New Wedding Photo Released & One-Hit Wonders Part Two

Hello, and welcome to another report in our series on “One-Hit Wonders” worn by the Princess of Wales. Before we delve into that topic, I have two newsbytes to share. The first is a delightful surprise, a new photo from the 2011 wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, released today to mark the couple’s wedding anniversary.

Kensington Palace shared the photo taken by Millie Pilkington on social media. The message accompanying the photo read, “Thirteen years ago today!” You may notice in the new photo that the Prince changed out of his red Irish Guards tunic (seen below) into the black uniform of the Blues and Royals.

Photographer Millie Pilkington shared her reaction to seeing the photo. 

The other news tidbit is good news about the King’s health; many of you have likely already heard about this. If not, here is the news as released by Buckingham Palace on Friday.

A new photo was was released along with the information on the King’s return to public-facing engagements. 

The photo was taken by Millie Pilkington in the Buckingham Palace gardens on April 10th, the day after the couple’s nineteenth wedding anniversary.  

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Now to our One-Hit Wonders. In my previous post, I mentioned three pieces that were suggested much more than others for inclusion in this category. The first was the Gucci dress covered in our first post on the topic. That dress was worn in June 2017 for an engagement at the V&A.

The next design we’ll cover is an Erdem dress worn in October 2018.

This engagement was also at the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum). This was the first time the Duchess of Cambridge visited the Museum in her role as patron; she is the first royal patron the V&A has ever had.

The ‘Iman’ was a design from the designer’s S/S 2018 collection. Made in bouclé tweed in the Prince of Wales check, the dress featured an asymmetric and layered off-the-shoulder design. It has frayed detailing at the skirt, the elbow-length sleeves, and the front placket.

The runway version of the dress featured a cutout at the waist (photo here), an element eliminated from the Duchess’s dress. Off-the-rack versions of the dress varied from her design; the frayed edges at the hem are gone, and the length is much shorter. The Duchess added her own maroon ribbon belt.

Here is a closer look at the fabric, embellishment and buttons. 

The Duchess accessorized with a Jimmy Choo made-to-order clutch and custom pumps in deep maroon velvet, possibly the Romy style or the Anouk.

The Duchess wore a new pair of Erdem earrings, the Floral Hoop Drop style. From the 2018 fall collection, the earrings feature a crystal-embellished hoop with a floral shape and brass smoked topaz with crystal and pearl ‘petals.’

The third most-suggested item on our list is this full-length dress by Tory Burch, worn in April 2016.

The event was a formal dinner in Bhutan. Pictures from this engagement were limited; there were only four or five, and almost all were from the same angle. In one image, however, you have a side view showing the garment’s side split.

The dress is from the designer’s Resort 2016 line, included as part of the runway collection. The Tory Burch site called the dress the “Floral Mesh Gown,” while at Net-a-Porter, it was referred to as the “Embroidered Tulle Gown.” The dress featured a round, split neckline embellished with flame-shaped charms. The body of the dress was lined, while the sleeves were sheer. The neckline, waist, and sleeve cuffs were adorned with a variation of the pattern.

Tory Burch described the fabric as a pattern that “….creates beautiful highs and lows in the fabric, lending a multi-dimensional quality to the look.” Here is a closer look.

Below are two more views of the dress. The Net-a-Porter product description noted that “The red bead embellishments mean there’s no need for a necklace.”

The Duchess accessorized with a pashmina stole by Pickett London. 

She wore a pair of dress sandals seen previously on the tour, the Gianvito Rossi Criss Cross Sandal (sold out) in black suede.

The Duchess wore the same earrings she had on when arriving in Bhutan, the Gold Charm Earrings (£55, still available) by Brora. The earrings are made of 22k gold-plated brass with gold-plated sterling silver hooks.

Today’s third look is also from the 2016 India/Bhutan tour.

It is the Naeem Khan design worn when the Duke and Duchess wrapped up the 2016 tour with a visit to the Taj Mahal.

The couple was given a private tour of the iconic structure and grounds. 

The Duchess is reported to have said the visit “…was the perfect way to celebrate the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary, which falls on April 29.”

The style was from the India-born designer’s 2015 Resort collection. It was a basic sheath design with a fitted waist and short sleeves, described as featuring “…traditional Mexican embroidery in china blue on white.”

Here you see the dress as worn by a model and the Duchess.

You may have noticed the Duchess’s dress was customized to add length. Looking at the hem, you see the addition of another tier of embroidery.

The Duchess accessorized with her ‘Fern’ pumps ($375 here and $410 here) in the ‘trench’ colorway by LK Bennett.  

Perhaps the most notable accessory was the earrings the Duchess wore, a pair purchased at a trinket shop after the couple’s hike to Tiger’s Nest Monastery.

And a look at all three designs. 

Of the three dresses covered today, I think the most likely candidate for a repeat appearance is the Tory Burch design. As many have commented, the much-loved Gucci dress is just too short to be considered a probable contender. The Neem Khan design may be considered too distinctive because of its elaborate embroidery, not to mention its association with the iconic photos taken at the Taj Majal. (I would love to be wrong.)