Duchess Kate pulls hair back, wears blue Emilia Wickstead in London: gorgeous?

So much work! Duchess Kate must be exhausted. I wrote that first as a joke statement, but in actuality, I bet she is genuinely tired. Three appearances in four days plus she’s pregnant! Someone needs a trip to Mustique! Anyway, these are photos of Kate last night in London. She was attending a “champagne reception” for the National Portrait Gallery, one of her patronages. She loves representing museums and such because she gets to dress up in fancy clothes.

But… is it just me or is this a weird choice for what I’m assuming is a fancy cocktail party for a major museum? The dress is Emilia Wickstead, and overall it’s a lovely dress. I don’t think pregnant women necessarily have to dress in pastels and cutesy colors, but if they want to, God bless. This shade of blue – I consider it just a hair lighter than robin’s egg blue – looks beautiful on her. I’m always surprised that she doesn’t wear more shades of blue, given that most shades of blue look great on her and she loves to show off her gigantic sapphire engagement ring. And we also have to give Kate credit for not wearing a mini. It feels weird saying that, but she had a bad run of nearly showing off her babymaker in several miniskirts, so the hemline must be discussed. I’m fine with this length. Everything about this is flattering and simple. Too simple for a fancy cocktail party though? Unknown.

We should also discuss her HAIR. I think her hair looks particularly beautiful here. You know how much I love it when she pulls it back – this is just the kind of hairstyle she should do whenever she makes a speech (because she’s always looking down at her notes). I love that she didn’t just throw it back in a clip – there are some twirls and twists going on. I think she looks so much prettier styled like this. It’s a more mature look too, not so college-girl-always-playing-with-her-hair.

Apparently, this event was partially to celebrate The Art Room, and Kate made another speech! This is one quote from the speech: “I am a firm believer in the power of art to make a difference and The Art Room makes this on a daily basis.” You can read more here.

PS… Where the F is William these days? Kate has been doing so many solo events!

Photos courtesy of WENN and Fame/Flynet.