Monday Memory: August 24, 2016.

The Lasa in Luton.

Sometimes the Monday Memory gets a little delayed. My husband flew to Palo Alto yesterday for work, and I was not able to get this pulled together in the time I thought I would. My hat is off to women who parent alone. Today’s Memory takes us back to August 24, 2016. William and Kate cut their August holiday a little short that year to undertake a series of engagements in Luton. They highlighted mental health on a stop with Youthscape and then made a visit to Keech Hospice Care. Finally, they highlighted British manufacturing by opening Hayward Tyler’s new facility.

On one of the stops, Kate sampled a homemade brownie and told those gathered that when she made brownies with little Prince George, the sticky ingredients would get everywhere. I imagine the same is happening with Louis these days.

This wear was actually a recycle. The L.K. Bennett Lasa dress was already very well known because Kate debuted it in 2014 on tour in Australia. That was an early tour and had a lot of attention, so this dress made a real splash.

I don’t think I loved this dress when it debuted. We were inundated with fabulous fashion on that tour, and this dress just was not at the top of my list. But I ended up really falling for it on this second wear. We got some better close ups of the dress in the shade, which highlighted the texture of the fabric a little more.

William was also looking very dapper. He’d worn this blazer to Wimbledon the month before, where it excited quite a bit of comment. Looking back at my blog post from this day, I also spent quite a bit of time discussing the break (or lack thereof) of his trousers. Haha! I thought these were a little short at the time. I think I still do. But overall, I loved this look on William and still do. It reminds me I need to do spring refresh shopping for my husband.

Kate was wearing her sapphire and diamond drop earrings, which paired very well with the bright blue poppies on her dress. Longtime Kate fans will immediately recognize her shoes and clutch as her Ferns and Nina, respectively, both in Trench from L.K. Bennett. When is the last time Kate wore L.K. Bennett? I think it has been quite a while.

In 2016, William and Kate visited India in the spring and then headed to Canada for a fall tour. It was such a busy year. I miss their big overseas tours, which COVID and the Queen’s death obviously put a damper on. We are all also wondering if the unpleasant (and largely manufactured) media outrage from the couple’s tour of the Caribbean has put an end to the mega-tours. I really hope that it has not, but I think William is shying away from them as of right now.

In any event, this was a busy and fun day. Kate was radiant and the white and bold blue of her Lasa poppy dress highlighted it. This dress does feel very much a dress from that period. But if shorter hemlines come back, I think this dress would be as pretty now as it was then.