Fiona McCade: Kate lets everyone dress like a princess

Published on Tuesday 5 July 2011 14:58

THE following snippet of information won't be news to any female readers, but girls, please hang on a minute while I bring the boys up to speed.

One of the world's biggest online stores is called ASOS. It means As Seen On Screen and it's where you can buy stuff you've seen famous people wear. Usually it's pretty expensive to dress like a star, but recently I've noticed that it's relatively cheap to dress like a princess.

That's not to say that the princess in question looks cheap. Quite the opposite, but as far as the world of couture is concerned, something interesting is happening now that Catherine of Wales has found her fashion stride.

Watching Kate conquer Canada this week, a friend of mine suddenly squealed: "Omigod, she's wearing my shoes!" And indeed, the Duchess of Cambridge was stepping out in front of millions in a pair of widely - if not exactly freely - available LK Bennett heels.

Until now, I reckon it's highly unlikely that many ordinary housewives in Edinburgh have been able to say: "She's wearing my shoes, she is!" about an internationally famous figure. But when it comes to the Duchess of Cambridge, quite a lot of us can smile to ourselves and think: "Nice clothes, Kate. And I should know, because I got there before you."

Of course, Kate has to push the boat out for big occasions and wear dresses that cost thousands of pounds. Whether she admits it or not, part of her job is strutting her stuff and showcasing British designers, but what impresses me (and don't take that remark lightly - I'm no monarchist) is how the once middle-class Miss Middleton is also brilliantly showcasing the British high street.

Is there any other celebrity out there that you can think of who so regularly wears clothes that the rest of us can easily get our hands on? As well as LK Bennett, Kate shops at Pied a Terre, Zara, Hobbs - witness sister Pippa at Wimbledon last week, when demand for her Hobbs dress crashed the company's website - Whistles and Reiss, of course. She shops where we shop. She wears what we (could) wear. And what's even more unusual, she happily wears it over and over again. Like we do, in fact.

I'm warming to the woman and British retailers are too. The beauty of Kate's style is that she makes the easily attainable look deeply desirable, so that's a double-whammy for our fashion economy. Our shops are her shops; her clothes are our clothes. Not only can people admire what she wears, but also - shock, horror - they can actually buy it.

Ironically, it's taken royalty (however nouveau) to make fashion for ordinary women more democratic. I certainly don't recall any major celebrity ever appearing in anything I could afford, never mind something I might already own. Usually, the woman-in-the-street needs ASOS to tell her where to go to find out what the stars are wearing, and when she gets there she often thinks: phew, that's out of my league. But Kate is making everyday clothes look so appealing, we want more.Is this the real definition of recession-chic - a princess who leads fashion simply by looking good in what's already out there?

For the future queen to showcase off-the-peg stuff may seem like a small thing to do, but she's supporting British business at a critical time. For once, a public figure is making a genuine contribution to our economy - being an ambassador for the sort of UK fashion that UK women can actually buy.

Contrast Kate's high-street high profile with Waynetta - sorry, I mean Coleen - Rooney, who spends untold thousands on clothes, but still makes Pucci look like Primark. And even though SamCam flies the UK fashion flag in Christopher Kane dresses, they still cost 1,000 a pop and you need a personal appointment to get one.

It's reassuring to know that if you see Kate in something you like, chances are you can buy it. That's good for you and good for the economy. In fact, just to make it even easier, how about a website called As Seen On Kate?