Kate Middleton – High Street Style Princess?

Now the Royal Wedding is all but over we can concentrate on what is really important; where Kate Middleton is buying her everyday clothes! From the original items to copies, the High Street is literally flooded with everything ‘Kate’ at the moment and if word on the street is to be believed, the signs are there is more to come.

All eyes were on her last Friday when she stepped down the aisle to marry Prince William and believe it or not, copies of her wedding dress are already hitting the streets. But if you are not getting married in the near future, what should you be looking out for?

That now iconic engagement dress by Issa, retailing at a cool £385, sold out within hours of her wearing it. If you cannot afford that price tag you’ll be pleased to know that Ingenue have made an almost perfect copy of the dress called ‘Pepita’, which will set you back a reasonable £84.

A week before her wedding she was seen out shopping in no less than Warehouse, down Chelsea’s fashionable Kings Road, where she snapped up four dresses for under £220. All of which have now sold out in stores and online. But are people buying them for themselves or to make a little money? The Tropical Bird Dress can be seen selling on eBay for around £125; not a bad profit for a £45 dress.

A fan of Burberry, Kate has been seen out wearing coats and scarfs from this prestigious designer coupled with Mulberry and Prada handbags but what about footwear? It’s back to the High Street again as this canny shopper prefers Oasis for her Tan Leather Western Boots at a nice price of £75, presumably for her trips out with Good Wills hunting. For a more laid back approach she has a pair of Black Mary Janes from Office at a sophisticated £39. Be quick though, they were on sale last time I looked.

As for jewellery, who wouldn’t want a replica of Kate’s and the late Diana’s engagement ring? Well thanks to H Samuel you can have one in either 9ct or 18ct which will cost you £199 or £799 respectively. To be honest the 18ct ring looks more like the original but if you want a real bargain check out www.QVC.com where the Epiphany Platinum Clad Diamonique Oval Cluster Ring is selling for only £35.16 and

resembles the original much more authentically than the 9ct from H Samuel.

As us fashionistas watch in awe of her every shopping trip, desperate to catch a glimpse of what this future queen is wearing next, it is worth mentioning her sister Pippa, arguably the nations favourite sister in law. She too has become a firm favourite in who to watch in the fashion stakes. Mimicking her sister’s effortless style, although perhaps not yet having the ‘sold out’ effect that Kate does on everything she buys, her choices in clothes are certainly noteworthy. A firm fan of Zara, both sisters appear comfortable in jeans and blazers from this High Street store. And who can forget Pippa’s bridesmaids dress? Comparisons have already been made between her’s and the red Alexander McQueen dress Cameron Diaz wore to the Golden Globes. I know which one I prefer.

Whatever your preference, whether you are a royalist or not, if you like clothes or not, you can certainly say one thing, these two ladies have revitalised the High Street and that has to be a good thing.