Meghan Markle or Kate Middleton: who has the most fashion influence?
Since they reached the rank of duchesses, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have been setting trends. But which of these noble figures influences fashion the most?
These are the two royal ladies who fascinate the most internationally. Real or dreamed deeds and actions of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, we know pretty much everything. Their possible competition, their relationship to motherhood, to other members of the royal family, the causes they support, their references to Lady Di, but also ... their relationship to fashion. And if we rather like to see them as good friends who accept their differences, the fact remains that when we talk about style, we like to count the points.
How did Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton become influencers?
That female elite figures influence fashion is not a recent phenomenon. Before Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, we could cite Lady Diana, or Princess Margaret whose sense of style and worldly adventures fascinated England, but also the rest of the world, after the Second World War. But, when in 1997 Diana died in a car accident, a change took place in the communication of Buckingham Palace. As La Croix newspaper reported in 2001, after that, the family withdrew from the public arena and only the Queen remained visible.
If Elizabeth II helped modernize the royal family, like Lady Diana, the two young women Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, both commoners, have changed the perception that we can have of the royal family as well as its role in today's world. A new image that is being built in particular through their public appearances and therefore their clothing choices. Kate Middleton has never hesitated to wear Zara, J.Crew or even Topshop branded pieces, creating each of her appearances a "Kate effect", ie an increase in sales of these pieces. And it's the same for Meghan Markle since she became the Duchess of Sussex.
"People have always wanted to wear the dresses of royalty"
In April 2018, 'Royal Women: Public Life, Personal Style' curator Elly Summers told the BBC: 'Now I think it's similar, but more intensified and more immediate. People have always wanted to wear the dresses of royalty, but before, for example with Princess Alexandra (1863), women in court would ask their dressmakers to make something similar for them, then ladies from aristocratic circles would copy them, then they were broadcast to the general public. Now it's more immediate, you can see it directly in the street. "
Sussex vs Cambridge
In order to be able to decide between them once and for all, the Lyst e-shop, which can boast of having become the world's largest fashion research platform, analyzed certain appearances by Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, based on more than 20 million internet searches carried out between December 1, 2017 and June 5, 2019. And the results will undoubtedly surprise some: it is the outfits of Meghan Markle that trigger the highest online requests. According to this report, when Kate Middleton wears an ensemble, online demand for the piece increases 119% the following week. For her part, a public appearance of Meghan Markle increases searches by 216%, almost double.
"Over the past few years, Meghan's influence on fashion has been undeniable"
When the Duchess of Cambridge appeared in a red Catherine Walker coat in March for Commonwealth ceremonies at Westminster Abbey, online searches for similar models instantly jumped 225%. As for Meghan Markle, her most popular dress choice so far has come during the celebration for the 50th anniversary of Prince Charles’s investiture at Buckingham Palace. That day, she wore an elegant silver and gold brocade dress which, within 24 hours, caused a 500% increase in online searches for brocade dresses.
Their impact is also different as the report points out as Meghan Markle mainly triggers color searches, while Kate mainly increases demand for certain specific designers.
The Duchess of Cambridge, who has her favorite designers, allows British fashion names like Jenny Packham to benefit from her influence.
“Over the past few years, Meghan's influence on fashion has been undeniable, with a majority of her outfits immediately triggering the demand online. Obviously, it's reminiscent of the effect of some of Kate's outfits, but although both Duchesses have a different impact on online shopping behavior, they both provide powerful moments for the labels they choose to wear, ”reports Morgane Le Caer, fashion reporter for Lyst.
Between the two, the style battle is not over since the site notes a certain slowdown in the "Meghan Effect". If in 2017, the outfit she wore during her first public appearance alongside her sister-in-law had been talked about to the point of increasing, in just 24 hours, by 164% the number of online searches of coats and jacket of the same color, the presentation of his son Archie alongside Prince Harry only increased searches for white trench dresses by 46% in 12 hours. To be continued ...
