The Kate-Effect In American Culture

Everyone wants to be pampered and cherished, and treated like a queen, but few are the ones who have an actual claim to a throne, by blood or by marriage. One such person is the Duchess of Cambridge, or informally, Kate Middleton. Since the announcement of her engagement to Prince William in 2010, the fashion world has been left in awe of her “elegant and timeless style”. This causes almost anything she wears to instantly sell out, leading to what has become known as the “Kate-effect”. The Kate-effect is a result of women acknowledging that appearance matters in today’s society, and because of the attainability and flair of her clothes, women flock to what she wears.

Regardless of the event she attends, or who she is with, some things don’t change about Kate’s appearance. Her clothes are modest, in terms of hemlines and fabric that don’t reveal too much; she prefers clean lines, and comfort combined with chic. She can be seen in a royal blue Issa dress, announcing her engagement, or playing with her children at a park wearing a striped Zara dress. Kate’s job description plays a role in that she isn’t allowed to wear revealing clothes, and by following that precedent set hundreds of years ago, she helps establish her title as a duchess. The “who” of Kate Middleton helped popularize her, but her personality is what kept her relevant. She is a duchess, who is also genuine and relatable in her style and habits. When the time calls for it, however, she dresses like a modern princess would. For example, when visiting other countries or attending red carpet events, she wears anything from Alexander McQueen to Ralph & Russo. As part of the royal family, Kate doesn't appear in advertisements, so what she wears is what she genuinely likes; she doesn’t profit from wearing it. This helps build her credibility.

The most important part about Kate, is that she is relatable. She is a mom of three and a sports fan, and she is susceptible to normal reactions, even in highly publicized events. That can be seen in pictures from her sister Pippa’s wedding, chastising her son George; hugging her husband in excitement at the Olympics; rolling her eyes when she is told to wrap gifts faster. Also, she re-wears her clothes. As frivolous as it seems, celebrities are rarely seen wearing the same outfit more than once; for normal people, re-wearing clothes is part of everyday life. This helps her seem more normal to the general population (Logan et al). Just like any woman has experienced the comfort of knowing an outfit works and re-wearing it, the world gets to see a “princess” experience the same thing.

The conversation surrounding Kate’s fashion choices influence the readers into thinking if they want to be considered sophisticated, imitating Kate is one way to do it. Leading up to her wedding to Prince William, there was no shortage of coverage over Kate’s character and her style; from Cosmopolitan to People, Kate Middleton was everywhere. In an article by CNN, the Kate-effect is referenced and explained as the result of the simplicity of her style in price and her ability to “express herself” through it (Allsop). Following her wedding, the Kate-effect exploded after media outlets praised her lace and satin Alexander McQueen wedding dress (designed by Sarah Burton). The New York Times wrote that “the moment she stepped out. . . it was impossible not to see how breathtakingly right she looked” (Wilson). Just as seeing how “sophisticated” Kate Middleton looks in her clothes helps convince fashion conscious women, the trickle-down theory in fashion also helps explain this phenomenon. The trickle-down theory states that people of upper social class are imitated in style by people of lower class. The selling out of Kate’s clothes though, contradicts the latter part of the theory. It states that because of the imitation, members of higher social class change their fashion choices for distinction between themselves and the lower classes. Because Kate re-wears her clothes, it makes sense to invest in a €175 Reiss dress because both the consumer and the future queen of England will likely re-wear the dress, so it’s not just emulating her style, but also her habits.

Appearance matters in American culture, and the Kate-effect shows just that. There is no novelty in dressing the way one wants to be treated. As young people we are reminded constantly that to be taken seriously at a job interview, sweatpants and a t-shirt aren’t going to cut it. The clothes people wear helps everyone around them decide how to treat them. It even affects how we perceive ourselves, according to Dr. Galinsky, a professor at Northwestern University. Clothes are a way to communicate thoughts without speaking. The more important an occasion is, the more attention goes into what is worn. That's the reason there are hundreds of articles, videos, and how-to’s on how to dress for every situation. This is a problem, however, because everyone should be treated the same- regardless of their social standing. Even women from different levels of distinction are critiqued on their appearance. In fact, Hillary Clinton was accused of looking too manly in her pantsuits when she was a senator, so she responded by next time wearing a pantsuit that revealed a little cleavage to give a more feminine impression- which was also met with criticism. In a study done by the Maastricht University in the Netherlands, women responded more favorably to men who wore high-end suits compared to the same men wearing fast food work uniforms, showing that clothes help show representation of social standing, and it isn’t unique to gender. Appearance matters, but unfortunately for some it matters too much.

By emulating the style of a woman who is constantly referred to as modernly elegant and ladylike, women find refuge in knowing that they too will be deemed as such in a job interview, at work, or grocery shopping. Women understand that their appearance can alter their treatment, and who doesn’t want to be treated like a princess? When a popular and well-liked princess’ style is so easy and affordable to copy, it is no surprise that women buy out everything she wears.