Dress like Kate for £47
Online retailer unveils budget version of £1,600 designer outfit she wore in NI
A SELL-OUT designer dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on a visit to Northern Ireland has proved so popular a duplicate has been launched on shopping website ASOS.
Kate Middleton’s mint green Missoni dress, which is worth £1,590, was worn by the royal on an appearance during a trip here in 2019.
The duchess, along with husband Prince William, spent two days in Northern Ireland in March 2019 on a whistlestop tour.
It was her dress by the Italian luxury fashion house that proved to be one of the stand-out pieces as her choice of outfit for her final appearance on day one of the tour, worn to Belfast’s Empire Music Hall that evening.
While the price tag puts it out of reach for many, women’s fashion brand TNFC has now launched a midi dress for bridesmaids.
And with a £47.60 price tag, it could be worn on any occasion and not just by bridesmaids.
For her third look of the day Kate paired her dress with a Mulberry clutch and nude Gianvito Rossi pumps — for which any number of duplicates are available on the high street.
The Missoni gown was one of the stand-out pieces the Baroness of Carrickfergus, as Kate is known here, wore on the tour, during which they visited Windsor Park, met with young people’s charity Extern and spent the day at Sure Start, that supports parents of children under four living in disadvantaged areas of Northern Ireland.
The V-neckline, long sleeves and the midi length mean the dress is a perfect dupe for the one worn by Kate and is perfect paired with nude heels and her signature blowdry.
When it comes to demand for clothing worn by the royals, Kate is once again influencing her fashion followers with what’s been deemed ‘The Kate Effect’ after her popularity took a tumble when Meghan Markle became engaged to Prince Harry.
Founder of Belfast Fashion Week Cathy Martin said the Duchess of Cambridge wearing a product is the best form of advertising a brand could ask for.
“It’s someone endorsing a product and saying it’s good enough for a princess and therefore ordinary people will want to have that association.
“If that’s just wearing the same dress, it’s creating a talking point.
“When a celebrity, but someone as ladylike and as elegant and as lovely and regal as Kate wears something like that, it sprinkles fairy dust on it.
“We see influencer marketing now as a proper industry where influencers are taking over the marketing mix when it comes to promoting beauty and fashion.
“Kate’s been known for wearing Zara and supporting British brands like Jigsaw and Karen Millen. As the wife of the heir to the throne, that’s the right move for someone in her position.
“She’s an advocate for rewearing clothes which is a good nod to sustainability and a lesson in how to shop cleverly.”
Discount clothing website Lovethesales.com, which has analysed all outfits worn by Kate in 2019 and 2020, said Kate’s star is once again on the rise since Harry and Meghan left the UK.