4th May 2022—Kate Middleton showed serious style credentials for a fashion industry event on Wednesday. The Duchess, who was presenting The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, wore a sleek teal green dress by emerging designer, Edeline Lee (as usual, I have included full outfit details further down the page ⬇).
The awards ceremony celebrated and showcased all the talent support initiatives of the British Fashion Council Foundation, a charity that supports the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on education, grant-giving, and business mentoring. The event took place at London’s Design Museum in Kensington.
Kate presented the award to British-Guyuanan Saul Nash. About the menswear designer, via Vogue:
There’s no doubt that Nash, who won the prestigious International Woolmark Prize just last week, is on the up and up right now. The 29-year-old Fashion East alum (who is also a movement director and choreographer), is known for fusing the worlds of sportswear and dance into his designs, with the London-based designer also working to use sustainably-sourced materials such as certified cotton, deadstock and merino wool in his collections.
Vogue
The Queen launched the design award in 2018. Kate follows Princess Anne, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Countess of Wessex in presenting the trophy.
[T]he award aims to provide continuing recognition of the cultural and trade role the British design and fashion industry has played, and continues to play, throughout Her Majesty’s reign. The inaugural award was announced and presented to Richard Quinn in February 2018 when the Queen paid her first visit to London Fashion Week
Kensington Palace Press Release
During the event, Kate met with and viewed designs of recipients from the British Fashion Council Foundation’s designer initiatives; NEWGEN, Fashion Trust and BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund and BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund. These funds provide up and coming designers with financial support, showcasing opportunities and mentoring as they work to build their brands. Previous winners have included Alexander McQueen and Erdem—of course, Kate has worn clothing from both designers on a regular basis over the last eleven years.
The Duchess also chatted with representatives from the British Fashion Council and the wider fashion industry, including Edward Enninful, the Editor of British Vogue.
Following the award presentation, Kate watched a fashion show by Saul Nash.
Kate’s green dress and accessories:
As I briefly mentioned at the start of this article, Kate’s teal green dress is by Canadian-British, London-based designer Edeline Lee. She wears the Pedernal dress from the designer’s Autumn Winter 2021 collection.
The garment features a high draped neckline with dropped shoulders, a loose bodice, a removable belt, tie details on the sleeves and a fitted flare skirt.
It’s made from Flou Bubble Jacquard, woven in Italy. Edeline Lee puts a great deal of thought into the fabric selection for her clothing, often looking for anti creasing qualities that are easy to wear for those with busy lifestyles. A close-up of the fabric’s ‘bubble’ texture:
Edeline Lee named the teal-green shade ‘malachite’, after the crystal gemstone. The Pedernal dress also comes in a range of other hues too, including some fun colour-blocked designs. All pictured below at Harrods. I particularly like the bold red:
The ready-to-wear version of the Pedernal dress is sold with ivory fabric covered buckles. You’ll notice that Kate’s buckles are metal. I assume Kate requested uncovered buckles.
The dress retails for £785 GBP. It is handcrafted in England.
EDELINE LEE graduated from Central Saint Martins and launched her eponymous label in 2014. She is known for her immersive and performative shows at London Fashion Week. Her line is stocked at premium department stores Harrods and Fenwicks.
Kate wore her Emmy London Rebecca pumps in ‘Greenery suede’ and carried her matching Natasha clutch. Kate’s worn both of these pieces on many occasions before.
The clutch is handcrafted from soft dark green suede. The inside is lined with a soft neutral oyster suede fabric and features a zip pocket. The clutch is roomy enough for your essentials and fastens with a secure magnetic popper. RRP £370 GBP.
The stylish shoes feature a pointed toe and a 105mm heel. The exterior of the shoe is covered with suede. The sole and interior are crafted from leather. The shoes are handcrafted in Portugal, they retail for £415 GBP.
Kate owns both the shoes and clutch in a wide range of colours.
Fans will remember Kate first debuted the dark green shoes and bag with a teal dress during a visit to the Aga Khan in 2019 (pictured below).
You might remember Kate’s gold earrings from the recent Caribbean tour? She wore them in The Bahamas earlier this year. They are from Bahamian designer Nadia Irena. They’re the “Maya” style in gold.
The earrings have been crafted from Sterling Silver and plated with 14k gold. They’re from Nadia Irena’s Gorgonians collection, inspired by the sea fan, a type of coral.
The earrings are currently out of stock but will return soon for $90 (I assume this price is US dollars, not Bahamian? Anybody interested in purchasing the earrings will need to double-check.)
I have enjoyed watching Kate’s fashion for a long time. Some of her latest choices are not to my personal liking, but she always looks lovely.
The color is very nice, but I feel the belt and the ties on the sleeves are fighting for attention at the same horizontal plane. Some detail simplification may have made this a hit for me.
I think she has another engagement on her calendar on Tuesday. It will be fun to see what she wears.