There was glamour in abundance at Buckingham Palace tonight as two of the Royal family’s best-dressed ladies hosted a reception to celebrate a new creative initiative, the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange.
The Duchess of Cambridge, still stylish at seven months pregnant in a patterned guipere lace ensemble from her new favourite designer Erdem, was accompanied by the Burberry-clad Countess of Wessex, wife of the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, to launch the exchange.
The initiative aims to create partnerships between established and emerging fashion talent in the lead up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London this April.
Guests attending the London Fashion Week-timed reception included American Vogue’s Dame Anna Wintour and her new British counterpart Edward Enninful, designer Stella McCartney, and supermodel Naomi Campbell.
They were also joined by Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council, fashion writer Justine Picardie, handbag designer Anya Hindmarch, ethical fashion activist Livia Firth and British model Adwoa Aboah.
The Duchess of Cambridge, still stylish at seven months pregnant in a patterned Erdem ensemble, was accompanied by the elegant Countess of Wessex as she chatted to US Vogue editor Anna Wintour and Caroline Rush (pictured, in black)
Kate, 36, who is expecting her third child in April, burst onto the fashion scene when she wed Prince William in 2011.
Her decision to wear high street styles in the early years of her marriage – such the £175 Reiss dress she sported to meet the Obamas a few weeks after the wedding – saw such a rush to snap up ‘copy Kates’ that company websites were prone to crashing and led to the phenomenon known as ‘The Kate Effect’.
However she raised eyebrows on Monday night with her decision not to wear black on the BAFTA red carpet in support of the #MeToo movement, instead opting for a forest green Jenny Packham gown.
Meanwhile Sophie, 53, has transformed her image in recent years, taking up cycling and working with a personal trainer as well as overhauling her wardrobe.
She has thrown out the boxy suits and frumpy, floaty dresses she used to favour for a raft of cutting-edge designers including Erdem, Emelia Wickstead, Alexander McQueen and Peter Pilotto, as well as international labels such as Prada, Armani, Gucci and Giambattista Valli.
In 2013 the Countess also became the first ever Patron of London College of Fashion, part of the University of the Arts London.
The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange celebrates creativity, sustainable production and manufacturing, trade links and ethical supply chains across the fashion industry, from business and design, to textiles and fabrics, craft and artisan skills.
Over the last six months, major fashion designers such as Stella McCartney, New Zealand’s Karen Walker and Bibi Russell from Bangladesh have partnered with artisan producers in small nations, who specialise in traditional handcraft techniques and trades, with a view to creating a ‘skills exchange’.
Tonight’s Buckingham Palace reception will showcase the best of Commonwealth contemporary fashion and creativity with an exhibition of some of these bespoke fashion ‘looks’.
Fashion forward: Guests attending the London Fashion Week-timed reception included American Vogue’s Dame Anna Wintour and her new British counterpart Edward Enninful, designer Stella McCartney, and supermodel Naomi Campbell
US Vogue editor looked glamorous in a multicoloured coat as she led the arrivals at Buckingham Palace on Monday night
Created 68 years ago, the Commonwealth is a voluntary network of member countries – containing a staggering 2.4 billion people, a third of the world’s population – bound by a common set of values.
It prides itself on remaining a global beacon for ‘democracy, human rights and the rule of law’ and using its ‘soft power’ to achieve change.
The Queen followed in her late father’s footsteps as Head of the Commonwealth when she ascended the throne in 1953, and has since seen the organisation grow from 11 members to 52.
The title is not a hereditary one, however, and in recent years there have been major behind-the-scenes efforts by Buckingham Palace to secure agreement amongst members for Charles to inherit the title.
The Queen has always seen the Commonwealth as one of the greatest achievements of her reign and is known to be keen to see her son and heir take on her legacy.