Kate leads Meghan in royal fashion stakes
THE Duchess of Cambridge was crowned queen of the royal style stakes yesterday – surprisingly beating sister-in-law Meghan into the lady-in-waiting slot.
Kate, 36, known for her demure dresses and nude heels, was shown to have had the biggest impact on shopping habits, rather than the edgier Duchess of Sussex, according to eBay’s annual UK Retail Report.
While expecting third child Prince Louis, Kate’s maternity style generated more online trawls on the auction site than any other royal, with searches for tailored maternity coats more than tripling last November.
In April, Jenny Packham searches more than doubled when Kate first appeared with Louis in a red smock dress by the designer.
In 2017 there was a 20 per cent rise in searches for Ms Packham and Kate’s other favourite designers Alexander McQueen and Seraphine, sometimes hitting 43 searches an hour.
Close second Meghan, 37, who broke the royal fashion mould with her “messy” bun and bare legs, saw her style influence peak at her wedding to Prince Harry in May.
Her boat-necked Givenchy dress led to an increase of more than 60 per cent in eBay searches for the designer, hitting 55 an hour.
Wedding
The former Suits actress’s elegant Stella McCartney gown she wore for the evening reception doubled searches for the brand, and her ice-pink Carolina Herrera Trooping the Colour dress sparked a similar spike in trawls for the designer.
Rob Hattrell, eBay’s UK vice president, said: “While Meghan was clearly the focus of the fashion pages this year, Kate’s distinctive style has long been a hit with shoppers since her wedding in 2011.
“We always see an uptick in searches around landmark royal events, and 2018 was a bumper year, with both the birth of Prince Louis and Meghan and Harry’s wedding driving purchases across the nation.”
Princess Charlotte, three, was third and her five-year-old brother Prince George, whose Peter Pan collar shirts inspired searches throughout the year, was placed fourth.
The Queen made it to fifth place after her first appearance at London Fashion Week in February sparked speculation about the meaning of her choice of brooch.
Searches on eBay rose almost 20 per cent around her Majesty’s Cullinan V brooch made by Garrard in 1911 from an 18.8ct heart-shaped diamond.