Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Temperley black lace gown

The Duchess wore this black lace gown with nude lining back in January for the "War Horse" movie premiere.  She recently made headlines for re-wearing the gown at an event at St. Andrews University.
The first time around Kate wore the dress simply, with her hair in her trademark loose curls and accessorized with a black clutch and diamond bracelet.  I actually thought this version was tame but stunning in its simplicity.
The dress itself is fine and the lace is lovely, but there is something about the angled seam on the skirt that I don't like.  I guess I just prefer the Duchess in fuller skirts!

Credits: Instyle.
The second time around she wore it pretty much the same way, very simple except for a bright red Alexander McQueen clutch (the same one she took on the Jubliee boat parade.)
For some reason I don't like the dress as much this second time around.  I think she already wore it this way once and it looked nice so she could have mixed it up a bit.  I like the use of color and I think the red clutch was a way to tie in the red poppy pin, but its a shame that she didn't even bother to wear her hair differently so we could actually see the pin.

Credits: DailyMail.

The gown is the long sleeved "Amoret" gown by Temperley, from the Autumn/Winter collection.
It is still available and retails for £2900, or approximately $4,600 U.S.

Temperley - "Amoret" gown.

While the following gowns are not exact look-a-likes, they very much capture the essence of Kate's with the use of lace.
This first one is the only one I could find with sleeves and is probably closest to Kate's version of sleeves and v-neckline.  This version is also lighter on the lace, with spaced out appliques.  It is Somerset by Alice Temperley collection, and Temperley is a well-known Kate favorite so perhaps its not too far off the mark?
Retails for approximately £249 or about $395 U.S.

Somerset by Alice Temperley via John Lewis - long lace black dress.
Here is a lovely one shoulder version from Dessy.  There is a bit more variation here with the one shoulder, but Dessy is primarily a bridesmaid gown source.  The fun part about this particular gown however is that the bottom slip color is completely customizable in a wide array of 83 colors.

Dessy Collection - style no. 2850.

This version features a bateau neckline and sleeveless bodice with a waist detail.  I really think the A-line silhouette make this dress in particular more wearable for "real life" ladies than Kate's version anyway.  And apart from the sleeves and neckline, this is a pretty good repliKate.
Retails for approximately $218 U.S.

T by Tadashi Shoji via Dillards - boatneck lace dress.

This gown, alsy by Tadashi Shoji is similar but features a blouson style bodice and long waist ribbon.  The blouson bodice is particularly favorable if you need a more forgiving silhouette.  Not all of us have Miss Kate's figure!
Retails for approximately $388 U.S.

Tadashi Shoji via Von Maur - lace gown with grosgrain ribbon.

Finally, and probably my favorite is this scoop neck gown with cap sleeves.  I particularly like it because of the scallops at the neckline and the more covered shoulders.  It is petite size so even smaller girls are able to get in on Kate's look.
Retails for approximately $408 U.S.

Tadashi Shoji via Von Maur - lace overlay gown in petites.
Kate loves her lace so don't forget to check out her other lace looks here!

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