Playing with Paper Dolls: Ideas on What Kate Could Wear in Poland and Germany

With the dates for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's upcoming tour of Poland and Germany recently announced, I thought it would be fun to play a sort of paper dolls for grown ups game and have a look at possible wardrobe options for Kate while we wait for a detailed itinerary to be released (not too long for that now!). This is the Duchess's first official visit to both countries, while Prince William has been twice to Germany in an official capacity, most recently in August last year, when he visited Düsseldorf to celebrate 70 years of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Queen herself has been to Poland only once, in March 1996:

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited more recently in March 2010:

In Poland, William and Kate will stop in the capital, Warsaw...

...and Gdańsk (probably more familiar by its German name, Danzig, to Romance languages speakers like me), Poland's principal seaport on the Baltic Sea, a city long disputed between Poland and Germany and the birthplace of the Solidarność trade unionist movement, which played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule in Poland and helped precipitate the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union:

Anyone else has found themselves frantically googling "Ryanair flights to Poland"? I know I have! Both cities look absolutely breathtaking, and I'm sure we'll be treated to some awesome photo ops.

Starting with the Polish leg of the tour, Kate has of course already added a Polish brand to her repertoire, Etui Bags. It's a niche brand making vintage-inspired leather bags. Kate so far has worn two of their styles: a mock-croc dark green leather clutch on St Patrick's Day and a textured woven nude leather clutch that has already proven a favourite, having been worn a number of times, most recently at Trooping the Colour.

Unfortunately, trying to order from Etui has been a bit of a fraught experience. As a small business catapulted onto global fashion stardom thanks to the "Kate effect", they apparently had difficulties coping with the rush of interest and this caused confusion. First they set up a waiting list for the mock-croc clutch, then it transpired they only had a few pieces available...well, actually just one piece...no, scrap that, it's completely sold out and won't be reissued...you get the gist! It was a pity, really, as communication from their customer service was very prompt and, to begin with at least, informative and helpful. Their website remains to this day in Polish only and personally I've given up trying to order anything from Etui, although I know of friends who have been lucky enough to find similar styles on ebay, so you might want to look there before calling it quits completely.

If Kate felt inclined to repeat some of her previously worn frocks, may I just say these two, both by Alexander McQueen. would make quite lovely choices?

Red and white, so perfectly in keeping with the Polish flag colour scheme, it's also worth noting that, while Poland has no official national flower, the corn poppy has a recognized historical and cultural significance, which would make the poppy-print dress doubly appropriate for the tour.

Looking at "something new", ready-to-wear Polish brand Kreist ticks a number of boxes, as it was founded by Central Saint Martins graduate Krzysztof Strozyna. The designer returned to Poland to pursue a career in his motherland after working under the British Fashion Council’s New Gen scheme. While definitely edgier than what Kate usually goes for, I can still picture her in bespoke versions of some of their more conservative styles:

Somewhat more attuned to Kate's style is the work of Kasia Skórzyńska, a graduate of Warsaw Art Academy who has worked with London-based designer Richard Nicoll - I'm currently in love with her "Jane" pink dress:

In Germany, the couple will stop in Berlin...

...Heidelberg, a picturesque college town in Baden-Württemberg, in the south-west...

...and Hamburg, a major port on the river Elbe, the second largest in Europe, and a city steeped in history as a member of the Hanseatic League, although not many vestiges of its medieval past remain after it suffering heavy Allied bombing during World War II:

You'll probably all remeber that the Queen most recently visited Germany in June 2015, stopping in Berlin, Frankfurt and Celle (for more on the Queen's visits to Germany, see my previous posts here and here):

As oak is the national tree of Germany, a repeat of either the wedding earrings or the Asprey "Woodland" charm necklace could well be on the cards, along with Kate's oak leaf and acorn brooch, most recently seen on Christmas Day 2015:

A spot-on choice for the Berlin bit of the tour would be the aptly-named "Berlin" top by British high street brand Fenn Wright Manson, currently on sale at John Lewis and available in ivory and orange:

As far as eponymous clothing goes, the "Berlin" check silk shift dress in ink by East, currently sold out, does remind me a bit of the Hobbs "Wessex" dress, is a demure lenght and would be suitable on its own or with paired with a navy blazer (thinking of you, Smythe!):

M.i.h, a brand Kate has worn before, offers the "Berlin" high-rise straight-leg jeans, which would be quite a departure from the cut Kate usually favours but nonetheless would make a cool choice for a more relaxed engagement:

Perhaps more suited to Kate's style preferences are the "Berlin" J20 skinny jeans by Hugo Boss Orange:

Hugo Boss is another brand Kate has worn before: the red pashmina scarf she first sported in Canada is thought to be by Hugo Boss, while more recently she wore the brand's "Staple P90-L" pumps in anthracite embossed leather with a kitten heel to an event at the Natural History Museum in November 2016. 

As Hugo Boss is one of the best-known names in German fashion, I believe both items could well make another appearance, particularly the shoes given the time of year, or we may see the debut something new. For what it's worth, I won't be rushing out to replikate any Hugo Boss items, as the brand has a less than perfect ethical record, having first made its name (and money) supplying uniforms to the SS, SA, Hitler Youth and other Nazi party military branches.

Probably one of the best known names in contemporary German fashion is Jil Sander, and here I may be biased as it's a brand I love, but I can totally picture Kate wearing something of hers. The style is very much in keeping with Kate's esthetic: block colours, simple lines in good quality fabric that don't scream designer...what's not to love?

 

Another brand I'd love to see Kate explore is Munich-based jewellery and accessory designer Saskia Diez. Edgier than what usually Kate goes for, but there are some princess-worthy gems in her catalogue, like these cute Pearl Pop earrings:

Is there anything you'd love to see Kate wear during this tour? Any cool brand I haven't included but that you think would be perfect? Leave a comment and let me know!