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(duì)時(shí)尚產(chǎn)業(yè)中的很多人來(lái)說(shuō)，凱特?米德?tīng)栴D(Kate Middleton)的童話故事與浪漫毫無(wú)關(guān)系，卻充滿金融色彩。在從“待嫁的凱蒂”(Waity Katie)向嬌羞新娘的轉(zhuǎn)變期間，即將嫁入皇室這一消息對(duì)時(shí)裝銷(xiāo)售和人們的穿著帶來(lái)的影響不斷強(qiáng)化。隨著婚紗的公布，這種影響將達(dá)到頂峰，并伴隨鋪天蓋地的媒體報(bào)道和仍密不外宣的婚紗設(shè)計(jì)師的銷(xiāo)售額飆升而結(jié)束。但是，凱特的穿著會(huì)產(chǎn)生長(zhǎng)期持續(xù)的商業(yè)影響，從而使其成為第二個(gè)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(gè)博客在不停地跟蹤關(guān)注。抑或她的影響力將隨時(shí)間而被人們淡忘？對(duì)于米德?tīng)栴D的同胞英國(guó)設(shè)計(jì)師來(lái)說(shuō)，上述問(wèn)題的答案至關(guān)重要。