"Love is lovelier the second time around..." at least that's what the song says. I don't know about love, but I can tell you that this Rebecca Taylor style is smashing the second time around. More on the fashion in just a moment. Today, Kate paid a morning visit to a Ronald McDonald House in London. 

This facility provides a "home away from home" for the families of children undergoing treatment at the nearby Evelina London Children's Hospital. Some families have to travel considerable distance and stay near a hospital for protracted periods of time. The Ronald McDonald House provides free housing for families already strained emotionally and financially by the illness of a loved one. The little girl tasked with presenting a bouquet of fragrant flowers to the duchess has a sibling undergoing treatment at Evelina right now.

Party at the Palace: Kate in Erdem for UK-India

This evening, William and Kate joined the Queen, senior members of the British Royal Family, and many Indians "from various fields of work including performing arts, fashion, food, literature and sport." The fête was launching the UK-India Year of Culture 2017,  a celebratory year focused around the 70th anniversary of India's independence.

For those lucky enough to be invited to the bash, they received this very formal invitation from the Palace:

via Ali Pretty

Preprations for the evening were underway throughout the day and Rebecca English, as well as the Palace, shared tantalizing pictures and videos in the run-up to show time. Rebecca shared this snap of the enviable canapés prepared in the kitchens below-stairs at BP:

via Rebecca English, DailyMail Reporter 

According to the BP Twitter there were 5,00 canapés ranging from "Raj Puri and Soya Gujjia to Salmon Blinis and Crème Brûlée." It was a night sure to impress as musicians and dancers greeted arriving guests:

Guests have started to arrive at the UK-India reception to be greeted by musicians and dancers at Buckingham Palace. pic.twitter.com/koBvMbvroQ

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 27, 2017

Here the Duchess of Cambridge stands with Rebecca Deacon as she chats to chef Vikas Khanna, one of the presenters on Master Chef: India:

Can you imagine these two at a house-party in Norfolk, or hosting a cocktail party at Anmer or KP? They look like such a hoot. William is quite a sharp guy and absolutely hysterical. I was chatting with someone who attended the Taste of Norfolk fundraiser and her stories about his comments and jokes were a scream.

The Palace put on a top-notch party, including a display that featured a shawl that Gandi knit (wove?)  himself for the then Princess Elizabeth. William looked eager to learn a little bit of family history:

It is always fun to see the Cambridges play the supporting role to the Queen. It seems to transform them from the serious senior royals to "the kids" learning from the pro, which is cute.

Princess Eugenie, one of my favorite royals, was also on hand tonight in a chic black and white cocktail dress:

via Rebecca English Twitter 

Kate chose a metallic Erdem cocktail dress which held its won in the glamour of Buckingham Palace. It is sold out, but came in several shades when it was first released. It features sheer sleeves with metallic threading in a floral design, pink silk lining, and a pleated skirt. Really, it is a super-charged lace dress, with the metallic really gives it an extra kick. 

Miss Twinkle-Toes, aka HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, debuted new shoes from Oscar de La Renta. These scalloped pumps add quite a bit of bling to her already glittering dress, but I am a huge fan, despite the competing shimmer. They look relatively muted in most pictures, but I am sure they packed a punch in person, as they do in several photos with good flash. The fact that she is wearing Oscar de la Renta is another little boost to the flame of hope that Kate will wear another Oscar de la Renta feature ensemble in the near future.

It has been noted that Kate diplomatically blended her Canadian/British dress with earrings from India--a nice nod to the theme of the evening. This earbobs, as Scarlett O'Hara would term them, are by Indian designer Anita Dongre.

You are already familiar with Anita Dongre from the Cambridges' trip to India in 2016. Kate's Gulrukh Tunic Dress was one of her designs.

Tonight's Erdem reminded me of a number of Kate's dresses. It seemed to borrow the metallic of the Collette Dinnigan, the lace and silhouette of the Ascot D&G, and the pinky/glitter of the ARK gala dress:

The verdict tonight was a big win. Kate was magnificently beautiful. This dress is a mixture of so many of her favorite features, from the pleated skirt to the metallic lace, and midi length. At the same time, it was a new mix of old favorites, which gave it a fresh twist.  I love how it seems to be the lace Collette Dinnigan (one of my ALL TIME faves) + the D&G minus that ruffle. The more I look at it the more I love it. Very feminine and delicate, but appropriate for the venue and the company.

Adding new and bold shoes and a polished half & half hair style pulled her together beautiful. (Never underestimate the power of the coiffure to make or break you) This is absolutely a dress I would pass up on the rack, but Kate just made it shine--no pun intended. Super gorgeous, Kate!

We have another event tomorrow as Kate visits the Ronald McDonald House. Sweet dreams to you all!

If Duchess Kate Attended the Oscars...

I am supposed to be working on a homework assignment, but I am keeping a surreptitious eye on the Oscars and the stunning red carpet display. I can't help but see my favorites and wonder how Kate would look wearing these gorgeous gowns. So, here is my question...what red carpet dress would you most love to see Kate wear? Let me know here or on Instagram and we will tally it up for tomorrow's  on the UK-India post. I'll tell you already that I am in love with the dress Taraji Henson is wearing. It reminds me of the evening gown Princess Diana wore to the White House...and it has one of Kate's favorite features, a front slit! Happy fashion watching! 

Kate Middleton's Favorite Issa Designer Returns with New Label Dhela

Fashion fans rejoice! Daniella Helayel has launched a new label called Dhela. Daniella Helayel was the creator and designer of Issa, which shuttered some years ago. Issa was once Kate Middleton's favorite brand. It was the McQueen or Packham of her then closet, and she wore the chic jersey dresses to a panoply of events, from glittering galas to tasks as menial as taking out the trash. On November 16th, she wore her now most iconic Issa when she stepped into the state apartments at St. James's Palace with a sparkling sapphire on her left hand and Prince William at her side, to announce she would soon change from Miss Middleton to an HRH. 

Brazilian beauty Daniella Helayel, the brand's founder and designer, sold 51% of the company to Camilla al-Fayed, and as many suspected, that was the kiss of death for any hopes of further royal patronage. (learn why on my 2011 post here) Kate wore her last Issa, a purple jersey, on July 1, 2011 to an evening fireworks display on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Kate in Paule Ka for Action for Children

Kate's trip to Paris in March is less than a month away and it looks like the princess might have France on her mind. The Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Wales today for her first event as patron of Action for Children wearing a very popular suit from 2012 by French designer Paule Ka.

It was just a year ago we were thinking we'd never see this suit, or ensembles of similar style, again and here she is running a slew of recycles circa 2011/2012. If you put money on "what goes around comes around," this is your lucky year.

Kate Filming BBC Show + CP Victoria's Vacay and Kate's Work Schedule

Happy Saturday! Today I am catching up on work over at Kate's Clothes, (most ensembles I was behind on have been updated) and filling you in on stories I didn't have time to cover this week. As you all recall, two weeks ago Kate, William, and Harry stopped by a training session for the London Marathon runners who are competing for Heads Together.

A little over a week later, on Monday the 13th, Wills and Kate (with our fave sidekick Harry) were out and about with a film crew working on a show for the BBC called Mind Over Marathon. The show will air in April and will feature presenter Nick Knowles following different runners who are competing for mental health awareness.

Kate with the Cadets on Valentine's Day

Apparently, I have become the purveyor of fake news, which I hear is de rigueur these days. That's what you get when you have a brief due and your coffee hasn't really kicked in yet and you decide to really, really quickly blog about Kate. Inaccuracy. The Duchess of Cambridge was not in Wales, (that's next week on the 22nd) she was in fact near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.

Today, Kate dropped in on a group of cadets taking part in a training camp for initiates at RAF Wittering.  She took part in various activities with the kids, and was ushered round the tarmac. I am sure Kate will be showing George snaps of mummy climbing

Princess Kate Sparkles at the BAFTAs in Customized McQueen

The Duchess of Cambridge accompanied Prince William to the BAFTAs tonight. The last time the couple walked the red carpet together (Bollywood Gala excepted) was to attend the premiere of Spectre. That was a pretty glitzy event, but even the BAFTAs out-dazzle 007. Tonight we were expecting Kate to really bring her A game and she did not disappoint. The red carpet was cleared and the royal party arrived in their usual convey of dark cars and flashing lights...

Watch Prince William & the Duchess of Cambridge's arrival on the #BAFTAs red carpet! (via @BAFTA / @hollywoodsuite) #EEBAFTAs pic.twitter.com/vPVrM4npGO

— HELLO! Canada (@HelloCanada) February 12, 2017

Rebecca English quickly confirmed that Kate's lavish gown was chosen from Alexander McQueen's Resort 2016 collection. 

Kate didn't pull this directly off the rack, though. The dress has been customized in a few key areas, most notably, she has done away with the exterior corset look, for a smooth and appropriately princess-like bodice. Good call. She has also axed

Kate Strikes Out Styling Her 1st Oscar de la Renta

Six months ago there were three designers that Kate had never worn that I really very badly hoped she would. I wasn't sure how long I would have to wait to see them, because none of them was British, but because Kate has been wearing more and more high-end labels, I was not entirely without hope. The three labels were American brands Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta and French giant Dior. As of today, Kate has worn two of three. This evening, the Duchess stepped out with her duke for a conference at Chandos House in London and she was wearing her first Oscar de la Renta ensemble. 

The couple had been to Mitchell Brook Primary school earlier in the day where Kate gave a moving and encouraging speech to the youngsters about kindness and how important it is for them to aware of the needs of their peers. 

Place2Be Patron HRH The Duchess of Cambridge spoke about the importance of kindness @mbrookprimary today for our Big Assembly #childrensmhw pic.twitter.com/XJ0Cckn1eL

— Place2Be (@Place2Be) February 6, 2017

The visit was part of the couple's ongoing mental health initiative. At their evening event, William was due to present to a lightly older crowd, the Guild of Health Writers.

Full Post: Kate in Luisa Spagnoli at Mitchell Brook Primary School

This morning, the Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Mitchell Brook Primary school with William wearing her red Luisa Spagnoli suit...for the fourth time! Kate and William were supporting Place2Be, one of Kate's patronages, in the first of two events scheduled for Kate today. 

The couple arrived to one of my absolute favorite royal engagement scenarios--kids with fluttering flags. The miniature Union Jacks and Place2Be logos create a really festive and fun atmosphere and the kids either look excited to see royals are at least generally interested in the hubbub sounding the proceedings.  (Isn't this the song that was playing in the garden at

[Updated] Kate Runs Relay Race with the Boys at Olympic Park

It is Super Bowl Sunday in the United States, and the spirit of intense athletics is in the air. On the other side of the pond, though, there was quite a bit of athletic competition at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where Kate, William, and Harry joined the Heads Together team for a morning training as they prepped to run in the London Marathon.

Kate has mentioned before that the royals can't run in the marathon because of security concerns, but they were able to enjoy a little relay race in this more controlled environment. The three were on separate teams and as they gathered at the starting line there was