Royal Tour of North America: Day 3 - Kate Plants a Tree, Wears a Grey Sheath Dress

Day 3 of the royal tour, which would have also been Princess Diana's 50th birthday, saw Kate Middleton choose a rather subdued shade for her smart shift dress. Just another sign that the Duchess seems to have fully grasped the fact that her clothes can--and do--conduct messages and feelings loud and clear. And while Kate might not be a fashion icon per se, she does use fashion and style in a deft and diplomatic way.

The little added interest on the back of the Duchess' dress was a fine finishing touch. The Cambridges were at Rideau Hall to plant a tree, a symbol of their trip and their love. Charles and Diana planted their tree on William's first birthday. Here KMidd receives a curtsy from the Governor General's uber cute granddaughter.

via The Daily Mail

Kate's grey dress is the Kensington from Catherine Walker, a fave of the late Princess of Wales and the designer of Carole Middleton's wedding suit.

Thanks to eagle eyed Chiara (and Sogni e Sorrisi who posted about her find), Kate's dove grey clutch has now been ID'd as the Somerton bag in Silver suede and leather from Hobbs.

Kate's silver/grey pumps are by Tabitha Simmons, in the same design as the black pumps shown above. The heels below show the same pattern as the Duchess' shoes.

via mirror.co.uk

Later on William and Kate participated in a cooking class.

Kate kept on the same grey Catherine Walker dress but

changed out the accessories, opting for her black Anya

Hindmarch Maud clutch and black Prada pumps.

For this day Kate chose to accessorize with
her Links of London Hope Egg Earrings.

Kate Middleton Goes Grocery Shopping, Looks Casually Chic

Kate Middleton seems to be settling into her new role as housewife to an army officer with some gusto. And KMidd also seems determined to remind the world that she's a normal girl, just like us. Well...except for the royal title and all that.

The newly minted Duchess of Cambridge was seen sailing into a grocery store in Angelsey looking like one of those perfectly groomed girls we kinda feel honour bound to hate. You know the type, that wonderfully smooth, blown-out hair and casual outfits that never veer into stained sweatpant territory (we're not admitting anything.)

For her shopping trip to Waitrose, Kate sported a cashmere Minnie Rose green frilled shrug wrap with a white sweater and dark Hudson skinny jeans. Catherine also wore a pair of mock-croc London Sole flats (we were just thinking how rarely we see KMidd in flats) and the same Links of London Hope Egg earrings she wore for her engagement pics.

Kate's Engagement Picture Links of London Earrings

Want to get your hands on the white topaz, egg-shaped earrings Kate Middleton was sporting in her official engagement portrait, photographed by Mario Testino?

Look no further than Links of London, who have been selling the Hope Egg earrings since 2006.



Image: Mario Testino via Getty Images

Kate & William's Official Engagement Portraits

Let's say it all together now: Awwwww. That's the exact reaction we had when we spotted Prince William and Kate Middleton's official engagement photos. The casual one, anyway. They look all happy and smiley like. Not surprisingly, both portraits were taken by Mario Testino, who famously photographed Princess Diana and who would totally be our pick if we ever needed to get photographed for the cover of Vanity Fair or something. We're just saying. It could happen. A girl needs to be prepared.

Kate's Whistles Blouse

Trying to figure out where Kate's embroidered blouse is from but don't recall seeing it on the runway? That's because it was never there. Oh, you think, so it must be custom made in some kind of priceless silk, right? Wrong. C'mon lovelies, we're in the middle of a recession and conspicuous consumption is so passé. Kate Middleton knows where it's at. We love us a fab fashionista, but what we love even more is a bargainista who can look like a million bucks wearing something that cost $24.99. Not that Kate's blouse was that cheap, but still. Close enough. And it's two years old. From Whistles.  

William is wearing a Turnbull and Asser shirt and a Brunello Cucinelli sweater. We were all ready to give props to Wills' dreamy sweater when we heard that it really belongs to Testino. See? We knew the man had taste! Now if only he'd call us...

Okay, so this formal pic is nice and all but doesn't really do much for us. Taken in the Council Chamber linked to Clarence house the photo is a little too Madame Tussauds for our taste. Anyhoo, William stayed faithful to Turnbull and Asser while Kate went with Reiss' Nannette dress with Links of London earrings.

We're not sure where the hype ends and the truth begins, but apparently both garments worn by the future princess were already hanging in her closet. If you'd like to snag a blouse for yourself Whistles is re-releasing the style in early 2011 and rechristening it the Kate (cha-ching!) Reiss is also looking to re-release the Nannette, likely in January of 2011.

There is one thing that has us stumped. It's been reported that Kate did her own make-up for the engagement shoot. WTH? Why? Sorry Kate, but that's a little too Bargainista, even for us.