FASHION Magazine

See our picks for what to wear to the Queen’s Plate »

Whether you’re equestrian obsessed, enjoy the excitement of racing or just want a reason to wear a Kate Middleton-worthy hat, the Queen’s Plate is where you should be this Sunday. Not only is it Canada’s oldest annual Thoroughbred race, it’s one with royal blessing. Queen Elizabeth has attended a number of times, as part of a tradition started by her father, King George IV. (Considering that you’ll never see the Queen look as happy as she does when she’s at a horse race, you know you’ll be in for a good time at Woodbine on Sunday!)

The other reason the Queen’s Plate is such a big deal is due to it being the first race in Canada’s Triple Crown—putting it on par with the biggest racing event in the United States, the Kentucky Derby. To celebrate, Woodbine is hosting a red carpet Hats & Horseshoes party at the Walking Ring, which is sure to draw Toronto’s most stylish set in their horse racing best. For the Queen’s Plate, this means big hats and fascinators, garden party dresses and prim shoes. To add even further style incentive to Sunday’s event, FashionMagazine.com will be there to crown the best dressed Hats & Horseshoes attendee. If you need some inspiration or are simply wondering what to wear to a horse race, read on to see our top picks for Queen’s Plate style.

See this look and others up close »

Nothing brightens up the week quite like an impromptu appearance by the Duchess of Cambridge! The Queen held her first garden party of the year today at Buckingham Palace and low and behold, Kate Middleton was there, along with her in-laws, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and hundreds of other guests.

Considering that many a garden party style guide is based on Kate’s year-round wardrobe choices, it’s basically mandatory that she attend. (Okay, it’s not, but we’re not the only ones who would be disappointed if the garden party went Middleton-less.) Last year Kate wore a pastel-pink pleated Emilia Wickstead dress and this year she stuck with the same designer, though changing up the colour and style.

See Kate’s look up close »

Kate Middleton’s busy week continues with her third engagement in almost as many days. The Duchess of Cambridge attended a reception at the National Portrait Gallery for The Art Room, a charity that helps young people increase their self-esteem through art, of which Kate is a patron. Meaning: Kate made another speech, saying that she is a “firm believer in the power of art to make a difference.”

Style-wise, today’s outfit was certainly one of the most layer-free looks we’ve seen on the Duchess since she announced her pregnancy. Kate wore a sleeveless pale-blue dress by Emilia Wickstead, which had enough structure in its empire waist to provide some baby bump camouflage. (Question: Do you think the choice to wear pale-blue is a subliminal hint at Baby Cambridge’s sex?) Kate matched the soft colour of the dress with dove-grey suede Rupert Sanderson heels and accessorized with pale-blue drop earrings.

See Kate Middleton’s outfit up close »

Handing out sprigs of shamrock to soldiers and meeting an adorable seven-month-old Irish wolfhound seems like a perfectly good way to spend St. Patrick’s Day and that’s exactly what the Duchess of Cambridge was up to yesterday.

Kate first took on the royal role of handing out shamrocks to the Irish Guards at Aldershot last year and by all accounts this may be a new annual event for the Duchess. And like most royal traditions, there’s a fine piece of jewellery that comes with the job: the three-leaf gold shamrock brooch Kate wore for the ceremony actually belongs to the Irish Guard. (It’s also been worn by the Queen Mother—who participated in the shamrock ceremony from 1964 onward—and Princess Anne.)

In keeping with the emerald-green theme of the day, Kate chose to wear the same green Emilia Wickstead coat as last year, though slightly altered for her growing royal baby bump.

View this look in our Kate Middleton slideshow »

The Royals visited Edinburgh earlier today for a service we don’t think we can quite say out loud, but we’ll try to explain it without getting tongue-tied. Held at St. Giles Cathedral in the Scottish capital, Wills was installed as the Knight of the Thistle at a special thistle service. The Order of the Thistle (anyone making the connection to this scene from The King’s Speech but me?) is the highest honour of chivalry given in Scotland and can only been bestowed by the Queen herself (how convenient!) Since Kate and Wills are already known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn in Scotland, we’re hoping some amazing new hybrid title becomes a gossip mag norm…

View every look Kate Middleton has worn since her engagement »

While Kate Middleton has been known to recycle outfits and accessories (which, in our opinion, is how all princesses should act—especially those of the self-proclaimed pop culture variety) we’ve never seen her wear the same dress at back-to-back royal events. But there’s a first time for everything, and that time was yesterday at the Queen‘s garden party at Buckingham Palace. Kate wore the pastel-pink pleated Emilia Wickstead dress we saw earlier in the month at the Sovereign’s luncheon but left her Prada shoes at home, opting instead for her favourite pair of taupe L.K.Bennett pumps. Also notable? That hat! If there was ever a reason to want an invite to a royal garden party, Kate’s straw and lace hat by Jane Corbett is it.

View every look Kate Middleton has worn since her engagement »

There was quite the royal gathering today at Windsor Castle, with over two dozen of the world’s other kings and queens (plus a sultan, grand duke and emperor!) celebrating Queen Elizabeth‘s Diamond Jubilee. While the thought of making small talk with a room of very important strangers might make most of us weak in the knees, by all accounts Kate Middleton brought her usual charms to the lunch event.