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Who Is The Duchess's Mystery Dress Designer?

Duchess at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
Duchess at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.

The mystery dress in question, worn by the Duchess at Taronga Zoo.

While we were compiling a list of all the outfits the Duchess has worn on the Royal Tour so far, there was one dress in particular that stood out.

It wasn’t the most beautiful, and it certainly wasn’t the most talked about (Zimmermann boasts that accolade) but curiously, no-one seemed to know who the designer was.

The primrose yellow broderie anglaise dress worn by the Duchess at Taronga Zoo had us all scratching our heads – why wouldn’t the designer come forward to claim their five minutes of fame, especially while other designers were clamouring just to get a dress on Catherine’s back?

The Duchess yellow dress at Taronga Zoo.
The Duchess yellow dress at Taronga Zoo.

Even more curiously, Kensington Palace refused to reveal the identity of the designer, making fashion insiders suspect it was an insider job – perhaps that of Angela Kelly, the Queen’s personal assistant, who was also responsible for handpicking Catherine’s jewellery for her trip to Australia.

“(Kelly) knows most of the pieces in the Queen’s private collection,” said a Palace source. “Her understanding is crucial because this trip will be about Kate appearing more Royal than ever – you can expect to see a lot more tiaras and the Queen will be watching closely.”

If it’s the case, it makes sense that Kelly is the mystery designer of the now-famous yellow dress, particularly given that the Queen reportedly requested the Duchess employ a couture wardrobe with lower hemlines while in Oz.

Catherine also wore the dress during her 2012 jubilee tour in the Solomon Islands, in which the designer listed was listed as an “independent British dressmaker”.

At the time, a source told Grazia UK that the piece was “commissioned” by the Duchess.

“She likes to have a few pieces that are one-offs and that she has had some input in, so she asked the Queen’s tailors for some help…They worked on it together after she went to them with ideas of colour, fabric and style,” explained the source.

Mystery (somewhat) solved!

The Duchess yellow dress at Taronga Zoo.
The Duchess yellow dress at Taronga Zoo.
The Duchess yellow dress at Taronga Zoo.
The Duchess yellow dress at Taronga Zoo.

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