It’s no secret the Duchess of Cambridge is a trendsetter. She wears something one minute, and the next minutes, it has totally sold out. She has been known to cause websites to crash and store-queues for miles. It would appear that she has had a similar effect to Royal Ascot this year.
Two women were spotted at Royal Ascot’s Ladies Day sporting a Self Portrait dress that Kate wore back in 2016.
The Duchess chose the £320 white gown with lace and a thing-high split for a London film premiere and it was an instant hit with her fans.
READ: Charlotte Hawkins has just worn the same dress as three guests from the Royal Wedding
A firm royal and celebrity favourite, the brand has also been worn by Princess Beatrice, Pippa Middleton, Miranda Kerr, Selena Gomez and Reese Witherspoon to name but a few. Mid-range when it comes to pricing, the brand straddles high-street and high-end well. The styles tend to be classic and typically feature beautiful crochet and cut-out details that are now instantly recognisable as the label.
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With a such rigorous dress-code, you can hardly blame the Ascot punters for looking to the royals for a bit of inspo. We bet they weren’t expecting to turn up in the same dress as their fellow civilians though...
In 2014, a J Brand designer spoke to News.com.au summed her sartorial power up well. “I don’t think you could ever foresee the effect she’s had on any brand”, they said. “She’s got this amazing influence none of us could ever predict to market. That’s what we’ve had from her just wearing [our jeans].”
Fast forward to 2018 and the ‘Kate Effect’, which is rumoured to be worth $2 billion to the UK fashion market, is showing no signs of slowing.