Kate Middleton Style Blog

Kate chooses red and white Alexander McQueen dress for visit to Vancouver, Canada

Kate Middleton wearing a white and red Alexander McQueen dress in Vancouver, Canada

On day two of the 2016 Canada Tour, William and Kate travelled by float plane from Victoria to Vancouver’s Coal Harbour.

William, Kate and the Sea Plane

For people living outside of Canada, float planes are aircraft equipped to land on water (they’re sometimes called seaplanes).  They’re the quickest way to travel between Victoria and Vancouver, and they are important for connecting communities.  The Palace says they’re “one of the real symbols of this part of the world”.

William and Kate arrive in Vancouver

Upon their arrival, the couple were greeted on the dock by the Premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark.

William and Kate with Christy Clark

They were also greeted by First Nations representatives.

William and Kate in Vancouver

The first engagement of the day took place at Jack Poole Plaza, near the Vancouver Trade and Convention Centre.

William and Kate in Vancouver

The plaza is named after the late Jack Poole, a key player behind the success of the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics, which were both held in Vancouver.

Kate Middleton in Vancouver at Jack Poole Plaza

LonelyPlanet.com describes the plaza as a “handsome waterfront public space” it has great views of the mountain-backed Burrard Inlet and is the permanent home of the tripod-like Olympic Cauldron.  (The flame can be lit for special occasions, costing $5000 CAD).

Thousands of well-wishers gathered waiting to catch a glimpse of the royals.

William and Kate met with locals in Vancouver

Next, William and Kate travelled to the Downtown East Side of Vancouver. They met with representatives from the charity Sheway, which helps vulnerable mothers who are battling addiction.

William and Kate meet women from the Sheway charity in Vancouver

William and Kate met with staff from the charity and mothers who use the service.  There were several cute babies in attendance too.

Kate cooing over a baby at Sheway, Vancouver

Before the charity’s inception in the 90s, mothers living in the area with substance use issues had their babies removed at birth. The babies were often premature and underweight.  With thanks to the charity’s help, today, 88% of babies are born full term and are of average birth weight.

William and Kate visit the Sheway charity in Vancouver

A statement from the Palace highlights that Kate is keen to explore the link between addiction and family breakdown in her charitable work.

Kate Middleton visiting Sheway in Vancouver

The couple heard from mothers about their experiences of overcoming addiction and listened to a number of courageous stories.

William and Kate visiting Sheway in Vancouver

Speaking to a group of mothers, Kate said:

“What you’ve all been through and what you’re carrying as mothers is a huge, huge burden and just being able to come here and share your stories with us and each other is amazing … You’re giving your children an amazing chance by coming here and being able to talk about your stories.”

Next, the royal couple met up with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie.

Justin Trudeau, Sophie Trudeau, Prince William and Kate Middleton in Vancouver
The foursome visited the Immigration Services Society of British Columbia to speak with staff and volunteers.

William and Kate meeting with parents and children at ISSBC

The organisation supports over 25,000 migrants to Canada each year. A number of those migrants are fleeing war-torn Syria.

WIlliam and Kate listening at ISSBC

William and Kate spoke with people supported by the charity to learn how the service has helped them to settle in Canada.

Justin Trudeau Twitter

During the visit, William and Kate ‘officially opened’ the Edith Lando playground at ISSofBC by unveiling a plaque:

William and Kate unveiled a plaque for the Edith Lando playground, marking its official opening.

After visiting ISSofBC, the VIP party made their way to Central Vancouver for a youth reception.

Youth Reception in Canada

The reception took place in the Foyer of the Telus Garden Building in Downtown Vancouver.

Kate speaks with young people during a youth reception in Vancouver

William and Kate met with young leaders in Canadian arts, music, charity, sport, business and film.

William and Kate attend an event celebrating young people

The last engagement of the day took place at Kitsilano Coast Guard Station in Vanier Park.

Kate Middleton and Justin Trudeau meet first responders in Vancouver

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister Trudeau and Mrs Trudeau spoke with first responders to learn about the round the clock operation to support people who come into trouble on the water that surrounds this coastal city.

Kate meets first responders in Vancouver

They also met with other first responders who protect the safety and physical and mental health of people in the region, including police and fire services and social workers.

According to the Mirror, emergency service workers hailed former search and rescue pilot Prince William as “one of the guys”.

William and Sophie Trudeau in Vancouver

Finally, the Duke and Duchess departed the area by the Coast Guard’s hovercraft before flying back to Victoria for the evening.

William and Kate boarding the seaplane back to Victoria

Kate’s outfit:

Kate chose a white and red ensemble for today’s visit to Vancouver, likely inspired by the host country’s flag. 🇨🇦  The red and white dress is a custom piece designed by Alexander McQueen.

Kate Middleton wearing Alexander McQueen red and white dress in Vancouver

The dress is adapted from a piece in Alexander McQueen’s forthcoming Resort 2017 collection.

Red and white Alexander McQueen dress

As you can see, Kate’s dress differed in a number of ways:

Kate Middleton and Justin Trudeau

Namely, Kate’s version features slim fit sleeves with white cuffs and a longer skirt. However, the two dresses do have a number of similarities too: tiered layers, the button detailing and a mandarin style collar.

McQueen

Here’s a look at the back of Kate’s dress too:

The back of Kate's red and white dress

Here’s a little bit of information about the dress from the Telegraph Fashion

The dress, which won’t be available to buy until later this year, comes in a mini length with dramatic voluminous layered sleeves and includes a delicate handpainted floral motif.

I’m loving the cute buttons:

Printed Buttons on the Alexander McQueen dress

On to Kate’s matching red accessories now.  She opted for this gorgeous red suede bag by Miu Miu. It features a chic bow on the front, which is embellished with a gold Miu Miu logo:

Kate Middleton's red suede Miu Miu bag from Vancouver

The bag is described on Net-A-Porter as being “ladylike” with “three spacious compartments”.  Here’s another view:

Kate Middleton's red Miu Miu bag

The bag can be carried as a clutch or worn on the shoulder, as it comes with a gilded silver chain strap.

At the time of writing (1st September 2017) the bag can still be purchased from Net-A-Porter.com in black.

Kate wore a pair of vibrant red suede shoes with the dress.  She’s never worn these (in public) before.

Kate Middleton's red suede shoes

Update: Russell & Bromley have just confirmed Kate is wearing their Pinpoint style:

https://twitter.com/randbofficial/status/780339607959371776

The shoes have the same black toe reinforcement, as you can see below:

Russell and Bromley red suede Pinpoint shoes

They also have leather symbols and size information on the sole:

Russell and Bromley red suede Pinpoint shoes

Here’s a side-side-comparison of the shoes:

Russell and Bromley PinPoint

On to Kate’s jewellery now.  Her wristwatch will feel familiar to our regular readers. It’s the Cartier Ballon Bleu (33mm style). Kate’s owned it for years.  She regularly wears it.

Cartier Ballon Bleu Watch

Finally, Kate sported a new (to us) pair of earrings in Vancouver:

Kate Middleton's pear earrings in Vancouver

Update:  Reporters later confirmed that the earrings were on loan from the Queen:

https://twitter.com/QueenVicMirror/status/785842464972234752

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Comments

6 responses to “Kate chooses red and white Alexander McQueen dress for visit to Vancouver, Canada”

  1. Blueberry Avatar
    Blueberry

    Hi! I just discovered your website. It’s so great! I love the way you do write-ups of her events. It’s very direct and I find it easier this way to follow what she’s doing in addition to what she’s wearing. And at the same time, you actually make it easier than some of the other blogs to follow what she’s wearing — like having the products on the side! I’m wanting a pair of black boots this fall, so I was checking out the Rhumba boots. All in all, awesome work on this website. Love your attitude! Thanks for putting this together. P.S. I loved the McQueen outfit. It was so different from her usual stuff, and she looked like she was having fun wearing it.

    1. Carly Wood Avatar

      Thank you for this comment Blueberry, that’s just made my day 🙂

      I love hearing feedback. I started the “wardrobe” section of the site to help myself really. I kept losing track of what she owned and when she last wore it.

      I adore the McQueen outfit too – I think we’ve seen two flawless looks so far. Looking forward to seeing what today brings!

      Carly

  2. Sandrine Avatar
    Sandrine

    Hello, I found out today your page ! You do a fantastic work, it is a real pleasure to read you ! Here is a tour in Canada which begins divinely well !!! (I’m french, and I’m sorry for my english..;)

    1. Carly Wood Avatar

      Thank you for commenting Sandrine.

      Your English is really good. It is better than my French 🙂

      Carly x

    1. Carly Wood Avatar

      One of my favourites!