it will be interesting to see what kind of style she chooses.
ReplyDeletePam.😊 She wore a long gown in NYC. William helped going up and down the entry stairs there.
DeleteI remember that, she wore the dark blue Jenny Packham dress I've liked so much. But she was only about 4 1/2 months along. This time she's further into her pregnancy, and there's a bigger bump to dress!
DeletePam.😊 It will be fun to see what she chooses. :)
DeleteI always love a fashion poll, but unfortunately none of my choices won. I can’t wait for the Scandinavian tour I hope she wears new clothes and some recycled as well.
ReplyDeleteregarding locks of love: there are a lot of concerns about this "charity" with reports of them charging families for wigs & even turning away children who have suffered hair loss & possibly selling the hair.
ReplyDeleteI recommend Wigs for Kids or Children With Hair Loss for anyone in the USA who's considering donating their hair. I've donated 4 times, 3 of which went to Locks of Love, & was furious when I heard the reports about Locks of Love not being the good chairity it claims to be
I agree with the best coat dress, best gown, best evening dress, and best designer! Those were my favorites, too. Though I like the best dress, suit, and hat chosen above, they were not my first choices. I love pink, so I really liked Kate's dress and hat she wore to Pippa's wedding. My only quibble with the hat chosen (since it was pink-yay!) is that it was an awful lot of bright pink. It certainly did help her stand out from far away which is good for Trooping the Color. I really liked the green suit and the purple/violet suit and I can't remember which I voted for, but the red suit was a hit with me, also.
ReplyDeleteThe least favorite black hat was my second favorite, and the favorite pink Trooping hat was my least favorite! The Red Marchesa is my least favorite dress. I don't think any of my favorites won, though I do like the Erdem dress. The only one of the Catherine Walkers that I really liked was the black velvet Remembrance coat, though I thought the blue outfit in Germany was rather pretty. I think Jenny Packham does the best designing for Kate, with the exception of the embroidered yellow dress.
ReplyDeleteRe Anon 23:44, Agree I also would really research the organizations. Check first to see if there is truly a huge need for the hair...i.e. they get way more hair than they can use. I have not looked at these organizations in years, so please just do your research.
ReplyDelete