Designer gets royal seal of approval

Irish designer Orla Kiely had every reason to be delighted when Kate Middleton stepped out in one of her shirt dresses yesterday.

Minutes after the duchess was spotted in the garment, there was a shopping frenzy on the London-based designer’s website.

The walnut-coloured wool Jacquard dress in a “birdie” pattern was sold out within minutes, as was the same garment in turquoise, a spokesperson for the designer said.

The long sleeve shirt dress, which has a button through at the front and deep pleats in the skirt, was on sale for €193.60, having been reduced from €387.21.

Kiely tweeted: “We are so happy that the Duchess of Cambridge has chosen our dress for her visit today. She looks so elegant and wears it beautifully.”

The duchess wore the dress while touring two schools in Oxford to learn how children use art to help with behavioural problems.

Kate is something of a good luck charm for clothing labels, which often experience a bounce in sales when she wears their creations.

Reiss, one of her favourite clothing chains, posted a near doubling in profits thanks to the brand becoming “cooler and sexier”.

Kiely’s dress is the second Irish fashion creation worn by Kate — she likes hats by milliner Philip Treacy.

Kiely has two shops in London and opened a large shop in Mercer St, New York, just before Christmas. Her designs are widely available in retail outlets in Ireland.