Followups: Imperia vs. Karley and GOAT Fashion’s Name, Plus A Retail Roundup

We are back with some of the follow-ups we have promised the last few months, but first, a tip for those with access to The Daily Mail. This weekend there will be a special magazine in the paper dedicated to Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

From The Mail:

Exclusively in the Daily Mail this weekend, we are giving readers a stunning keepsake magazine filled with beautiful images of the young royals, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

From precious first portraits to glorious family holiday snaps, this 24-page glossy magazine is bound to make your heart soar.

Our thanks to photographer James Whatling and Kate Middleton Style Blog for the tip on this.

Now we look at the Pied a Terre Imperia and Dune London Karley, and the differences between the two shoes. Below you see Kate wearing what was the Imperia when visiting Slave Lake, Canada in July, 2011, and at the launch of a new charity initiative in July 2012.

A closer look at the shoe in 2011 (l) and as worn in India this spring (r).

The Duchess’s second pair is in the natural colorway.

The shoes were originally manufactured by Pied a Terre under the ‘Imperia’ style name. Pied a Terre was absorbed by its corporate parent, Dune London. At one time the shoe was not available, but in 2014 Dune reintroduced the style. You can see there were colors beyond the navy/red/black/natural we became accustomed to seeing.

The following is from Dune’s site when the Imperia was relaunched as the Karley:

Formerly branded as Pied a Terre ‘Imperia’, the same style is now available as the updated KARLEY by Dune London. And don’t worry folks it really is identical – so you can easily step out in the footsteps of a princess.

Erin left this comment on the post with our poll on the shoes worn during the India/Bhutan tour.

I am looking forward to hearing how the Imperia and Karley differ. I own both and I see some difference, but nothing major. I actually think the Karley is far more comfortable than the Imperia. I think they are an upgrade to the Imperia personally 

Jennifer emailed with her thoughts about the shoes:

…the difference between the Pied a Terre Imperia and the Karley is the piping around the label on the insole.  The Imperias didn’t always have the piping so the edge is the same color as the wedge.  Some have the piping to match the color of the upper and some don’t.  The Karley have always had the piping and the Dune version (either Imperia or Karley) are slightly higher 5mm or ~1/4”.

Here you see the insoles of both the Imperia and Karley. The pair on the right was photographed by a lovely WKWer who found them at TJ Maxx in Massachusetts this spring.

In this comparison the color of the footbed (black on both pair) indicates Kate is wearing a pair going back many years, or she purchased multiples of the style.

Sophie has a different perspective on the Imperia vs. Karley question, this is also from a blog comment:

I’m so disappointed the REAL Imperia are not reissued.
I did try the Karley last year but had to return them as there were comfort issues, a bad chemical smell and so on… It’ s a good replica but if you’re fond of Imperia either by Pied à Terre and Dune Black this is nothing like it… I’ve written many times to Dune about it without much success.

In a comment on one of our posts during the India/Bhutan tour Melissa noted the following (I put her comments into a list format for easier reading):

• Imperia were made in Spain, Karley is made in Bangladesh
• interior of shoe top is lined with leather and the bottoms are (sadly) just some clear stuff over the straw with a strip of suede at the tip of the toe and at the heel. Mine already have wear on the clear stuff showing bare straw.
• the Karley shoe top is lined with a man made material and the bottoms are solid rubber. They will probably last longer but the leather on the Imperia will breathe more and being made in Spain makes them true espadrilles.

The soles of both shoes.

Here are the colors Dune is currently offering, 3 of the 4 colors are discounted with limited sizes available: navy (£60/$95), cream (£24/$38), bronze (£36/$57), gold (£42/$66).

It’s clearly a mixed bag in terms of the Karley vs. the Imperia: some people prefer the newer style while others long for the original. For additional feedback on the shoe check the reviews on Dune’s site. You can also read a number of reviews (21) on the US Amazon product page.

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Also today, a brief note about GOAT Fashion. It is a company Kate is clearly fond of, as she has 5 different pieces by Goat that we’re aware of: the Redgrave coat, ‘Scarlett’ dress, Vreeland shirtdress, Washington coat and ‘Binky’ blouse. 

There have been a few comments over the years about the company’s name and its origin and/or significance. That’s something I had wondered about, so after the last comments on the topic I decided to do a little research.  The following is from a story PopSugar did in May:

The less-is-more attitude is inherent in Jane’s label; Goat is an acronym for Get One Awesome Thing.

“When I started, [the notion of buying less] was a bit like going out on a limb and like being a maverick,” she said. “But right now fashion is going through a metamorphosis as an industry . . . I think people really appreciate the quality and the refinement of a garment. It’s a refined way of shopping, a cleaner, smarter way to shop.”

 The topic is also covered in this story in The Cut from last November, as Goat was launching its US presence.

Thanks to Muhammad Ali, plenty of people think that the name of Jane Lewis’s clothing line, Goat, is an acronym for Greatest of All Time. In fact, it was so named because of the collection’s early emphasis on cashmere, but Lewis said she’s also come to think of it as an acronym: “Get One Amazing Thing.” Each season, the brand strives to provide quiet so-called “hero pieces” that will stay in your closet for decades, like the perfect simple tweed coat or office-friendly A-line shift.

I always love learning about these sort of things and checking them off the mental clutter list.

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Also today, a quick retail roundup, primarily because of the volume of designs Kate has worn that are actually available for purchase. As everyone knows, almost everything Kate touches turns to sold, and often very quickly, especially if it is a high street label like Topshop or Banana Republic or Zara. But right now we have something of a surplus of styles the Duchess has worn that are still available or newly offered, the majority of them pretty pricey. (For more fiscally-friendly items, skip down past the Balenciaga earrings.)

The Desdemona Lace Dress by Temperley worn for lunch with India’s Prime Minister is in stock ($1395).

The Saloni London dress Kate wore for a pre-tour Palace reception in April has been discounted to $595 at Net-a-Porter, where it remains available in all sizes.

Two variations of the Alexander McQueen dress worn for Kate & William’s first engagement in India are available. In the center you see the Matches Fashion dress, with a deep v-neck, long sleeves and no peplum; it is offered for pre-ordering ($2443).  On the right, the separates as shown at Neiman Marcus: the top has short sleeves and peplum ($1465), while the skirt looks much like Kate’s with its inverted pleat ($1145).

The  Beulah London ‘Juliet’ dress first worn for a reception in Bhutan is back in stock (£745/$990). Many thanks to Christin for this tip.

The Schutz ‘Dollie’ sandal worn to the Art Fund awards is now offered for pre-ordering with shipping expected after July 30 ($180). Our thanks to Patricia Aviero for the tip about this.

The Gianvito Rossi suede heels that Kate wears are available in several colors at Net a Porter: the black suede is offered in a mix of sizes ($670), the Praline is sold out in some smaller sizes but otherwise in stock ($675), that is also the situation for the red ($675).

We move now to LK Bennett, where the Duchess’s Fern point-toe pump is in stock in very limited sizing on the US/Canada site ($345); on the UK/International site the shoe is available in all sizes (£195). The primary difference between the toe styles is heel height: the Fern heel is 3.9″ tall, while the Floret’s is 3.3″. The Floret is offered in very limited sizing on the US/CAN site ($325), while it’s available in most sizes on the UK/INTL site (£175).

The Nina clutch we’ve been seeing frequently isn’t available on the US website, but it is in stock on the UK site (£185, roughly $250).

The Balenciaga earrings are still offered at Forward ($745).

At ME + EM some of the Breton stripe tops are 20% off, including Kate’s style. Use promo code JERSEY for the discount, bringing the price of the top to £32.

The Jaeger Classic Linen Shirt is on sale at Jaeger, where it is available in limited sizes (£65, about $85), and also at House of Fraser at a lower price (£49), with just a few sizes in stock.

The most recent version of the Cezanne dress that we have seen the Duchess wear is on sale at Great Plains.  Originally £75 (roughly $100), the frock is now £60; use promo code EXGP20S for an additional 20% off, bringing the price to £48 (about $63 at today’s exchange rates). The piece is available is sizes S – XL.

Kate’s Corkswoon wedge by Stuart Weitzman is $191 at 6pm with only larger sizes still in stock; at Amazon the price is $199, but again, just the bigger sizes are available; at Bloomingdale’s the price is $199 in large sizes.

Our final retail update is on the Reiss Rubik coat. The piece was originally $620, but has been discounted to $413. The retailer is taking an additional 15% off all final reduction merchandise, that brings the price to $350; sizes 0 – 10 remain in stock.

Let us know if there is a special deal you think we should add to the post!