Kate Middleton Repeats an Outfit in First Public Appearance of 2014

Josh Duboff

The Duchess of Cambridge has kept a low profile so far this year, as we have had to wait until now for her first public appearance. (Though we did recently get a glimpse of her and a six-month-old Prince George en route to Mustique.)

Yesterday marked her first official outing of the year at the Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery, of which Kate is a patron, in London. In a choice disappointing to those of us hoping for some new Kate dresses for our mood boards, Kate repeated the navy blue Jenny Packham dress that she debuted in October at the 100 Women in Hedge Funds event, which took place the day after George's christening.

SEE MORE: The Queen Wants to Give Kate Middleton a Makeover

Kate accessorized the gown differently this time around, at least, as she wore the Nizam of Hyderabad diamond necklace, on loan from the Queen. The event-also attended by Elizabeth Hurley, photographer David Bailey, and Olympic gold medalist Katherine Grainger-will involve a live auction, as a well as a raffle that will include a Philip Treacy hat and Stella McCartney handbag among its prizes. If they really want to rake in some dough, Kate should probably just offer a simple handshake as a raffle prize; heck, we'd shell out at least six months' worth of rent for a simple mouthed "hello" from Kate from across the room.

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