On the 2nd of October 2019, William and Kate visited the Aga Khan Centre in London. The couple attended a special event hosted by His Royal Highness the Aga Khan ahead of their official visit to Pakistan later this month.
The royal visit will take place between the 14th and 18th of October.
The Aga Khan is a spiritual leader and the Imam to Shia Ismaili Muslims. He has around 15 million followers from more than 25 countries around the world, including Pakistan.
Many people believe the Aga Khan is a direct descendant of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
He is also the head of the Aga Khan Development Network, a charitable organisation that sends aid to neglected parts of the world.
The Aga Khan hosted the event to showcase modern Pakistani culture. Inside the centre, the couple mingled with guests, including Pakistani and British community leaders, businessmen, musicians, chefs and artists.
If you’re a music fan, you might recognise DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician Naughty Boy:
Kate’s outfit:
Kate wore a teal dress by ARoss Girl x Soler, a collaboration between ARoss Girl and Soler London.
I’ll admit this was the first I’d heard of either company, so I conducted a little research. ARoss Girl is a project by Amanda Ross, started after a rich and varied career in the fashion world. She held the positions of Market Director at Harper’s Bazaar and Fashion Director at Departures Magazine. She also turned her hand to red-carpet styling and jewellery design in more recent years. Soler London is a fashion boutique in Notting Hill, London with a celebrity following. It’s owned by designer Alex Al-Bader.
After Amanda Ross fell in love with the craftsmanship and bohemian spirit at Soler London, she and Alex Al-Bader decided to collaborate on a capsule collection of clothing sold exclusively at Net-A-Porter. Pieces include silk dresses, corduroy skirts and cotton tops:
Kate wore their Amanda silk-georgette maxi dress. It features long blouson sleeves with tie-fastening cuffs, an elasticated waist and a maxi-length skirt. The elegant look is finished with an emerald green belt.
The dress retailed on the UK Net-A-Porter site for £825 before entering the sale. At the time of writing, you can buy it for £577.50 (30% off).
Of course, it’s likely that the colour choice is a nod to Pakistan’s flag, which is largely green in colour: 🇵🇰
I’d also guess that she chose the long-sleeved, modest dress with her Muslim hosts in mind, though the look wasn’t a huge departure from her usual demure style. The Duchess has favoured midi and maxi-length dresses for a while now.
Kate’s coordinating earrings are from Zeen, a women’s clothing and accessories line by Pakistani company CAMBRIDGE. They’re known as the ‘Dazzling Ceramic Drops‘ and cost just $8 (around £5!)
Kate’s bag and shoes might feel familiar. They’re by Emmy London. The Duchess is wearing the designer’s Natasha clutch and Rebecca court shoes in the colour ‘Greenery’. She owns both pieces in many colours.
The Rebecca court shoes retail for £395. They feature a stylish pointed toe and a 4.5″ heel. Kate’s carrying the older self-piped version of the Natasha clutch (the newer version features contrasting gold detailing). The bag currently retails for £350. Both are handmade and hand-finished from suede fabric.
We’ve seen her wear the pieces before. She first debuted the pumps to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 2017.
Your verdict:
As always, there was plenty of opinions on Kate’s outfit for this event. The dress received mixed reviews on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Most were positive, as lots of you loved the jewel tone colour and the elegant silhouette of the dress, but others found it plain and a little matronly.
Do share your thoughts on Kate’s outfit in our comment section below. I love reading everybody’s different opinions!
The Duchess looks lovely. The colour is gorgeous. Love the fall and flow of the dress. . The sleeves are lovely, puts a different spin on the overall look of the dress.. Prefer the belt the way it is placed in the viewing picture though. Shoes and bag are a excellent colour choice and blend in well.
The duchess looks lovely with tis color ….like the Earrings but the shoes are bit boring maybe she shut look
for a new shoe style…are looking forward to the Pakistantrype ..love the duke and the duchess
Yes, I adore the teal/green colour too. I CANNOT WAIT for the Pakistan visit.
I love the outfit, I don’t think it’s “matronly” on her. You have to keep in mind she has to follow certain protocols and be mindful of what she wears in respect to her official position. I can see this dress potentially being “matronly” on a regular person, depending on that person’s silhouette and occasion is worn for. But even so, it can be accessorized in a way that can save it from being “matronly”. Enough said.
Personally I love everything Kate wears, her amazing sense of fashion, understated elegance and perfect choices for each occasion. I’ve never seen her in a “miss” outfit.
On a separate note, a big thank you to the person(s) keeping up this website. It’s very useful. One small glitch (maybe it’s intentional) I’ve noticed – the link for the “Natasha clutch” takes you to the newer version ” Natasha Greenery & Gold” clutch not to the self piped one (older version) Kate is wearing. I had to do a little more digging on that website to find it. And yes, I know there is a paragraph which talks about the difference between the new one (with the gold accent) and the older self piped version Kate is wearing but maybe it would be better to include the link to the self piped since most of us are interested in her choices. Just my two cents, doesn’t mean I’m right . Thanks again for all the information you have on this website, I very much appreciate and enjoy it from this other side of the pond!
Hi, I’m happy to amend the link, thanks for the feedback. I didn’t know the older style could still be found on the site.
I can only see the self-piped version in Carbon, not Greenery? Do you think I should link to the self-piped in Carbon instead of the newer Greenery version?
As she always does, Kate looks very elegant/regal.
She does. It’s such a lovely look!
You could put a plastic bag on Kate and she would still look amazing!
Love your blog.
Agreed! And thanks Debra 🙂
This dress and its color is lovely on Princess Kate. With her slender, willowy frame, this dress is so beautiful and very appropriate for the event to which she wore it. Jewel tones are appro for an October event, and this dress is so elegant. What a lovely princess!
I absolutely love this dress – the teal is stunning and the combo color belt is attractive. Love the detailing on the sleeves and neckline. As usual, the entire ensemble is fabulous. I love the shoes and her clutch. With her tall and slender frame, she wears the dress very well. Excellent choice, Kate!