Inspired by... Kate's BCBG ruffle cropped jacket

One of my all-time favorite Kate pieces has been this cream ruffled BCBG jacket that she wore just prior to her 2011 wedding.  You might remember my previous post on this item.  

I have a serious crush on this cropped little jacket.  It is a light weight woven twill jacket with ruffles down the front and 3/4 length sleeves.  I believe the jacket is circa 2006 (?) but I'm not sure.  In any case we do know that Kate has a habit of keeping and re-wearing clothes for a loooong time.  This jacket seems to be no exception.  In fact you can see in the picture below that a bit of the hem seems loose.

Image via kate-middleton.us.

Sorry for the silly capture below, I just really liked how her dress is flaring out and I think its a great shot of the entire outfit as well.

Image via kate-middleton.us.

Of course I like to keep a special eye out for my personal favorites and I'm always on the look out for a dupe of Kate's BCBG jacket.

Fortunately I found one that is slightly reminiscent of the Duchess' cropped ruffled version.

This jacket from Dorothy Perkins reminds me a bit of Kate's.  It features ruffles all along the front opening.  The ruffles also come down around the waist and it features long sleeves and comes a pale beige pleather.  This jacket retails for approximately $95 USD.

Okay so it is slightly removed from Kate's version but a girl can always dream.

Dorothy Perkins - ruffled pleather jacket in beige.

Alexander McQueen military coat

Just a quick note to say that I apologize if most of these have been Kate's older outfits from earlier in the year and last year, instead of the latest Olympic looks.  I am working on it and I'll admit its easier to work on the outfits that appeal the most to me than the ones I don't really like that much.  However the Duke and Duchess' have their Asia tour coming up and in the meanwhile I have plenty to work on!

At an Irish Guard Parade Kate was feeling the military vibe.  (She's done military style before.)

She wore another Alexander McQueen coat in navy with double row gold buttons and a shamrock brooch on her lapel.  It appears that this was a custom piece since there were no identical pieces in any McQueen collection.

The closest thing I found to Kate's coat (for reference purposes) was this Alexander McQueen coat, that retails for ≈ $2395 U.S. and as low as $958.  It has similar double row of gold buttons, long length, and epaulette detail.  (Epaulettes BTW are those shoulder strap details fasted by buttons.)

The neckline is round, varying from Kate's raised collar neckline and a high-low hemline in contrast to Kate's one length.

Alexander McQueen via Net a Porter - military wool frock coat.

Its hard to tell if Kate's is a true coat or just a coat dress style as it doesn't look to be as heavy as a true coat and the sleeves look a bit scrunched up to 3/4/ length.  All the better to show off the rock, no?  We will stick to finding true coats with long sleeves.

And as long as you are not too picky on the exactness of the details, finding a double breasted military style coat can be a relatively easy endeavor.  Navy like Kate's might be a bit of a reach but perfectly within our limits is a dark (black) shade with gold buttons.  A dress length like the original will also be a bit challenging but should be a minor flexible detail, as are the 3/4 length sleeves.  

First up we have this lovely above the knee, double breasted corduroy version by Mango.  Bonus points for this repli-Kate since the epaulets and the double row of buttons match our original

Retails for approximately $169.99 U.S.

Mango - corduroy military coat.

Next up is this thigh length version from Victoria's Secret (which FYI I did not even know they sold coats!)  A very good slim version like Kate's in wool and if you look at the white version on the website picture, it shows the the collar up-turned, similar to Kate's.

This coat retails for approximately $188 U.S.

Victoria's Secret - wool military coat.

Alexander McQueen white origami coat

Kate's white origami skirted coat was probably one of most people's favorites and has been worn on only a few occasions.

It is a delicate white with a dainty form and unique sculpted side pleats that really carve out a feminine figure.

The wool and cotton blend coat is by Alexander McQueen, which gives us a hint of the monster price tag.  The original price was ≈ $3845 U.S.  and got as low as for $2691.50, and has since sold out.

The bodice of the coat is a double breasted style with collar, lapels and double row buttons.  The bottom of the coat is a skirt style which give it such a feminine and full shape.  It features origami style sculpting and peplum detail.

Alexander McQueen via Net a Porter - cotton and wool pique coat.

A slightly more reasonable alternative would be this version from on-line retailer ASOS.  While this repliKate is more of a trench style, it certainly mimics many of the details of the original inspiration piece.  It is also a double breasted style with collar, lapels, and double row buttons.  The bottom is a full skirted style as well, with handkerchief hem and bustle detail at back.

Cooper & Stollbrand via ASOS - cotton hitch coat.