Forget the romance, for many in the fashion industry, Kate Middleton’s fairy tale is a financial one. During her transition from “Waity Katie” to blushing bride, the soon-to-be-royal’s impact on sales and what we wear has intensified. This will culminate with the revelation of the Dress, complete with intense press coverage and soaring sales for its still-secret creator. But is hers a sustainable commercial influence, à la Michelle Obama, whose every sartorial move is still breathlessly chronicled by no fewer than 10 blogs, or will it fade with time? For British designers, to whom Middleton is bound by national loyalty, the answer is crucial.
對時尚產業中的很多人來說，凱特?米德爾頓(Kate Middleton)的童話故事與浪漫毫無關系，卻充滿金融色彩。在從“待嫁的凱蒂”(Waity Katie)向嬌羞新娘的轉變期間，即將嫁入皇室這一消息對時裝銷售和人們的穿著帶來的影響不斷強化。隨著婚紗的公布，這種影響將達到頂峰，并伴隨鋪天蓋地的媒體報道和仍密不外宣的婚紗設計師的銷售額飆升而結束。但是，凱特的穿著會產生長期持續的商業影響，從而使其成為第二個米歇爾?奧巴馬(Michelle Obama)嗎？——奧巴馬夫人每一次的著裝行為目前仍有不少于10個博客在不停地跟蹤關注。抑或她的影響力將隨時間而被人們淡忘？對于米德爾頓的同胞英國設計師來說，上述問題的答案至關重要。