'Nanette' Dress

When Prince William and Catherine Middleton posed for their official engagement portraits with Mario Testino, they both picked clothing from their own closets. Catherine opted for a white dress with 3/4 length sleeves and a softly frilled bodice trim, from the 2009 collection of one of her favorite sources, Reiss. Reiss has a reputation for sexy and stylish clothing for 20 - 30 somethings, and Kate had been a customer for years. This particular 'Nanette' dress retailed originally for about $300 and when the photograph was released, demand for the dress was so high the store reissued it briefly in the late fall of 2010.

She wore it again on her first royal tour, to Canada in the summer of 2011. As her mother-in-law Diana, Princess of Wales had always done, she dressed in honor of the host country and wore the national colors, teaming the white dress with a red maple leaf hat by Sylvia Fletcher for Lock and Co. While impressive, though, it was not universally applauded - some fashionistas felt the dress, with its frill and exposed zipper and yoked petal skirt had 'too much going on' already, and teamed with the fascinator hat, long hair and diamond maple leaf brooch leant by the Queen it was just too busy a look. Others felt that the split skirt was a bit too short and revealing for a royal duchess at an official government ceremony.




This recreation for the Franklin Mint vinyl Kate Middleton doll is in a white lightweight cotton polyester blend. It features the frilled trim, draped and yoked skirt and 3/4 sleeves of the original, as well as a a faux zipper (which can in some positions be visible, as in the original). The dress is fully lined in white and closes in the front with snaps. The hat is in red felt, with the maple leaf and circular ornamentation of the original, and has a red roleaux rolled brim. It's held on by means of black elastic under the back section of Kate's hair, as I believe does the original. The clutch purse of crocheted tapestry yarn, replicating the texture of the straw original, is included. She wears her mother-in-law's shoes, from the Red Dress with Bow outfit for the Franklin Mint People's Princess doll.

The hat will also work on the Ashton-Drake Kate doll, which came with the white engagement dress (below right)

(Thanks to Dani D. for the photo!)

If interested, please e-mail. Thanks for looking!


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