Duchess of sales! Fashion houses run out of stock as Kate Middleton’s lockdown looks send demand soaring
- Love The Sales researched how the Duchesses fashion choices impact sales
- Kate, 38, boosted global fashion searches during lockdown by 86 per cent
- Meghan, 38, increased sales of her outfits by 35 per cent since March
- Expert said Kate has demonstrated a more personal side during lockdown
The Duchess of Cambridge has been declared the queen of lockdown fashion – with five of her Zoom outfits selling out within days or even hours.
Kate Middleton, 38, is now the Royal Family’s senior trendsetter, her virtual appearances inspiring shoppers to snap up everything from a £39.50 Marks & Spencer dress to a £495 tree print silk dress by Raey.
Demand for the Duchess’s lockdown looks has boosted global fashion searches by an average of 86 per cent, according to research.
Love The Sales discovered the Duchess of Cambridge boosted global fashion searches by 86 per cent during lockdown. Pictured: Searches soared after Kate wore this £29.99 mustard jumper from Zara on a Zoom call
Hitting the spot: Searches for polka dot dresses soared 66 per cent after Kate re-wore this £1,300 favourite outfit from Altuzarra on an International Nurses Day call
Smiles all round: Demand for this £495 Raey silk dress shot up 193 per cent – before selling out completely – after the duchess wore it during a virtual This Morning interview
From the other side of the Atlantic, by contrast, the Duchess of Sussex’s outfits have seen searches rise by just 35 per cent since March.
This is perhaps due to the fact Meghan, 38, no longer carries out official royal engagements and has no social media presence at present, after the Sussex Royal Instagram feed was shut down.
The research, by Love the Sales, is based on Google searches, page views and sales figures from a database of four million British shoppers on its website.
Looking at every outfit worn publicly by Kate, 38, and Meghan from April to June this year, Kate’s 16 outfits – many ‘repeats’ – cost a total of £6,305 and Meghan’s six cost £1,105.
Stepping out in style: Kate wore this floral dress from High Street brand Ghost to clap the NHS, priced at £129
Chic: Scalloped necklines became a hit with shoppers after Kate’s charity Zoom engagement, where she donned a £155 top from Sandro
Kate’s mustard puff sleeve top from Zara, worn during a Zoom call in April, sparked a 41 per cent increase in global fashion searches for ‘mustard coloured tops’.
And a £129 Ghost dress worn for a family NHS clap on April 23 sold out quick as a flash after a 121 per cent increase in searches for the dress.
It was such a hit that Ghost donated profits from the line to NHS charities.
Fashion experts said Kate has nailed the trend for dressing ‘from the waist upwards’ during lockdown, while celebrity stylist Jessie Stein said: ‘The public has seen a different, more personal side of Kate during lockdown and she has embraced summery styles in her outfit choices.’
Pretty in pink: Despite the price, Kate’s rose print dress sold out in 24 hours after her Mental Health Minute video wearing a £550 piece from Beulah
Sold out: Kate wore this £175 gilet from Fjallraven on her first public outing in lockdown to a Norfolk garden centre