Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
David Hartley/REX USA
What to wear when you go back to school? If you're the Duchess of Cambridge, it's a bird-print coat-dress.Accessorized with brown suede ankle boots and brown tights, Kate's $600 Orla Kiely-designed walnut-colored "Birdie" wool jacquard outfit was perfect for Tuesday's crisp winter day, as she visited the Art Room facility at Rose Hill Primary School, in an economically disadvantaged section of the university town of Oxford.
Called "Miss Catherine" by the youngsters, the Duchess's charitable visit – while husband Prince William is in the Falkland Islands – involved her in a lesson to help 7- and 8-year-olds use art in overcoming such issues as low self-esteem and lack of confidence. For the occasion she also donned an apron.
"She is an independent, highly-intelligent young woman who wants to make a difference," says Juli Beattie, the Art Room's founder-director.
On the way to the school, Kate was greeted by lines of schoolchildren waving British union flags.