Duchess of Cambridge indulges in some retail therapy...as it is revealed women spend £250 each to look like Duchess
By Maysa Rawi
Onlookers on the King's Road were yesterday treated to the sight of the Duchess of Cambridge indulging in some retail therapy.
Kate was spotted at trendy designer store Anonymous by Ross+Bute in the late afternoon, where she purchased another top to add to her collection.
The Duchess browsed around for about ten minutes and chose a few items to take into the fitting room.
She finally settled on a purple jewel top - on sale at £84.50, down from £169.
The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured this month, was spotted indulging
in some retail therapy yesterday
The Duchess is often seen shopping in the Chelsea area, where she regularly has her hair done at Duke of York Square salon Richard Ward.
The top will no doubt be a sell-out as it was recently revealed women spend an average of £250 each to look like the Duchess of Cambridge, retail experts calculated.
And Burberry today posted a boom in sales after a £650 trench Kate wore sold out overnight.
The fashion label, unsurprisingly, plays down the influence of the young Royal, instead crediting a market-leading social networks policy, and having shops in all the right places.
But the Kate effect has been clear from the start.
On sale: Kate purchased a purple jumper from Ross+Bute on sale at £84.50 - down from £169
Clothing chain Reiss, one of Kate's favourites, also posted a near doubling of profits.
When Kate, 30, wore a £310 black velvet coat by Libélula to a wedding, it sold out in hours.
The blue Issa dress she wore on announcing her engagement to Prince William also sold out on the day Kate wore it.
A £16 Tesco copy sold out within an hour of going online.
Duchess effect: The Reiss dress Kate wore when meeting Michelle Obama, left, and the Burberry trench coat she wore last March, are just two of the items that have sold outRetail analysts estimate the Duchess effect is responsible for boosting the economy by £1bn.
Alexandra Richmond from Mintel said: 'Women in the UK aged 25-34 and are most likely to want to recreate the style of the Duchess of Cambridge.
'The average dress from Reiss nudges the £200 mark and the versatile nude LK Bennett sledge shoes cost £195.
'Even the occasional chelsea blow-dry or the outlay on hair styling products to recreate her glossy hair style would all add to the spend.
'They could easily spend £250 a year buying into a couple of pieces that she owns. This would see Kate's influence generate spend in the region of £1bn.
'In a way, it enables us to buy into a little bit of her fairytale lifestyle - particularly during these austere times when a little escapism goes a long way.'
By Maysa Rawi
Onlookers on the King's Road were yesterday treated to the sight of the Duchess of Cambridge indulging in some retail therapy.
Kate was spotted at trendy designer store Anonymous by Ross+Bute in the late afternoon, where she purchased another top to add to her collection.
The Duchess browsed around for about ten minutes and chose a few items to take into the fitting room.
She finally settled on a purple jewel top - on sale at £84.50, down from £169.
The Duchess of Cambridge, pictured this month, was spotted indulging
in some retail therapy yesterday
The Duchess is often seen shopping in the Chelsea area, where she regularly has her hair done at Duke of York Square salon Richard Ward.
The top will no doubt be a sell-out as it was recently revealed women spend an average of £250 each to look like the Duchess of Cambridge, retail experts calculated.
And Burberry today posted a boom in sales after a £650 trench Kate wore sold out overnight.
The fashion label, unsurprisingly, plays down the influence of the young Royal, instead crediting a market-leading social networks policy, and having shops in all the right places.
But the Kate effect has been clear from the start.
On sale: Kate purchased a purple jumper from Ross+Bute on sale at £84.50 - down from £169
Clothing chain Reiss, one of Kate's favourites, also posted a near doubling of profits.
When Kate, 30, wore a £310 black velvet coat by Libélula to a wedding, it sold out in hours.
The blue Issa dress she wore on announcing her engagement to Prince William also sold out on the day Kate wore it.
A £16 Tesco copy sold out within an hour of going online.
Duchess effect: The Reiss dress Kate wore when meeting Michelle Obama, left, and the Burberry trench coat she wore last March, are just two of the items that have sold out
Alexandra Richmond from Mintel said: 'Women in the UK aged 25-34 and are most likely to want to recreate the style of the Duchess of Cambridge.
'The average dress from Reiss nudges the £200 mark and the versatile nude LK Bennett sledge shoes cost £195.
'Even the occasional chelsea blow-dry or the outlay on hair styling products to recreate her glossy hair style would all add to the spend.
'They could easily spend £250 a year buying into a couple of pieces that she owns. This would see Kate's influence generate spend in the region of £1bn.
'In a way, it enables us to buy into a little bit of her fairytale lifestyle - particularly during these austere times when a little escapism goes a long way.'