The Duchess of Cambridge has helped to boost sales for another of her favourite designers as the "Kate Effect" came into play yet again. Fashion designer Vanessa Seward has said there was a "big impact" on sales after Kate stepped out in her Cai floral print dress to attend the Heads Together charity Christmas party in December.
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Speaking to The Telegraph, Vanessa – who is set to open her first UK store later this month – said she had "no idea" that Kate had bought one of her designs. "I consider that as really my lucky moment," she said of the Duchess wearing one of her dresses just as she was starting to fit her London boutique. "I had no idea she was a customer. I remember looking at my Instagram account and suddenly it wouldn’t stop buzzing."
The Duchess of Cambridge wore the Vanessa Seward dress in December
The designer added: "She had such a big impact, we sold lots of the dresses - not just that style but others in the same print. And of course lots of new people became interested in the brand."
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Kate looked stunning when she wore the £720 floral print silk-jacquard dress in December. She paired the elegant dress with a black Gianvito Rossi heels, Mulberry clutch bag and Fern Hoop earrings by Catherine Zoraida, which she has now worn on three different occasions.The Duchess is not the only famous face to wear Vanessa's designs; Drew Barrymore stepped out in the exact same dressduring a trip to Hong Kong in September, which she styled similarly with a black handbag and heels.
Vanessa said sales soared after Kate wore the floral print Cai dress
The 35-year-old has long had a remarkable influence through her fashion choices, and reportedly helped sales to soar at two of her favourite high street brands – Hobbs and Reiss – in December. However although Kate often inspires many women with her sophisticated style, she was recently overtaken by Holly Willoughby in a poll to name the nation's favourite style icon. The This Morning presenter topped a poll of celebrity style influencers for 2017 by fashion website Styledlike.com, pushing Kate into second place.