Kate in her Wimbledon Whites

The Duke and Duchess arrived today at Wimbledon to take their seats in the Royal box. Kate, a loyal tennis fan and seasoned player herself, joined her husband (whom in my opinion could have cared to dressed down a bit) for the Andy Murray vs. Richard Gasquet match and notably sat among tennis icon Billie Jean King and the parents of the once Great British Hope Tim Henman. Kate wore a cream Alice Temperley triple tiered dress with scalloped detailing on the straps and at the back- A grand slam. The Temperley's Moriah dress fetches £395. (Photo credits: Getty & Reuters).

Most recently, Wimbledon put on display a hand-written note, written by Kate thanking the All-England club for hosting her and a friend in 2008 and helping her to have a "peacefully quiet" visit. Today's appearance was anything but- as the centre court crowd bestowed a standing ovation for the pair as they arrived.

Sharing a whisper with Tim Henman's mother.

Her go-to nude pumps

An All-American Brand's Grand Slam

It's no secret that the two great loves of my life fashion and tennis. I jump at the rare chance to cover events and articles that marry the two. The most glamorous, prestigious and traditional tournament of all Grand Slams is currently underway in SW19- the post code of the town of Wimbledon. Last year I was fortunate to attend- (Click here to access a couple of photos I took while on the grounds in 2010). Although I missed the HRH The Queen's visit by only two days last year, this year the celebrities are out in full force it seems like never before. Spotted in the shadow of the infamous Wimbledon Church spire walking the grounds were Kirsten Dundst, Dakota Fanning, Diana Ross, Kim Cattrall and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. No doubt as the rounds reach closer to the final, more famous faces will be in the crowd of Centre Court with their strawberries and cream and Pimm's in hand. Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale are friendly with the Federers and usually accompany Mirka in the stands, Brooklyn Decker will be cheering on her husband Andy Roddick and there surely will be no short of Sirs and Dames in the Royal Box over the course of the tournament.

As chief outfitter, Ralph Lauren hosted a party in their Knightsbridge store to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Wimbledon and honour the charity Too Many Women. (Breast cancer awareness). The stateside brand has been the official outfitter at Wimbledon since 2006 and have announced they will continue to be until at least 2015. (Click here for an article which speaks to the history behind an iconic American brand that has a firm footing at this most British event... really interesting). Tennis legend Boris Becker hosted the event and party-goers mirrored the Ralph Lauren classic look of All-American clean tailoring, blazers, lace and crisp Oxford shirts. Sienna Miller and Poppy Delevingne in particular arrived on trend in a Victorian-lace inspired frock. A fashion ace!

Sienna Miller and model model/socialite Poppy Delevingne

Boris Becker

The 2011 Ralph Lauren uniform for women

The Ralph Lauren Wimbledon Blazer (costs just over $1000 CAD)

British Invasion- One Weekend Only!

Because of our close ties with the Motherland, the UK's Topshop is slated to do big business with fashion-conscious Torontonians. The Brits are set to invade Yorkdale's The Bay this fall.

No doubt pieces designed by supermodels like Kate Moss and world-renowned artists such as Stella Vine

will be snatched up by die-hard British and European fashion followers, avid readers of NYLON and those looking for a place to shop with a little more fashion cred than the established Swedish retailer H&M.

This weekend, Topshop teases summer shoppers with a pop-up shop at Queen and Soho streets.

The High Street retailer will compete against lower-range clothing outlets such as the aforementioned H&M and the mid-range priced stores like Urban Outfitters.

Perhaps after carefully researched sales reports and consumer trend forecasting, Topshop will expand to stand-alone stores in Canada and even take the format of their other stores worldwide. Many of the Topshop locations cater to other lifestyle needs of their typical customer. The Oxford Street flagship in London boasts a nail bar, a one-hour tailoring service, couriers on chic Vespa scooters and a hair salon.

A one-stop shop for a complete Topshop look. Sounds like smart branding at the highest level.

Head down to Queen and Soho June 17-19

Friday from 12-8pm

Saturday 10am-8pm

Sunday 10am-5pm

Dress in your best to shop the capsule collection- Tommy Ton- FLARE's resident street style photographer and ADR's favourite sidekick curated the shop. The fashionista with the best Toronto street style will win a $500 shopping spree and a personal shopper at the VIP opening of the store this September.

Stella McCartney Serves Up Tennis Fashion at Roland Garros

And now for an excerpt that deals strictly with the other love of my life. The game of tennis. After the Australian Open and the Monte Carlo Masters event tournaments, Roland Garros comes in at number 3 of my favourite tournaments. I love the Aussie Open for watching players struggle with the scorching summer heat in January and love the Monte Carlo tourney for the French Riviera ambiance that seeps through my television screen- all players just look more happy and relaxed- a sure sign they're taking in lavish off-court recreational activities at the casino or on one of the many the moored yachts after dark (assuming they are not resting up for a big match in the later rounds).

There is something about the French Open, however. Roland Garros. Currently on day 3 of the action and on the cusp of the 3rd round, tennis fans from all around Europe can access the tournament so easily. The tournament has quite the eclectic audience. Serbs, Spaniards and the Swiss can all hop a train with appealing travel times. It is the only Grand Slam to be held on the famous red clay and considered to be the most physically brutal tournament in the world because of its lack of tie-break scoring in the 5th set of a match. The climate is just right for the players- not too hot or cool... Paris at the start of the summer is blissfully temperate. The French fans in particular have a line-up of top players.

The fierceness of these French players- Amelie Mauresmo (now retired), Marion Bartoli, Julian Benneteau, Richard Gasquet (Hottie), Gael Monfils etc. call to mind gutless Musketeers dueling behind the baseline for the title- making jabs with the racket and employing the quickest footwork to save points and make winners.

Making observations about what these and other players are wearing is not only the job of the fashion-conscious. Sportscasters and former players are always ones to discuss the attire on the court. Fashion in tennis is evolving. Serena and Venus Williams really started ignoring the traditional "whites" on court back in the early 2000s. Venus Williams specifically, took an interest in on-court fashion a few years ago and developed her own line entitled Eleven. Maria Sharapova collaborates with Nike on custom designs and with her input, the company sponsors her with au courrant pieces that perform.

Legitimate fashion designers have branched into the sporting world and they have found that tennis allows not only for creativity, but the opportunity of dressing a single individual.

Stella McCartney has been working with Adidas to create feminine detailing on one and two piece tennis outfits for some time now. Those who are sponsored by Adidas are lucky enough to have custom dresses, skirts and tops designed by the British fashion talent. Caroline Wozniacki, the young Dane who currently sits pretty at number 1 and who has yet to even win a Grand Slam, was seen in a navy dress with frills around the shoulder and neckline, pictured above. The dress was specifically created for this tournament and has bright orange accents that play with the bright red of the clay. McCartney's designs are always super feminine and sporty using breathable fabrics, often with no seams. As the spokeswoman of the line, world number one Wozniacki dresses up her Stella McCartney for Adidas outfits with long earrings and necklaces that I personally don't find practical for intense, prolonged physical activity. (Who can forget the match when Serena Williams suspend play because her blinged out, dangling earrings fell out and she then had to kneel down to pick up the tiny diamonds off the court). Tennis fashion adds another element to a game of strategy. It is clear that there is a conscious effort by Wozniacki, to created her own look- as she even matched her fingernail polish to the dress. Perhaps each little effort she makes is part of her overall match strategy to off-set her opponent- part of her overall game that gives off a radiant aura of feminine power, confidence and pride.

But we must nod to the men taking risks on the fashion front as well. Who can forget the capri-length pants Nadal used to wear at every match- or the Nike wrap headband that was adopted by a few of the players, namely Nadal and Federer to keep their swish European hair styles at bay.

Caroline Wozniacki in Adidas by Stella McCartney dress (and tank below) in Blueprint

Maria Sharapova Spring 2011 from by Nike
French Open Smash Knit tennis dress by Nike, part of their Serena Williams Collection

Kate Crashes Yet Another Site

I sit here trying to refresh the REISS page in vain- most likely with countless other Kate Middleton style-watchers. This has happened before... during the intense speculation that Libelula was to design the dress for the wedding of the century, their website crashed and the name of the brand become one of Google's most searched keywords. Most notably, it occurred after Kate wore a deep navy Issa wrap dress to the official announcement of her engagement to Prince William. Issa's site was down and department stores everywhere were bidding to carry the dress to make up for demand.

The REISS site is currently taking forever to load thanks to the Duchess of Cambridge's appearance today in a dress by the label to meet with the Obamas at Buckingham Palace. REISS' Twitter account sporadically sent out messages pleading with potential buyers for their patience while their web team attempts to cope with "unprecedented demand". What "unprecedented demand" I ask? We have known about Kate's affection and loyalty to a few select brands for a while now. In fact, she has worn REISS before, at the occasion of her formal portrait sitting with Mario Testino at the end of last year. In my opinion, all fashion houses championed by the newly minted Duchess should be better prepared to handle the massive attraction and the web traffic that comes with it. Issa, Reiss, Alice Temperley, Whistles and L.K. Bennett among others should consider themselves warned. This "Shola" dress that Kate opted to wear for this official visit with the American President and the First Lady is a structured bandage dress with a modern silhouette at a length the Duchess has become very comfortable with- just above the knee. It is a modern version of a multi-purpose shift dress with cap sleeves that accentuated her Seychelles-bronzed figure and it will only set you back £175, roughly $340. Kate's fondness of the High Street shops in London reflect her sense of style- classic with an element of trend (here, the beige shift dress is classic and the trendy element would be the bandage aspect) and most of all, we have seen many of her selections at a price point many of us laypeople can relate to.

Photo Credits: www.elle.co.uk and www.thedailymail.co.uk