Kate Middleton: Style Icon

Anne Boleyn, Marie-Antoinette, the Empress Elisabeth of Austria and Princess Grace of Monaco were four royal women well-known for being style icons in their day. Now, with the exception of Vivienne Westwood, most people seem to think that Kate Middleton will be joining their ranks.

The Burberry trench coat which Kate Middleton wore on her recent visit to Belfast (above) sold out twenty-four hours after she and her fiancé, Prince William, visited Northern Ireland. The tour, which completed their pre-marriage tour of the four parts of the United Kingdom, took place last Tuesday and I thought Prince William's pancake tossing lessons to the young girl outside Belfast City Hall were very entertaining. 

The Burberry coat worn by the future Princess Catherine retails at £650 (just over $1,000) and Burberry reported that the online supplies of the coat were gone by the time Lent started, the day after the royal visit to Belfast, which was publicised across the UK and in international media, too. A cheaper coat in a very similar design, offered by ASDA (the UK division of Walmart) increased its sales by 300% in the same period. It sells for about £22 (about $35).

When she attended a wedding back in December, in a black velvet Dulwich coat by Libelula, interest from American fashionistas in brand was particularly high, apparently. And the dress she wore for her engagement interview has ignited great interest in the Issa dresses, which it should, because it was a great choice. 

On a side note, it really irritates me when people start complaining and whining about the royal wedding. What do you want the future king to do? Get married in Gretna Green? Big days like this are good for the country. It's a holiday, it's a spectacle, and to be honest, I think that the world would be a much more boring place if we didn't do things like this. Plus, if Popular has taught me anything, it's that parties are always a good thing! Okay, some people have a "moral" objection to it because they don't agree with the monarchy, but they seem to be acting really surprised that the Prince of Wales's son is getting a wedding at all. I mean, you did know it wasn't a republic, didn't you? You must therefore have assumed when the second in line to the throne got married, it was probably going to be quite a big event. Monarchies aren't really known for running on minimalist chic! If you're a republican, fine, just don't start bitching about it to anyone who shows any amount of enthusiasm for what will be a really fun day. It's not like monarchists go round posting on your wall on normal days of the year, "Ha ha, guess what? We're not a republic. Fyl!" 

The Daily Mail reports that the future princess is more and more being seen as a fashion icon, because her personal style is "elegant and regal, yet age-appropriate to boot." I'm a big, big fan of the way she dresses. It's weirdly like the look and style I tried to capture for Meredith in Popular. Although, I would say Kate is a much, much nicer person! To quote from the article, which you can read in full here: -

"Ever since Kate appeared on the scene as Prince William’s girlfriend at St Andrews University, interest in her has been feverish — and that includes her sartorial selections. Kate’s fashion influence became clear as far back as 2007 when a dress she wore for her 25th birthday (a £40 Topshop tunic) sold out within 24 hours. ... fitted, nipped-in jackets, silhouette-hugging dresses and timeless accessories that are elegant and regal, yet age-appropriate to boot. 

Now, her style is much coveted — Kate has the power to spark a fashion stampede simply by wearing something once. 

She often plumps for British designers such as Temperley, Mulberry and Burberry, meaning her choices have been a good blend of patriotic and classic. But Kate’s fondness for the High Street stores Reiss, Jigsaw and Topshop also show she’s a girl who’s not afraid to mix and match affordable pieces with designer labels."