Monday Memory: February 11, 2014

I cheated a little on today’s Monday Memory. My random number generator sent me back to January 2013, which does have a single event in it, but I got sidetracked looking at other pictures and realized I really wanted a little sparkle today. So I chose to highlight the National Portrait Gala on February 11, 2014.

This “ink-blue” Jenny Packham dress was a favorite in Kate’s closet in the early years of her marriage. Kate did not have that many black tie events, and this dress got three wears in a relatively short period of time, so she must have really liked it. This was, of course, the second wear. I love this dress; I think it was and is magnificent.

Kate’s primary accessory on this occasion made a very big splash. The princess wore the Nizam of Hyderabad necklace on loan from Queen Elizabeth. The necklace was a wedding gift to the late Queen, and interestingly, was a gift that she got to choose herself. The king of then-Hyderabad left instructions with Cartier to allow Princess Elizabeth to choose what she wanted from Cartier's collection, and Elizabeth chose this necklace and a tiara she has since broken down for other pieces. Elizabeth wore this necklace often in the early days of her reign and in formal pictures.

Many fashion fans will also recognize Kate’s earrings as the “Art Deco,” as I call them, earrings gifted from Charles to Kate as a wedding present.

The one thing I felt when Kate wore this dress and feel again reviewing pictures is that an updo would have been great. Although her hair looked quite glam in lots of pictures, her usually perfect blow-out had a few ungainly pieces that gave it a messy look in a lot of other shots. Kate did wear her hair up the third time she wore this dress, and it really highlighted the beauty of the bodice and back.

Although a different hairstyle might have improved this look, it was still a smash hit at the time and has stood the test of time. This dress truly is timeless, and it has an understated elegance that would make it as appropriate today on the Princess of Wales as it was ten years ago on the relatively new Duchess of Cambridge.