For years, media outlets tried to make “the Kate Effect” happen. The Kate Effect was supposed to be the phenomenon where the Duchess of Cambridge would wear something and it immediately sold out. That actually happened *sometimes* before she got married, but when she became a duchess, the data is a bit trickier. For one, she leaned into “bespoke” outfits, so it wasn’t like people could always find Kate’s looks in stores. Secondly, she started wearing older, out-of-season stuff, clothing that were already discounted and in limited supply, so those clothes would “sell out,” but most retailers only had a few pieces anyway. And then there were some items which were in steady supply and legitimately sold out. The Kate Effect was over-hyped, but it did actually happen in some cases.
Enter Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex. I remember when she first appeared with Harry at the Invictus Games in Canada, and she wore jeans and a white blouse, and we heard that basically everything sold out. It kept happening throughout their dating life, their engagement and their marriage. The Meghan Effect was probably one of the reasons why she put together her Smart Set collection – she knew it would sell out and help a lot of women. And it did. But where’s the data for all of this largely anecdotal information?
The royal fashion frenzy isn’t letting up, with both the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister-in-law the Duchess of Sussex setting trends and sending web sites crashing with their sartorial choices. And now SEMrush, a data provider, has analyzed their influence on retail, often dubbed “the Kate Effect” and “Markle Sparkle.”
According to company, searches for both royal wives surged around major events, such as Meghan Markle’s pregnancy announcement and Kate Middleton’s return from maternity leave. Overall, searches tripled in volume year-on-year when no major events happened. Dresses, shoes, tiaras and engagement rings are the most searched items. Surprisingly, so are bikinis. According to SEMrush, Markle is searched 35 percent more than Middleton.
Markle has been making headlines in the past year due to her pregnancy, royal tours, her involvement with British Vogue and the women’s charity Smart Works, while Middleton, now a seasoned member of the royal family, has her hands full with three young children and her arts and mental health charities. Top searches for Markle’s style include sunglasses, which are searched six times more than Middleton; and jeans, searched 58 percent more. Fans are also taking beauty tips from Markle as well, and her lipstick choices are searched 190 percent more than her sister-in-law’s. However, Middleton is winning in the hat category, with searches 30 percent higher.
Well, at least Kate has… hats. The Hats of the Future Queen! In truth, Meghan hasn’t worn that many hats thus far, and like most Americans, I’m not sure Meghan knows how to really do hats properly. Say what you will about “middle class Kate,” but she wears hats like she was born into the Hat Life. As for everything else… searching for Meghan’s stuff at a higher rate doesn’t actually prove that Meghan’s clothes sell out. Much like Kate, Meghan has developed a taste for “bespoke” stuff and people can’t really buy those. That being said, where Kate had some High Street looks which sold out, Meghan has been doing a lot of sustainable fashion looks, and looks from smaller, local designers, and those pieces always sell well too. It’s also worth noting that at this point, Kate’s style is more of a known quantity – she’s been part of the Firm since 2011. Meghan is the bright and shiny new fashion toy. It would be more accurate (data-wise) to compare the past two years of Meghan-searches to the searches for what Kate wore 2010-2012. Also: I would like to know how often people search for “Kate buttons,” because I feel like I do that about ten times a week sometimes.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and Backgrid.
this makes sense to me. I think Megan has a more modern, casual style. Kate’s style seems more stereotypically classic and is a little more specific to her.
This, exactly. Most of Kate’s fashions aren’t something I would wear in my daily life. Her recent power-slacks looks are great, but I’m not tall and slender like her so no. Meghan is still younger and more athletic than I am, but her wrap around dresses and jeans/blouses looks are all more in line with how I dress normally.
I’m not surprised. Meghan has a much more modern and youthful style.
I can see this. Yes Meghan wears a lot of Givenchy etc, but she also wears a lot of accessible “looks” even if the clothes may be pricey. Like dress trousers with a blouse or sweater and a big wool coat. Yes that coat may be $$$, but its a look that is easy to emulate for many AND its a look people WANT to emulate.
Even when I like Kate’s coatdresses (And some of them I do legitimately like), its not something I am ever going to wear in my life. And that’s not “just” because of the price tag.
Have to agree, she has worn a few coatdresses I’ve loved and make her look stunning. Not many, but a few.
Some of her coat dresses give off like a 1940s girl detective vibe, and if I were in a Nancy Drew book I’d totally wear them. I genuinely mean that as a compliment, but in reality they don’t fit my life. (Also, at this point in the global warming trajectory, there’s rarely a California day that I’m wishing for a heavy coat.)
Yeah, it’s been super warm. Finally cooling off a bit. Yay!
Personally I would wear Meghan’s clothes since I dont have Kate’s body type.
I also think Meghan’s style transfers to more body types/personal preferences. Kate’s style really only works for tall, very thin women- and it is very upperclass. Not many Kate outfits would work for my lifestyle- even if I were her body shape.
Exactly, while I think all those coat dresses are very pretty, it’s nothing I could wear to work or anything like that.
It weird because I don’t really think of myself as having Meg’s body type either, but her post-pregnancy looks are actually really suitable for my body type.
Yeah I would too, I wouldn’t wear Kate’s clothes just because I they are not me (am not into the girly twee). Meghan has a classic look that works very well.
I have to be honest. I’m really not a fan of many of their clothing choices, and the only reason they are considered fashion icons is because they married Diana’s sons. Queen Letizia, Crown Princess Mary, Queen Raina, and a couple of other royal women from other monarchies run circles around the British Royal Family.
I’m not saying that Meghan and Kate aren’t beautiful and stylish in their own ways, but I still believe that they are both over hyped by the media and stans.
@M.
+10000
Q.Laetizia, Q.Maxima and Q.Rania are my favorites !!!
Queen Maxima has AMAZING style. Easily the best dressed royal imo.
Yes!!!! Queen Maxima is THE fashion queen of all royals. And its not just that it looks good, you can see that she really has fun with her fashion. Shes not afraid of risks. Her confidence is everything.
Queen Maxima is fabulous! She’s also very charming and wears the best hats.
Maxima is the Queen of Big Hats. She can be very hit and miss but she takes risks and she always wears some serious bling.
Generally, I really love what Crown Princess Mary wears because it is very much in sync with my own taste.
Crown Princess Victoria can be hit and miss but she’s worn some very flattering daytime dresses lately – and her gala dresses are almost always amazing.
I agree. I love Maxima’s style.
I have to agree. Neither Meghan or Kate could be classed as stylish royals. To me, Mary and Letizia usually dress well. They manage effectively on most occasions to get the balance between being stylish and keeping within royal protocol. Victoria can be a bit frumpy and Maxima is sometimes OTT. Some of the lesser known European royals like Marie of Denmark and Madeleine of Sweden also dress well by royal standards.
Queen Maxima has been into culottes the past month or so. It may actually be a thing…
I’d say it splits both ways. My impression from the Kate and Meg fashion blogs is that women *want* to dress more like Kate (bespoke, formal, etc) but end up often end up *actually* dressing closer to Megan (more casual, neutrals, and maternity friendly)
I don’t know how many women want to wear coatdresses. There definitely is an audience for some of Kate’s wardrobe but it’s for women who like a very twee style.
I think Meghan’s fashion appeal so far is also limited and I don’t think she’s yet hit on what she likes and works for the visuals. She looks uncomfortable in the formal throwback looks Kate likes but her casual looks sometimes need more styling.
You want to look accessible but just a little better, a little more pulled together. Kate does that consistently with the big hair and sometimes with her clothes. Meghan I think relied on brand names to create the same effect, but she usually sucessfully does it with her jewellery.
Yes, always love Meg’s jewellery.
Kate sometimes dresses in a costume way that appeals to how we think a British royal woman is supposed to dress. Kate plays up to the royal fantasy, while Meghan is still holding on to her more modern, casual style. Kate’s clothes are better tailored than Meghan’s, but Meghan’s style choices are more accessible and current.
My favorite Meghan looks are from the pre engagement and wedding time.Loved her street style before she became officially royal.
IMHO, lack of proper tailoring is Meghan’s #1 problem with her style. With the resources Meghan has available, her clothes should be “spot-on” tailored for every public appearance.
I have often purchased a dress one size too big off a 75% off rack for say $40.00 and spent $50.00 having it tailored. The dress fit perfectly and I actually spent less money for said tailored dress than the original price of said dress.
FYI: I always shop clearance racks and only pay full price if something fits perfectly which is very rare for me.
I agree. I think Meg has the right idea, but the execution will also often let an outfit down.
TBF we haven’t really seen Meg’s style as she got pregnant pretty quickly which limited her a little.
I think Meg should do a Letizia (sp) and buy more high street/ accessible ethical fashion but have it tailored to fit better. She looks amazing when something is tailored correctly for her.
I do however understand her obsession with shirt and trench dresses, they’re easy and flatter her short-waisted figure without being too figure hugging.
I am glad that she chooses some more sustainable looks knowing that they will sell out.
But I’m not sure that 2012 stats would even be a perfect comparison. People are searching and buying things online more and more every year. It’s been 7 years since the early Kate fashion game, and the online shopping market has really only continued to blow up more and more.
I like their style for different things. I like Kate’s boots, and I guess we’ll call them field jackets? I like her outdoorsy looks A LOT. But I love Meghan’s wool coats, too. I think that their styles are different enough that they sort of target different audiences.
I actually went and bought a Barbour after I saw Kate in one (I’d always had North Face until then). I also love her outdoor looks and whilst I don’t live in a particularly rural area I have a dog and wellingtons and I wanted one!
I like Meghan’s overall style better, particularly her jewellery.
Agreed. Meghan really kills it with the accessories. I even loved her sunglasses. She has a good streetwear style as well. There’s some Meghan looks that I REALLY don’t like (for me) but it’s the same with Kate. When they’re picking something good, it’s reaaaalllyyy good.
I live relatively rural. My husbands family is even more so – they’re living out in the woods, near lakes. So I do manage to find use for that kind of stuff, especially like you said – when I’m dragging the dog out for a walk ahah.
The video for World Mental Health Day was on World News Tonight, was on all the morning shows, normally would this video have seen the light of day in the U.S.A.? Heck no.
Of course Meghan has caused more websites to crash. She actually gets out there so we can see her clothes. It’s pretty hard to do that when Kate only “works” four times a year.
Queen Kate of Hatsnbuttons.
I want to make her a sparkly hat with loads of buttons on it. Call it Keen to be Seen. 😄👒
Betty Davis had such a hat with buttons on it and it was custom designed for her by Willi Smith of WilliWear.
Ms. Davis wore the hat on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It was pretty killer.
She was an early supporter of Patrick Kelly, too, with the signature black sweater with button heart collage.
I miss the Meghan wardrobe from when she was dating Harry. She has great style and I think she’s trying to find a balance between the old Meghan and Kate, who went too far to tone it down and is dressing older than her age.
You said better what I said up thread.Loved her GF years style.JCrew,Madewell,Everlane…And she looks great in ball caps.
Cute for running errands,travel and just easy to wear.
I very much liked Meghan’s style on Suits.
Whoever styled/dressed Meghan for Suits did a phenomenal job. Every outfit fit her body and shape perfectly. Her wardrobe was the perfect mix of style, business, and glamour. I believe that as she builds more confidence, she will return to the styles that better fit her personality.
I also need to add that Meghan’s coats, shoes, and personal jewelry are some of the best I’ve seen on a royal woman in years.
And this right here is the solution.
There are so many young stylists with enough of a background in design who would chew their arm off to dress Meghan.
She needs someone who knows the Brit / US and Common Wealth fashion landscape, knows her body shape and then can adjust/ adapt clothes to uniquely suit her.
Kind of a younger generation Angela Kelly or similar to what Herve Pierre does for Melania (not an endorsement of either Melania btw).
I think both of them have had some hits but also a great many misses. Kate gets too repetitively twee and matronly and Meghan’s clothes can be ill fitting or poorly tailored. Kate has rocked some pretty amazing evening dresses while Meghan has the business casual down to a tee.
Kate usually wears what I call Princess Cosplay. Most people do not dress like that in the regular shmegular world.
Meghan wears a lot of things that look good in a business casual setting, cute yet office appropriate so it makes it easier to be inspired by her looks.
Even just in the header photo. Kate is channeling Wallis Simpson circa 1935 and Meghan could wear that outfit to the office on a Thursday
Agreed. I do actually love a lot of Kate’s coatdresses and other pieces but the fact is…I live in California and between the mild climate and the generally informal office atmosphere, they just aren’t practical for my environment!
Meghan has a more modern (and better imo) style and wears brands that many of us already shop at. Madewell, Everlane, Jcrew, Banana Republic…I shop at these stores as do many of the women in my life, so it’s not hard to believe that she helps to sell out clothes from these brands.
But the issue here is that they are all US Brands…. when she does champion UK high street I personally feel that it’s an after thought and it’s often not the pick of the litter…
But you have no problem with Kate wearing JCrew, Michael Kors, Zara, J Brand jeggings, those ugly Dolce and Gabanna lace dresses, etc.?
Kate dresses in mainly occassion dressing and romantic style, you’d look pretty silly walking down the street, or at work, or taking kids to extra cirriculars in that. Meghan’s down to earth style (although accessories sometimes needs a little tweeking) is much more classic and functional. I think Meghan can wear clothes better, a lot of larger women can carry looks better that stick thin women (not saying Meghan is large just in comparison to Kate).
Meghan is by no means large….
she is however a lot shorter (a good 4-5 inches).
You’re right! She is shorter and naturally smaller than Kate, but with the pregnancy weight that she hasn’t completly shed, bigger than her usual size.
The title of this article is misleading.
The qoted article from WWD refers to “searches” NOT “retail sales.”
What effect these women are having on actual sales is not discussed — and, to be fair, would be difficult to precicely track across brands and retail sites.
Someone this thread described Kate’s style as classic, I would describe Kate’s style as outdated.
Well the proof is in the pudding. For all the folks that like to huff and puff and call Meghan elitist the MAJORITY of what she wears is stuff that regular people can access.
Of course she does. The Duchess of Cambridge dresses like my grandmother, if .y grandmother had absolutely no style at all.
Meghan has had a lot of misses (as all women have) but she dresses like a modern woman who lives in the world, not in a castle.
Kate’s style is a mix between what the queen wore in the 50s and Diana in the 80s with a little Disney princess cosplay. Essentially it’s what Carole thinks a princess should look like because often they dress the same. She doesn’t really have a casual style because she is only now starting to wear trousers instead of those god awful jeggings, which was her go to when the occasion wasn’t formal enough for a coatdress.
The first part of this sentence broke my heart, because for a moment I imagined a world where this is the way the majority of the press described Meghan:
“Markle has been making headlines in the past year due to her pregnancy, royal tours, her involvement with British Vogue and the women’s charity Smart Works…”
I’m sorry that my comment isn’t fashion-related, but I just can’t get past how sad it is that a sentence like that (fact-based, and if not kind, at the very least, neutral) is as rare as a unicorn, and appeared in a publication that most people will never read.
Kate dresses like Barbara Bush Sr., but mixed with a large dose of immaturity. She somehow manages to dress BOTH too old and too young for her age, which is no easy feat.
They can’t quantify the effect of either Duchess on sales.
And I doubt that either Duchess will be considered a style icon any time soon. Diana manged. But those two haven’t yet.
Royal women from the other houses are fashion icons, look at Rania and Letizia. Meghan & Kate aren’t really fashion icons. Meghan also wears a lot of haute couture which is only accessible if you literally have 6 figures to burn every month. Seems like when she dresses down in low cost clothing people like her more because they think she is relatable, which is far from the truth when you realize both Kate & Meghan wear high end clothing most of the time. Professional working women can easily afford the high end designer clothes and shoes they wear & the jewellery but the younger fashionistas & students etc will naturally love their more “accessible” high street looks & go and buy them if they like what they see.
I definitely think Kate does well with the conservative coat dresses and hats, but most of us don’t dress that formally in real life. Her clothes are generally well tailored but she still looks like she hasn’t figured out how to wear trousers well. They’re too long, too big, cropped weird or flattens her rear. She wears more expensive brands so even things like her garden dresses are less affordable like Erdem and Emilia Wickstead. Maybe that’s why she can be called thrifty when she wears an affordable sweater with a $4000 Chanel bag. Despite press screaming about privacy demands, feel like we see more of Meghan so can see what she wears. Meghan’s casual styles are more affordable, like J.Crew, Everlane, etc. She hasn’t done too many events since back from maternity leave outside of tour and Smartworks launch (which are major and several months of work and planning). Loved her SmartWorks launch outfit and hope she wears it and the other pieces again. Hope she dresses a bit more Duchess-y going forward. She looks a bit more casual and too much denim and shirt dresses. Part of this is still bouncing back from baby and partly reaction to unfair criticism of her clothing budget. Her style seems transitional right now. I liked her pre- wedding, single girl glam Hollywood style, so hope she keeps some of that edginess while adapting to her current role. She’s still building a Royal working wardrobe so really hope she wears more high-end British brands, tailored pieces, as well as UK high street, especially more up and coming designers. She should check out Vivienne Westwood. She does beautiful tweeds and tartans, and collection not as out there as her runway looks. I don’t really like the Givenchy and Dior looks she wears and wish she’d check out Bottega Veneta and Celine. She doesn’t do hats very well but her accessories and shoes are so on point and she looks amazing in trousers and jumpsuits. I’ve bought some of the things she wears or uses.
Most people who dress like Kate didn’t grow up using computers, so it takes them longer to search.
🤣🤣
Good one!
Kate has a better summer wardrobe and Meghan has a better winter wardrobe. Kate really suits light weight fabrics, wrap dresses and pastel colours, that suit her body shape and skin tone. Winter clothes and darker colours drown her out and look too heavy on her. These dress coats and fasinators are the worst though, it’s just not something a regular person would wear, it looks too matronly. I particularly dislike the red outfit pictured above, as it does look like an air hostess fancy dress costume. I wish she would switch up her formal wear. I think what makes it look dated is that every formal outfit is done with a skater skirt, instead of a fitted pencil skirt shape, which would look more modern and youthful. I get why she does it as it creates more shape to her, I just thingk she need to try new styles. I like meghans winter wardrobe as she suite more autumnal colours, and trailored pieces to suit her shape. Summer floaty florals don’t really suit her, I have the same problem, except they look worse on me cos I have a large bust, so it does nothing for my shape. I love meghans wool coat collection, especially when she tones it down with some jeans and heels.
I agree, Meghan looks good in heavier fabrics and jewelry. And with her nice colouring I’d love to see her in various shades of blues, or reds.
I know this is off topic, but I can I just say William has really upped his style game this past year. His suits and tailoring look like they cost well over anything Harry wears, but no one mentions it.
To be fair a million women in London wear those massive headband things Kate popularised. The Anne Boleyn style ones. I don’t personally care for them but I see a ton of women wearing them and that’s definitely down to Kate.
LOL. Mette-Marit and other royal women have been wearing headbands, big headbands, and Alice bands for years. MM has gold metal one she weaves ribbons through based on her different outfits. This ugly trend is not because of Kate.
One of Kate’s aides of seven years has been laid off. “Palace sources” are blaming the layoff on extreme cost-cutting because of the Foundation and Household splits. Because it all has to be Meghan’s fault, when that person never worked for Meghan and/or Harry.
Yep, blame it on Meghan. I’m surprised the daily mail haven’t blamed her for brexit mess yet. Kate clearly wanted rid of her but doesn’t want to look like a bitch, so blame it on a split that happened a year ago. But looking at this assistant, she’s quite pretty, but plain, dark hair, just like wills type. My guess is he was probably sniffing round her, and Kate got jealous. But it’s just a theory. I do want to like Kate, but she pulls these passive aggressive dick moves, and I just think it’s so pathetic.
That assistant is plain and looks 10 years older than her age. Rose isn’t a woman I would describe as beautiful – Will has a type. For the record, Kate would be sort of “plain pretty” if she wasn’t the DoC with all the extra help & money she has to spend on her looks. If that really is the reason for letting the assistant go, she has just come back from her honeymoon lool…. and in that case, Kate can shelve her if she wants to, the Cambridges run their own household. It’s one thing for Kate to turn a blind eye to Wills extra curricular activities but it’s entirely another if it’s happening so close to home so I don’t see the problem.
For Gods sake, who cares? Donald Trump is blowing up the U.S. and you people are discussing fashion? Wtf
Have you noticed all of CB’s posts related to politics? Haven’t bothered, have you? But you’ve taken the time to come here and complain. Missing the point about “escapism can be smart”
Then go to CNN.
I agree with Kaiser 100%. Thanks for mentioning that this dana mentions what we’re searching for because I’d have missed that.
Kate for born for hats while I look stupid wearing them.
I only liked Kate’s style during the break-up period, she looked modern. But I’d like having her one/two/three coat dresses. I appreciate Meghan’s style more but not what’s most flattering on me.
Well, yeah, I’d rather dress like Meghan than be wearing pussybows and nude heels, since I am not a 1940s secretary.