As most readers are aware there is an abundance of re-issued and ‘copyKate’ merchandise, not to mention other products created ‘in the style of,’ some with loose ties to the Duchess’s style, others with almost no connection at all.
We begin with a collection many readers already know about, New York & Company launched its Diary of a Princess line last week.
New York & Co. "Diary of a Princess"
The Ruffle Trim Classic Trench is similar to the Burberry coat Kate wore to Northern Ireland in March. The “in the style of” New York & Co. coat comes in both khaki and black, selling at $89.95.
New York & Company
The collection also includes a rather Catherine Walker-ish gray dress, a navy dress copying elements seen in some of Kate’s, a wrap dress with Issa-like lines done in a Diane von Furstenburg-ish/Pucci-esque print, and a pair of skinny jeans not unlike many we have seen on the Duchess.
New York & Company "Diary of a Princess"
The entire collection may be seen online, although we have been told several styles are selling out quickly.
Next, we move to copies of specific dresses, with news that pieces in Lord & Taylor’s “Royal Affair” collection are now available for shipping. The dresses are from ABS by Allen B. Schwartz, including this one named “Kate’s Morning Church Gown.”
"Kate's Morning Church Gown" at Lord & Taylor
The gown is $1100, UPS shipping is free. Here is a closer look at the lace:
Of course there is a copy of “Kate’s Reception Dress,” $450.
ABS/Allen B. Schwarz Lord & Taylor
Other copies of the original Alexander McQueen gowns include the evening reception dress in black, along with copies of Pippa’s dress in several colors, these are priced at $390.
ABS/Allen B. Schwartz at Lord & Taylor
Lord and Taylor is also selling accessories and jewelry. Below we share the 14k White Gold Diamond & Sapphire Ring ($2325) and the Cubic Zirconia and Sterling Earrings ($60).
Lord & Taylor
At Nordstrom sales have been booming for their copyKate dresses, I am told the Duchess Gown shown below is already sold out in sizes 4, 14 and 16, and these dresses don’t even start shipping until September 15. The price point on the dress may be contributing to its popularity, at $698 for the Nordstrom copy-Kate dress seen below compared to $1100 for the repli-Kate dress shown above, those on a budget wanting a gown similar to Kate’s are likely to go for this one at $698.
JS Collections 'Duchess' Wedding Gown
JS Collections appears to do the most Kate copies, it is their dress shown immediately above at Nordstrom.
Next, other repli-Kate dresses by JS Collections, many readers will recognize the navy lace dress by Erdem from the North American tour (more here) on the far left below, the “Royalty Inspired Lace Dress” shown next to it is $158 at Dillard’s. One note of caution, this dress isn’t available until at least December 15. (Our thanks to Brittney on FB for the snappy ‘repli-Kate’ term!)
Via FusionMag.com
Above right you see Kate in that stunning McQueen gown worn to the BAFTA dinner in Hollywood this July (more on that here), the “Royalty-inspired Chiffon Gown” is $250 at Dillard’s, but like the navy lace frock, this dress won’t be available until December 15.
Faviana offers many copies of well known dress styles, below we see their style #S6867 on the left and #S6868 on the right.
Faviana
The dresses *are* offered in a broader range of sizes, 2-16 and 18E-24E, but we have no inkling of the prices for these gowns. If interested, Faviana allows you to search for stores carrying the dresses by zip code or state.
Also this week, word about Kate’s Aquatalia boots, including great news for both US and Canadian shoppers: Aquatalia’s new ecommerce site is up and running, you can now purchase directly from the company in addition to shopping online at Zappos, Endless and other outlets.
Via Aquatalia
More good news, several Aquatalia by Marvin K. styles seen on Kate can now be purchased at Nordstrom, we show the brand’s “Royal” bootie below.
Aquatalia "Royal" at Nordstrom
The booties are $398, the style is exclusive to Nordstrom. Those looking for the Rumba boot (previously known in the UK as the Hi and Dry) Kate wore to St. Andrews with her red Spagnoli suit (more here) will also find this style exclusively at Nordstrom.
Via Aquatalia
The boots feature a stacked heel, they are made of waterproof stretch suede and priced at $695.
Rumba Aquatalia at Nordstrom
To make things more confusing, Aquatalia is offering what-used-to-be-called-the-Rumba, but it has been “updated” and renamed the “Flinch” boot. The biggest distinctions between the two styles:
- the Rumba heel is 3″, the Flinch is 3.4″ (but has an 0.8″ inside platform so the actual walking height is actually 2.6″, a very comfy heel)
- both have a rubber sole, the Flinch has that trademark Aquatalia anti-slip sole shown below
Aquatalia by Marvin K.
Also at the department store, the Kate boot.
Aquatalia by Marvin K. "Kate" Boot at Nordstrom
The “Kate” is available in brown or black suede, with faux fur lining and cuff at the top that can be worn up, over the knee, they are $395.
One final footwear note that may be of interest (with apologies to those who already saw the WKW Facebook post): flash sale site Rue La La has two events this week offering shoe brands that Kate likes. The Aquatalia by Marvin K sale begins at 11am EDT tomorrow (Monday, 8.29.2011) on Rue La La, like all sales on the discount site it runs for 48 hours, but merchandise often sells out within several hours.
Rue La La
For those unfamiliar with Rue La La, it is one of many ‘members only’ (cough-cough) sites that offer deep discounts a limited period of time, the sales are online only. I make the snarky editorial comment about “membership,” because anyone with an active email address may join, if you need an invitation, just click here.
There is a company called Copycat Fashions. They copy all different kinds of designer dresses as well as wedding dresses. You just send them pictures of the original dress and then they send you a quote. …I’ve had them copy me a few dresses and they came out great. It’s really easy Their website is copycatfashions.com.
Did anyone see this article about RepliKates in the September 7, 2011 issue of The New York Times?
Hello, and thank you for reading the blog! The article is part of our next post, I posted it on Facebook last night but realize not everyone enjoys or belongs to FB, will be dissecting it shortly. Thank you for posting it!
The Chaps line for Kohls has some Issa style repli-Kate dresses. They have the twist detail at the waist and look very like the engagment dress. I missed the navy version, but they have purple ones now. They also have short sleeve dresses that put me in mind of Issa dresses, particularly the bird dress, in lots of colors. Only trouble is, both short sleeve and long sleeve style of their dresses seem to run a tad small. In the short sleeve I bought a large (normal size) and could deal with it being a smidge tight in the bust. However I had to go for and XL in the long sleeve as the arms were sooooooo tight I couldn’t stand it. XL fit me how a large usually fits in other brands.
My Aquatalia “royal” boots arrived from Nordstroms. Very, very comfy. Built so that you don’t feel the heel height at all. And very elegant looking. I bought brown and if not for the price, I would order in black too. Must show some restraint
Would recommend them though to anyone hesistating.
I am so exited about the New York&co line! I really wish that the JS collection dresses were available sooner. I have a wedding to attend in a month and would have loved to purchase the navy lace erdem replica, but I guess I’ll have to save it for another occasion.
I have an off-topic question. Well, not much off, since it’s related to Kate’s wedding dress. I also posted on the ‘Kate Middleton Style’ website so if there are fans of both sites here, this question may sound familiar. Has anyone here ever been to the UK, my first trip to the UK will be next week and I am having difficulty deciding whether I should make some exchanges for British Pounds in the US or do it at Heathrow airport or around London – what’s the pro and cons and such? Also, would it be better to purchase tickets for viewing of the Wedding Dress display before I go and pick them up at will call or just buy them when I get there? Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.
Hi Victoria,
I can’t really advise on the dollarss / pounds issue, although I live near London and I expect it would be easy enough to get pounds once you’re over here. Peace of mind if you’ve already done some exchanging before you leave the US though perhaps?
In terms of seeing the wedding dress though, I do know this has been pretty popular, and to avoid disappointment, I would try to book in advance. You can do this online, and this page http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=851 will answer questions in terms of getting the tickets (looks like you can just collect them there on the day).
Have an amazing time, you’ll love London.
Thanks for your feedback Jane.
We are excited about this trip, mainly because of the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress. You never know, it could get lock up after this and we may never see this piece of history again, which is why we’ve decided to jump at this opportunity, plus, we have never been to the UK so it will be a great experience for us. We would have gone to the actually wedding if we were into royalty before the new Duchess made her bebutante to the world. We thought she has shown much sophiscation for her age remaining calm and collected throughout the whole process in front of many millions of people. She has charmed since.
We decided to go with a tour company since this is our first time. Beside London, the tour will take us to Stonehenge, Bath, other parts of England, parts of Wales and Scotland.
I think I will purchase those tickets just in case as you say to be sure that they are not sold out for the day that we will be in London. Thanks again for your insight.
Hi Victoria!
You are going to love the exhibit! I was there about 3 weeks ago and here are a few tips from me and my experience. First off, wait until you get to Heathrow forounds. Hit up an ATM machine and just withdraw as you would dollars here at home. In my experience you will get the best exchange rates here and please avoid the currency exchange stores you will get the worst rates here! We paid as much as we could with credit cards since they too give great exchange rates. Just ensure you notify all your banking and cc companies and tell them you will be traveling so they don’t put a hold on anything.
In regards to the dress…. It is STUNNING!!! The details is not seen in pictures! You will love it!!! To avoid the huge lines and confirm you get in purchase your tickets ahead of time! We got ours from the royal collection site, they will give you a confirmation that you present at the ticket office and it’s very easy. I would recommend they package deal that takes you not only thru the palace but also includes the mews. You can see the landeaus used for the weddings along with the gold coach the Queen uses.
Please know there is a LOT of walking involved and little to no where to sit. If you are traveling with seniors make sure they can handle the walking. When you exit the palace you literally walk the back garden and it drops you offf at the back of the palace and far from the on/off bus stop which is what we used to get there so we had to get a cab.
Also, the fabrege eggs we got no where near as people were crammed all in front of them and would not move, they were parked there and would not budge.
Another tip, if you purchase anything from Harrodsburg or Starbucks, you have the option to select dollars to pay on credit card/debit card and they give you the current exchange rate there which I thought was kind of cool but I don’t know if its the best rate, I’m guessing it was though.
Another tip, everything closes in London rather early, speaking of the attractions sonplan ahead of time! We spent like 4 hours at Buck House so it pretty much killed the day and we missed other attractions. It is not NYC where things remain open late.
Everyone was super nice and we had a blast and loved London! We got off at the Harrods and went in and it was awesome to tour thru. The Egyptian escalators were cool and we saw the Diana memorials. Not far from Harrods is LK Bennett which I loved going in and scored two pairs of shoes! The nude sledge was sold out but they had other colors which are cool too! Top Shop, Zara, Reissue are all near there as well as R &B shoe shop that Pippa appears to like!
London is very expensive for us Yanks but IMHO well worth the trip! Best of luck, you will have a blast!
Oh, and one last thing no pictures allowed inside Buck House
my apologies for all the typos. I typed this on my iPad and it has a creative spell check
I would avoid making currency exchanges at the airport. I went to Europe last summer and every advised against it as they give you a really bad exchange rate. If you belong to AAA you can get British Pounds from them, you can order them online or arrange to pick them up there. I got mine from Wells Fargo online and they were sent to my house, but I personally had to be here to sign for them. I’d also warn you against flashing cast at Heathrow, it’s nickname is Theifrow. Have fun.
Thank you ladies for every suggestions.
It seems all the weekends are booked till the end of Oct 3 and weekends are the days that our tour allows for us to be in London. This is not good. Hopefully, they will release more time slots for weekends as with what they did with September 6th. I checked over the past two days and the Royal Collection website showed that September 6th was all booked, but today it shows time slots different from other dates starting at 12:15p.m. instead of 9:30a.m. . I guess there is still hope for us.
At Nordstrom’s there are also replica’s of her wedding day earrings. They are called “Acorn and leaf earrings” for about $50.
I was looking for new brown ankle boots. Hopefully the Royal boots from Nordstroms are comfy. I am on backorder for them.
Hi all,
I know it has been discussed before, but I cannot find the entry. Who made Kate’s link charm bracelet–not the charm, but the link bracelet itself? Links of London? I’m having a couple of “senior moments”! You guys are the best!
Many thanks,
What a great idea for a blog! I absolutely love her style! Bookmarked
XoXo
Plami
http://fashion-thrill.blogspot.com/
Love this post, as usual!! Although, I must say… fs/ny is not the same brand as french sole at all. It’s a completely different company, as confirmed by French Sole/London Sole reps. (I actually called both to confirm this last year..) That is why in the States, French Sole by Jane Winkworth goes by London Sole, so there is no trademark infringement.
Anywho, I still think those fs/ny flats are pretty cute!
Hi Cathie! Thanks so much for reading the blog and commenting! One FYI about the French Sole/London Sole brands, both entities are owned by the same family and Jane Winkworth designs the shoes for both brands. The US presence, London Sole, is owned by Jane’s son-in-law Ben. Hope this clears up some of the confusion for all of us.
I couldn’t agree more with you Jenna and Megan! Its going to very difficult to create an affordable yet respectable looking replica. Its all in the lace detail, and although 1000 is a fair bit, compared to some of the pricing you see on shows like Say Yes to the Dress, that is very little. The evening dress is okay, but doesn’t look cut very well. The ABS Pippa gown is probably the best re-creation of the wedding attire.
The BAFTA gown doesn’t look very well re-created either. I think the only one that looks passable is the JS version of the Erdem, although it looks a little too short to be worn to the sort of environments you’d wear a nice lace dress like that (I think sitting down might show too much leg).
The rush to recreate makes me wonder about the legality of recreating clothing created by another designer. Does anyone know what the ground rules or precdent might be for copying another designers looks? Do designers like McQueen or Erdem have any ability to take legal action if they feel copiers are too similar? Seeing how much police crack down on all the Rolecks peddeling merchant in China town I have to hazard a guess there is some sort of ability although thats very different from a law suit for copying a pattern or look.
I honestly don’t think I’d have thought of Kate if I’d seen any of those NY&Co outifts featured above on a rack or on-line.
In the US at least, fashion designers have very little recourse unless things like logos (that are specifically trademarked/copyrighted) are copied. If you just copy a look, you are generally legally fine. High end designers have been trying to get more legal protections to stop the knock-offs (ABS is cited as a frequent one they’d like to put a damper on) but so far haven’t really gotten much traction.
It’s hard to say whether or not legal protection in these cases would really help because the knock-off products are typically appealing to such a different segment of the market. i.e., nobody who can actually afford a $40k wedding dress is going to be looking at an $800-$1200 knock-off, so it’s not like they really “stole” any prospective customers from McQueen. In the case of some of the lower-priced brands I think you could make more of an argument that the copying is eroding customer base for the pricier brands. For example, Kate wears quite a few pieces that are in the $100-$300 range. That’s expensive but not completely out of reach for a middle class shopper, if fashion is something they enjoy making a priority and budget to spend a bit more on. It’s arguable that people who can afford to snap up multiple pieces of something like the NY&CO collection, which is cheap but not rock-bottom, could conceivably be willing to spend another $50 or $75 on an “original” piece if it weren’t for the existence of the copycats.
I have to say though, that the copycat piece that really, truly weirds me out is the replica engagement ring! I generally love Kate’s style but I don’t think you could pay me to wear one of those.
I have seen some attractive replicas of Kate’s ring (though of course they don’t come close to the real thing), but these imitations just look strange to me… The cubic zirconium around the sapphire creates a very odd shape.
Thanks for the info! Makes sense.
I have to agree on the ring, although maybe for different reasons.It (as well as the dress really) is so distinctive I think anyone who is seen wearing it will just be seen as trying to have a copycat item, and the item itself (or how they look in it) won’t be appreciated. And the idea of having a copycat of such an expensive and well known family heirloom. I also have yet to see a good replica.
Forgot to mention earlier, the coats look fairly decent.
I think we are on the same page on the ring
I feel like if you had one of those (especially if it was being worn as YOUR engagement ring) it really screams of “I have an obsession with Kate Middleton” to a degree that is kind of unsettling/stalkerish (to me, anyway). I love her general style and so I do like to check out what she’s *wearing* because it does give me good ideas for what general kinds of pieces I might want to add to my own wardrobe, but I don’t feel the ring is part of her “style”. It’s an iconic piece of jewelry that she happens to be the current owner of.
A ring with a large oval stone surrounded by smaller diamonds is a classic and popular style that had been around for decades — even before Diana chose it as her engagement ring. In fact, Fergie chose an almost identical engagement ring, but one made with a ruby rather than a sapphire.
Thank you for noticing that the lace ERDEM dress is too short. I was wondering…what is it that makes this dress look so different, something was off. But also, they should have chosen a model that looks a bit more like Kate too.
That’s really neat!
I’d love to own that first coat!!! 
I saw the Lord and Taylor wedding dressing up close and I must say it is a poor imitation. The fabric looks cheap and the lace isn’t really quite large. Pippa’s dress didn’t look that great either.
The trench in cream color looks promising. Other pieces…just blah, to my taste.
I got my lab made sapphire ring by KJL from our TV shopping network and it looks amazing!
The wedding dress had the look but probably can’t stand a close-up. The key about the Duchess’ wedding gown was the french made lace. I ditto Megan’s comment.
Personally I think Kate started a neo-classic fashion trend. Women should dress up like she does in most of the occasions. But it doesn’t mean that we have to get the exact copy of every single piece. That’s just my humble opinion.
love that blue lace dress!
Thank you so much for this site! I love it and you are so detailed. I had already tried on the NY&Co. Blue sheath dress before they launched the “Princess” campaign and couldn’t decide on it, but the quality seemed good. I decided to buy it over the weekend, then I looked at your blog and there it is! Bought the coat in black too (they are running Buy 1, Get 1 50% off now)! I may go back and buy other things. especially since you say that some styles are already selling out. I have learned if you find something you like there to buy it because the tend not to restock.
Thanks again for this site!
Thank you so, so much for sharing these! It does also make me a bit sad that designers are trying to replicate her one-of-a-kind wedding gown so precisely, but the other replicas I am extremely excited about– especially the New York & Co. coat– I’ve wanted one like her Burberry for what feels like ages now!
Thank you so much, every one of your posts is so thorough in detail — truly amazing. I highly enjoy reading your blog.
On a side note, you all will laugh at my absurdness, but I think your detail on the Rumba boot offers a clue as to Kate’s actual height. If the original heel is 3”, Kate looks about 4 inches shorter than Prince William in that picture (he’s 6’3”) with the heels on, meaning that Kate is actually around 5’8” and not 5’10” as commonly reported in the media….
Yes – I’m enjoying your thoughful and informative website as well. Thank you for all your hard work.
The information on the boots is timely – I’ve been thinking about books for this fall.
I like seeing the replicas/”in the style of” for many of Kate’s outfits. That girl can wear a coat, and I wish I had her figure to pull off her style.
But for some reason, seeing replicas of her dress just makes me sad. I get *why* it’s replicated, I really do. I guess I just feel that every copycat will be a cheap knock-off (and I realize the dress listed above is four figures, which is still quite a bit). Her dress had so many interesting details to it, and it was hand-stitched, too. I think these dresses just can’t capture the beauty of the original.
On her wedding dress, agreed. There is too much detail in that thing for it to really be properly copied. The lace in particular is going to be difficult to replicate “cheaply” (even if cheap is $1000+). Every single replica I have seen so far has looked, frankly, tacky and like a cheap little girls dress up dress in comparison. Pippa’s dress or the evening dress are, I think, far easier to make a nice replica of because they just don’t have all that detailing and are much simpler styles to start with.
I do like that some of her more “everyday” wardrobe is getting knocked off though, because at least some of those pieces are basic enough that you can make a nice version for somewhat less than the designer price tag (though I’m not sure about NY&CO, I feel their quality can be very hit or miss–I have a couple of things I’ve gotten there that have worn well for years and are thus working out to an amazing bargain, but one thing I’ve been very disappointed with is their jeans–about ~8 years ago the quality took a major nosedive and they’re now not even worth trying on).
Personally, I agree with you, Megan (though I believe that any girl who chooses to wear any one of these dresses will look fabulous and have equally fabulous pictures on her big day)! I’m preparing for my own wedding and although these repli-Kate dresses are divine, I just don’t think they can capture the exquisite glory that is Kate’s actual dress.
*However,* I really do hope that this starts a trend for dresses with some sort of sleeve. I am just so over strapless and it isn’t a look that flatters many people. Let’s see some dresses with sleeves, people!
@Ashley – That’s a great point about bringing back sleeves! And yes, anyone who wears the copycats will look great.
@Jenna – I agree with you about NY&CO. I have been happy with their slacks (I have a few pairs that are several years old), but their shirts can be really iffy. Now that I think about it, I may have purchased the pants right around when you purchased your jeans, so I see your point about quality.
Ashley, I couldn’t agree more with you about the sleeves on wedding gowns. Please, wedding dress designers of the world, may they return! Strapless styles are just not flattering on about 90% of the women wearing them.
Sleeves should never have to go away from wedding gowns just because, in case of religious rite, no one – not even the bride – should enter with bare shoulders. At least a stole please, for bon ton!
@admin, you have got mail – by me!
Totally agree about the sleeves. When she stepped out of the car on her wedding day, I said to the group with whom I was watching that I hoped it brought back sleeves. If you watch the U.S. show “Say Yes to the Dress” you’ll see that most of the dresses they sell are strapless and the brides just don’t have the figures to pull it off beautifully. Trend in the U.S. seems to be toward the sexy rather than lady like. (Can you tell I’m old)?
I agree with you about the unflattering nature of strapless wedding dresses as seen on say Yes To the Dress. Unless a woman has flawless arms shoulders, and back she should never wear strapless, especially not on her wedding day. Kate proved that a wedding dress with sleeves can make a bride look beautiful and alluring.
I couldn’t agree more. Here in the UK there are already replicas like the one above in bridal shops, and the effect is unfortunately quite disappointing. I bought my own wedding dress last month and (partly for curiousity, partly amusement) I tried on a replica dress. The lace looked cheap, it would have taken a lot of work to get it to fit properly and it was SO ITCHY! At over £1000, it looked cheap and had none of the magic of the real thing.