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.
对时尚产业中的很多人来说，凯特•米德尔顿(Kate Middleton)的童话故事与浪漫毫无关系，却充满金融色彩。在从“待嫁的凯蒂”(Waity Katie)向娇羞新娘的转变期间，即将嫁入皇室这一消息对时装销售和人们的穿着带来的影响不断强化。随着婚纱的公布，这种影响将达到顶峰，并伴随铺天盖地的媒体报道和仍密不外宣的婚纱设计师的销售额飙升而结束。但是，凯特的穿着会产生长期持续的商业影响，从而使其成为第二个米歇尔•奥巴马(Michelle Obama)吗？——奥巴马夫人每一次的着装行为目前仍有不少于10个博客在不停地跟踪关注。抑或她的影响力将随时间而被人们淡忘？对于米德尔顿的同胞英国设计师来说，上述问题的答案至关重要。