Kate wears blue Emilia Wickstead dress to Art Room charity reception at the National Portrait Gallery

This evening, the Duchess of Cambridge hosted a reception for The Art Room charity at the National Portrait Gallery.  You might recall that Kate is patron of both organisations.  This evening’s event marks the charity’s 11th anniversary and the launch of its new fundraising initiative.

Of course, you will remember the National Portrait Gallery from earlier this year, as Kate unveiled her official portrait at the gallery back in January. (Incidentally, I found out today that the French Connection blouse Kate wore to the sitting of the painting is available again now – click here for more.)

About Kate’s outfit today:

Kate wore a soft, pale blue dress from one of her go-to designers, Emilia Wickstead. The dress is made from a thick crepe fabric and is tailored into a very 1950s silhouette, which shows Kate’s bump off nicely. The piece is bespoke, but as our friends at “What Would Kate Do” point out, both the shape and the colour are both very much in line with the designer’s Spring 2013 campaign:

With the outfit, Kate wore her grey suede Rupert Sanderson “Malone” heels.  You may remember these from several appearances through the last two years, namely the Fortnum and Mason visit back in 2012 and the Order of the Garter service back in 2011.

Kate wore her hair half up and braided at the back, with curls at the ends.  Her makeup was a touch heavier than normal, (it is an evening event after all) she wore a smoky eye with a matching grey shadow.   You can see more detail below:

Kate accessorised her gorgeous blue dress with a pair of silver and light blue earrings, which at present remain unidentified. You can view the earrings in greater detail here, on My Small Obsessions’ Facebook page.

Shop Emilia Wickstead dresses & Rupert Sanderson shoes:

More about the visit and The Art Room:

During the evening, Kate met with those the charity helps, including a young girl who confessed to having a picture of the Duchess in her wedding gown on the wall.  Kate replied with “wow,” and asked girl if William was in the photo too.

At the event, the Duchess also gave a speech, where she spoke of her belief in art and the difference it can make to a child’s life:

“We all stand here tonight to celebrate this wonderful work. I hope that you will join me in congratulating The Art Room and their supporters on these extraordinary achievements.

“As patron of The Art Room, I feel immense pride to see the amazing work that they are doing but I also feel hugely excited to look to a future with more Art Rooms, where many more challenging and vulnerable children will be helped.”

— From The Daily Mail website – here.

The Art Room is a charity that uses painting and drawing as therapy to help children and teenagers, focusing particularly on those who are experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. The charity uses art to increase confidence, self-esteem and independence.