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The impact Kate Middleton/The Duchess of Cambridge has had on fashion since announcing her engagement to Prince William and the subsequent wedding which ensued, has been significant. No one could deny that. I was however, quite surprised to learn the extent to which you are all influenced by the style of the Royals and American First Ladies.
According to research by shopping comparison website Kelkoo, 26% of the ladies they surveyed had recently bought an outfit worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. I know the royal blue Issa dress worn to make her debut as Prince William’s fiancé sold out within hours, but have a quarter of you really gone out and purposefully copied the Duchess’ style? (It’s fine if you have, she has good style).
It wasn’t the Duchess of Cambridge who came top though in Kelkoo’s poll ‘The First ladies of Fashion’ of all time. That crown went to Jackie O with 37%, closely followed by Grace Kelly with 35%. The Duchess of Cambridge came third. Jackie O was the wife of John F. Kennedy when he was in office in the early 60s. She has always been remembered for her elegance and innate sense of style, oversized sunglasses and shift dresses, and it seems she still continues to inspire.
For modern day inspiration, Brits are most inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge and Michelle Obama, both of whom have been praised for their public fashion appearances. Over half of Brits looking to dress in First Lady fashion admit to following media reports on the latest outfits to keep a close eye on trends and 5% keep a scrapbook of coverage so they don’t miss a thing. 16% go as far as taking a picture to their hairdresser to replicate the style of a famous icon. A further 15% buy the beauty products they use and recommend, a point proven by the sell-out of White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum after our recent Royal Wedding.
I think it’s nice that these are some of the ladies influencing our style choices. They are elegant, refined and dress to suit their figure. Yes they play it safe, but as they are representing their country, I don’t blame them.
The dress pictured is a lookalike of Kate's Issa dress from Camilleboutique.com
