The Colorful Clutch - What I Wish Kate Would Carry on the India Tour

As some of you may know, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - aka Prince William and Kate Middleton - will be undertaking a tour of India and Bhutan April 10-16. This is an event that fans of the Royal Couple have been looking forward to for months and even though I start jury duty on the 11th, I will be following the tour closely - even if it means sacrificing sleep.

                        

One of the big questions asked when a tour for the Cambridge's is announced is "What will Kate wear?" We begin looking at designers from the host country as well as outfits already in the royal closet. Rather than look at what Kate might wear, I am going to look at what she might carry.

Kate is the queen of clutches. She owns quite a few, to put it mildly, and often uses them to help her switch up her look. Kate's clutches are usually simple in style and stick to classic colors: black, navy, taupe, or white. I think it would be fun to see Kate dress up some light colored outfits with a bright clutch for a pop of color. Here are some clutches that have caught my eye:

 

Makaha Palm clutch by KAYU from the Pre-Fall 2015 collection.

While not an Indian designer, KAYU is still a Southeast Asia brand. The clutch is sold out.

Growing up in Southeast Asia, founder Jamie Lim learned the art of artisanal crafts firsthand. Her inspiration for Cali-based Kayu, was to foster these traditional techniques, working with local craftsman in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia to make uniquely special bags with a rich history.

The site also offers clothing, including a couple items that would look great on Kate on any occasion, like the Esme Cotton Silk Sheer Floral Blouse, the Spencer Vladimir Violette Silk Knit Dress, and the Vivetta Sabina Skater dress.

This Alexander McQueen Metal Floral and Pearl Clutch from the 2013 Fall/Winter collection would be perfect for the glittering reception in Mumbai on Monday evening.

 

This McQueen butterfly clutch is very pretty and Asian-looking

 

 

This Caroline Issa for LK Bennett embroidered clutch would bring a great pop of color to a white dress!

 

 

As would this pink and green Kotur clutch from Spring 2015.

 

Are there any clutches YOU would like to see Kate carry?

Click here to view my other posts on the Royal Family.

Royal Family Update: New Baby Photos!!!

Kensington Palace released four photos yesterday of Prince George and Princess Charlotte. They were taken in mid-May by Kate at her home, Anmer Hall.

George is always full of so much personality

This one's my favorite, just look at Charlotte's contented face.

I love these photos much better than the ones that were released for George. He was to small in the picture and sleeping so he still just looked like a new baby. In these photos, Charlotte's eyes are open and you can see her little personality. These photos also give us a glimpse into Kate and William's home, which I have always been curious to see. Kate has such great taste in clothes and it looks like she has great taste in interior decorating too.

It's Just a Perfect Day!

Yesterday was a great day. I went shopping with my brothers and got four awesome things.

This was me

 

First up:

A few days ago I saw this post on vintage postcards of movie stars homes and I thought, that would be cool to collect! I went to an antique store by my house yesterday, noticed a postcard carousel, and immediately found this cool postcard featuring Bob Hope and his house! He's one of my favorite actors too!

As we were about to leave, my brother spotted something on the back wall of the store. It was a 1962 Barbie Dream House for only $45!!!! And it's only missing three records and a drawer!! If it would have been the Barbie Campus or Little Theatre I would have had a heart attack, but this was awesome too!!

This is a picture off of ebay

Then we stopped at my friend's coffee shop. I was looking at some books they had on a shelf and they told me they were free. Suddenly I spotted this book:

I snatched it up quick!

The last great find of the day was when we swung by Walmart on our way home. I walked down the shoe aisle, which I never do, and spotted a pair of...

RUBY SLIPPERS!!!!

It was the last pair, they were on sale for $3, regular $14, and they were in my size!!!! (True, it was a girls size 5 but I wear an adult size 6 so it was perfect.) And they actually look like the ones in The Wizard of Oz. I've wanted a pair ever since I was little!! Judy Garland was to me what Elsa from Frozen is to the girls nowadays. I collect Wizard of Oz memorabilia (lunch boxes, posters, ornaments, etc) - I even have a stuffed animal of Toto!!

So yeah... it was a pretty epic day :)

Royal Family Update: The Second Royal Baby Post

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The long wait is over!!!! The Duke and Duchess' second child was born this morning at 8:34am BST (3:34am EST). The baby weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces.

She was wrapped in the Soft Wool Baby Shawl from G.H. Hurt & Sons Ltd. and wore a knitted cap; a gift from Nanny Maria's mother. It was purchased from Irulea in Spain. It has been noted that Charlotte was wearing the cap backwards. The part around her face was supposed to be around her neck. That explains the unusual way the design circled her head. Each cap is unique as it is made by hand. Ravelry has created their own version of the cap. You can download the free pdf here. Charlotte may have also been wearing booties and a sweater from the same company (UPDATE: Charlotte is wearing the sweater from the set in the photos released one month later of her and George).

 

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Kate looked amazing as always. She wore a bespoke Jenny Packham dress, her Jimmy Choo "Gilbert' pumps, and her Annoushka Pearl Drop earrings. William missed the memo and wore blue.

I have to say the cutest moment is when Prince George arrived to see his new little sister for the first time. He looked so confused by all the cameras!!! You can watch the video here.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see them come out live. I had to go to a baby shower. And I must have gone to bed right as they announced that Kate had gone into labor. Sigh... At least I saw the wedding live...

 

Updated family tree

 

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5/4/15 12:30pm - The Princess now has a name! I got the first two correct!!! (see comment below :)

 

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana

 

Here's an article explaining the meaning of her name. Charlotte is the feminine form of Charles as well as Pippa's middle name. Elizabeth is not only the Queen's name, but also Kate's middle name, her mother Carole's middle names, and her great-grandmother's name! And we all know where Diana came from :) I can't wait to see baby Charlotte at her christening! George looked so different at his!

This commemorative coin was given to 2,015 babies born on the same day as Charlotte

 

Commemorative mug by Emma Bridgewater. Kate has visited their factory and even helped design a line of pottery for charity with them. They also made one for George when he was born.

 

 

Want to know what William and Kate were saying as they stood on the steps? Read this article here. You can also watch a program on the new little princess here.

Charlotte and George, side by side.

 

LOVE this little craft someone made! You can see more pictures of it here.

Keep Calm...

Merry Christmas from Prince George

He always looks so much bigger!

 

This one's my favorite. He has so much personality!

 

These photos were taken on the steps of Kensington Palace. I just wish there was a family shot!

 

You can really see both of his parents in his face. He has Kate's eyebrows.

Royal Family Update: Baby #2 on the Way!

The Royal family is about to get bigger!

 

The palace announced today (around 5am EST) that “Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are very pleased to announce that the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their second child. The Queen and members of both families are delighted with the news.”

Prince William, when questioned about it this morning at an official engagment, said “She’s feeling okay, thanks. It’s been a tricky few days — a week or so — but obviously we’re basically thrilled. It’s great news, early days, but I’m hoping things settle down and she feels a bit better.”
Read more at Inquisitr and the Washington Post.

Kate is less than three months pregnant, which means we can expect the baby around March. He or she will become fourth in line to the throne, bumping Prince Harry to fifth in line. Kate was supposed to go on her first overseas solo trip to Malta later this month but it is unsure if she will be able to keep her engagement.

Happy 1st Birthday Prince George!

Happy Birthday Prince George!

 

 The following three photos have been released to commemorate George's big day

 

I want to see more of Kate's green dress

 

Father's Day at the Polo match

He makes the best faces

 

He's adorable in this picture

 

A must look-at: Official Ranking of Prince George's Best Facial Expressions.
He looks just like his dad: Like Looking in a Mirror.
And here's where he get's all his facial expressions from.

This video from their Australian tour is the best...

Update: Apparently Kate's dress is recycled from her Australian tour. I would have never noticed as it's barely visible in only a few photos.

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Royal Family Update: The Official Portraits

And they're here! The official portraits from
Prince George's christening.

The highly anticipated portrait of the Queen with three future monarchs (that looks like a painting of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret-Rose over William's shoulder)

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 My original post.

 

March 2014



Royal Family Update: Christening of Prince George

Oh my goodness! Look how big he already is!!

He is so cute!!!

(3 months and 1 day old)

 

Prince George Alexander Louis was Christened today, Wednesday, October 23, at 3pm BST (that's 10am EST) in a 45 minute service in the Chapel Royal at St. James Palace (instead of the usual Buckimham Palace). This is where Princess Diana's coffin lay before her funeral - just another way Prince William is incorporating his mother into his life. There were only 22 guests, 7 of whom were his godparents (a break from the traditional 6). Surprisingly, these did not include Prince Harry or Pippa Middleton. Here is a list of who was chosen (along with a nice little video). Prince George wore a replica of the christening gown worn by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841 (you can read more about the gown here.

The 172 year-old Lily Font where Prince George was baptised (with water from the River Jordan).

 

St. James Palace

 

The Chapel Royal

 

Here's a nice breakdown of the day along with more pictures.

And here's what the service looked like. 

 

After the ceremony, the guests attended a tea at Clarence House, hosted by Prince Charles and Camilla. A tier from the William and Kate's wedding cake was served. The original cake had eight tiers and was decorated with 900 iced flowers including white roses, daffodils, honeysuckles, daisies, and lavender.

 

 Can you imagine how long this must have taken?

 



 

Tomorrow the official photos of the ceremony will be released along with a highly anticipated photo of the Queen and three future monarchs (Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince George) together. The last time there was a photo like this was in 1894, at the christening of the future Edward VIII (along with father George V, grandfather Edward VII, and of course great-grandmother Queen Victoria).

 

 

Here's a short video on Four Generations of Royal Christenings

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Prince George is already making firsts: here is a special christening coin from the Royal Mint (who's design echos the Lily Font). They come in different sizes and materials (and therefore values). As you can see, it's very fancy.

 

Here is Prince William and Kate's joint Coat-of-Arms, which was unveiled last month. You can read more about it here. Prince George will probably receive his own Coat-of Arms when he is 18, like Prince William.

After the ceremony

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