Kate Middleton sets off fashion frenzy after stepping out in $325 Diane von ...
Kate Middleton set off a fashion frenzy around the world by stepping out Thursday in a $325 Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress.
The blue and white long-sleeved frock reportedly sold out in the most popular sizes within eight minutes of photos appearing online. The Duchess of Cambridge wore the Patrice Printed Cotton Wrap Dress while making a public appearance in Australia.
In New York, royal-watching fashionistas rushed to scoop up the dress from DVF's two Manhattan shops.
There were just three dresses left at DVF's Soho boutique as of 3 p.m. Thursday - in sizes 2, 12 and 14 - according to a store manager who declined to give her name.
"It's obviously been a very popular dress for us," she said. "It's been a busy day."
At DVF's headquarters and flagship boutique in the Meatpacking District, 11 of the dresses sold out before noon, with only two remaining.
"The phone has been ringing off the hook," said Drew Hirsch, an employee at DVF Meatpacking District. "That's just how influential [Middleton] is in fashion."
Stephanie Pavey, a client supervisor at the Meatpacking shop, said staffers were bombarded with calls as soon as they opened from style savvy shoppers who had seen Middleton in the dress.
"A couple of people called and hadn't even seen it yet which was really weird," Pavey said. "We sold six at one time which was for stylists who were trying to get them for their clients."
Agnes Henz, a shopper visiting from Switzerland, scored a dress close to the one the Duchess wore. "I picked a similar one because they only had it in size 10 and 14," said Pavey, 52. "My daughter told me Kate wore it because she saw it on the store iPad."
Coincidentally, von Furstenberg's iconic knitted jersey wrap dress - created by the designer in 1974 - is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The success of the dress style led to the designer landing a 1976 Newsweek cover that called her the "most marketable female in fashion since Coco Chanel."
Seems like the torch has been passed to Middleton.
Stylists aren't surprised by the chaos caused by her wardrobe choice.
"The pattern is fashion-forward and fun and bold, but the actual shape (of the dress) is classic and elegant in the modern way, and she looks comfortable in it," said Mary Alice Stephenson, style and beauty expert. "She looks like a princess in it, and every other girl out there wants to look that way, too."
Known as "The Kate Effect," Middleton's high-profile fashion choices have inspired many an outfit's boost in sales. After Middleton wore Tory Burch's Paulina dress during her son Prince George's first official playdate in New Zealand last week, the dress promptly sold out in stores and online.
It's also not the first time she's rocked DVF - the Duchess turned heads by donning the line's $398 green silk Maja dress with 3/4 sleeves while visiting L.A. in July 2011, which quickly sold out.
On Thursday, while meeting Sydney residents in the nearby small town of Winnmalee, Middleton paired her DVF number with a $398 pair of Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon wedges she's work before. The Duchess also carried a small, nondescript black clutch as she greeting crowds and accepted flowers from kids.
Just before 2 p.m. Thursday, there was only a single size 14 of the dress style Middleton wore listed for preorder on DVF.com.
But minutes later, the designer's site was updated, making it possible to preorder the dress in all sizes.
Don't expect to look like the Duchess anytime soon though - as orders won't ship out until April 30.
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