A brand new phrase entered the fashion lexicon during 2011; the Kate effect. This is a description of the awesome marketing power to sell truckloads of clothes once the ex Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, had been seen in an outfit. It is little wonder that with her savvy style of fashion, she is viewed as the greatest fashion icon of the year.
This is not just for the way she looks but also for the fact that the Duchess of Cambridge has an incredible ability to get the cash registers buzzing. The sapphire blue wrap dressed designed by Issa that she wore to announce her engagement immediately sold out, and such was the impact of the LK Bennett nude shoes she wore that the website crashed under the demand only a few minutes after she was seen in them.
The engagement dress that she wore in November 2010 became such a success that the public changed their perception of her overnight, and started to see her in a whole new light.
David Emmanuel, who with his then wife Elizabeth designed the iconic wedding dress worn by Diana Spencer when she became the Princess of Wales, says she was always going to become a fashion icon and he applauded the way in which she has established her own style so quickly, with her signature look of minimal make up and glossy hair.
With very little effort, Kate has risen to the number 1 spot by combining high end and high street fashion effortlessly. This bodes well as in the current climate, she is all too aware of the criticism she would receive if she was constantly seen in hand made haute couture at a time when she is joining the royal family of a country that is going through such tough times economically.
Despite all this, there has been criticism as well as praise, and designer Vivienne Westwood has described her as ordinary whilst Mary Portas said that to be a true icon you have to have a unique sense of style, and Kate is lacking in this department. In all fairness, her impact on the fashion world is still in its infancy, and like a previous fashion icon, Grace Kelly, her style is classic and timeless and can be worn by everyone.
Kate is our future first lady, so she could never be considered sensationalist or avant garde in the vein of Daphne Guinness or Lady Gaga, and she has got it spot on when it comes to what the public perceive as acceptable. Anna Dello Russo, the fashion editor of Japan Vogue says she is very smart to mix cheaper clothes with the likes of Alexander McQueen, and this is possibly the vital ingredients that make a true style icon.
She went on to say that she is also sending out an important message to her young fans by wearing something that is affordable but is also demographic and relates to a wider audience and this is just one of the things that has made Kate so popular and why the British public are so behind her.
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