Kate Middleton, formally Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, was one in honoring the men and women serving in the British armed forces at The Sun Military Awards, which took place last Monday night.
Flanked by her husband, William, the Duke of Cambridge, on her right and Prince Harry on her left, the Duchess was a vision in velvet as she arrived at the Imperial War Museum in London, England.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry arrive at the Imperial War Museum for The Sun Military Awards, where British service people are honored, on December 19, 2011, in London, England (Credit: Andrew Cowie / Startraksphoto)
Kate Middleton is just absolutely stunning in her Alexander McQueen gown. It may be in a simple strapless silhouette and a plain black color, but I’m sure she was turning heads and catching eyes the whole night.
The dress fits perfectly on her, and the skirt gracefully moves like liquid with her every step. It also helps that Kate takes advantage of some of the benefits that come with being a Duchess, such as having access to some really sparkly (and really expensive) jewels and being able to use them to accessorize her already beautiful velvet gown.
Kate Middleton looked stunning in a bespoke Alexander McQueen floor-length velvet strapless dress paired with glittering jewels from her personal collection, a diamond necklace, and a matching bracelet by Mouawad, given as a wedding gift by a friend (Credit: Michael Dunlea / Startraksphoto)
Velvet was already a big trend in the fall/winter of last year, but it didn’t catch on as much as designers hoped it would.
Do you think Kate Middleton in this Alexander McQueen gown would be the one to set things off for velvet? Now that’ll be a test for Kate Middleton’s trendsetting influence!
Velvet is and has always been a beautiful fabric, but it looks its best when used on long, flowy, and draped silhouettes. Velvet’s shininess really brings out every drape, fold, and pleat of a dress. It also falls dramatically against the body without being clingy or restricting.
Just check out how velvet enhances the draped folds on this Rick Owens dress. It’s in an avant-garde style, but it still has that regal feel to it because of the velvet:
Rick Owens Velvet Long Drape Dress, $1,173.00
This dress from Vionnet also shows the drama that velvet can bring. Paneled with crepe fabric and combined with white button cuffs, this velvet dress has a modern princess-y feel to it:
Vionnet Crepe and Velvet Long Dress, $6,490.00
Finally, this Badgley Mischka gown keeps things simple and lets the velvet do all the work. This is the kind of dress that you have to see worn by someone, so you can really appreciate how that flowy velvet skirt moves:
Badgley Mischka Black Velvet Gown, $1,195.00
Now, will Kate Middleton start another velvet trend? Given her record for being able to sell out things as soon as she seen is seen wearing them, the answer would most probably be “very likely.”