Reign of the high street
Ever since she donned a €195 Reiss dress for her engagement portrait to Prince William, HRH has been dubbed the saviour of high-street fashion, with a sartorial command followed by women worldwide.
As the global economy continues to tighten its skinny belt, it is not surprising that the ‘Middleton of the road’ has become one of the most stylish thoroughfares.
Middleton’s signature look — she is a former accessories buyer — has become synonymous with savvy dressing as women turn to more recession-proof staples that won’t result in negative wardrobe equity. Kitten heels, conservative bags, pleated skirts and wrap dresses pepper the fashion pages of women’s glossies. Understated dressing has become a manifesto.
The proof is in the profit margins. British retailer Reiss reissued the ‘Nanette’ dress following the release of the royal couple’s first official photo, which at one point was selling one dress per minute online until the dress sold out.
Middleton’s €210 Shola dress, worn to meet US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle at Buckingham Palace, followed suit with a surge in traffic causing the company’s website to crash.
That post-wedding day outfit — a Zara shift (€69.95) and LK Bennett Maddox wedges (€205) — caused a similar furore. The raffia-heeled footwear were reissued and dubbed ‘The Kate’. Selfridges has even reported a 40% increase in the sale of sheer tights since this time last year.
Sister Pippa proves she’s no slouch in matters of fashion either. Her love of the high street has seen French Connection’s Talia tale dress sell out, after it was photographed being worn by the socialite, not to mention the LK Bennett Annina bag (€345) that graced her arm on the front cover of Grazia magazine this summer. The result? 1,400,000 search results registered for the rose-coloured tote on Google.
So, just what is it about the ‘Middleton effect’ that has the public in thrall?
Chef Clodagh McKenna says it’s all about the shelf life.
“I love Kate’s style as it doesn’t have an expiry date in the fashion sense,” she says. “I think that she has given women the confidence to wear classic pieces like blazers teamed with a crisp-white shirt, jeans and boots, and it looks great. For me, she has taken the old-fashioned English understated chic and made it accessible to her fans.”
Although pleasantly populist, some fashion pundits have levelled accusations of risk-aversion against the practical princess — claiming her kitten heels to be an inch or two below what’s fashion-forward. Interestingly, Midleton is forbidden by royal etiquette to accept freebies, so is not holding hands with any of the big design houses — she wears what she likes.
Holly Carpenter, 2011’s reigning Miss Ireland, says her attitude is inspiring.
“It’s so refreshing to see such a powerful woman giving the high street a look in,” says the beauty queen. “There’s a lot of snobbery in the fashion industry about high-street brands — people assume that because the clothes are cheaper they aren’t well made, but this isn’t always the case.” Carpenter cites Topshop as a strong competitor by virtue of its presence at London Fashion Week.
So what do Irish women-on-the-go wear when combining comfort and style?
“For a dressy casual look,” says Carpenter, “I always wear skinny jeans to jobs, so I rely on Urban Outfitters which has a great range. If I’m looking for a nice pair of heels or boots, I prefer to go somewhere where the shoes are made to last, like Marks & Spencer or Arnotts.”
Having recently launched The Studio café in Arnotts, McKenna says she is “spoiled for choice” when on the hunt for no-nonsense workwear. “Arnotts has so many classic high-street brands like LK Bennett, Hobbs, Reiss, NW3 and French Connection — brands that offer great classic pieces as well as trend items that don’t cost the earth,” she says.
Fashion math and cost-per-wear ratio has had a significant bearing on women looking for more timeless pieces. “We all need to get more out of the clothes we buy,” says McKenna, whose deference to capsule dressing has a strong bearing on her frenetic lifestyle.
“I have a great Ralph Lauren blazer that I invested in a few years ago which I wear with skinny jeans. At the moment, I’m obsessed with pumps and I wear a lot of dresses when I am front-of-house in the restaurant. I tend to spend a little more on these and buy less frequently,” she says.
Indeed, with hard-earned cash so hard to come by, more women are looking to capitalise on their personal style portfolio — turning to ambassadors with a more future-proof look.
“You could look at a picture of Kate Middleton in ten years’ time,” says Carpenter, “and she’ll still look stylish.”
For McKenna, it’s about sticking to a signature cut or brand that suits one’s figure. “I think that Sonya Lennon and Brendan Courtney, from RTÉ’s Off the Rails, have a lot to do with that and have really influenced how Irish women dress,” she says.
Having beaten Lady Gaga in SEO search rankings, not to mention being listed in 2011’s Vanity Fair’s best dressed list, Kate’s style star seems to be in the ascendant. Whether her influence on the high street will continue its reign depends on the public. Yet as long as she chooses to wear a pair of J Brand jeans or a Zara dress, she’ll remain a fashion enigma — the woman who could have whatever she wanted and chose what she wanted. Now, that’s one royal endorsement.
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