Meghan Markle's Popularity Affecting Sales of Designer Clothing

 

Reporters have been following American actress Meghan Markle ever since plans for her marriage to Britain’s Prince Harry¹ were announced.

Today every time Meghan, now the Duchess of Sussex, appears in public, people talk about what she is wearing. All that talk and media attention can increase sales of designer clothing.

Since getting married last year, Meghan’s clothes have become almost as famous as the woman wearing them. Some pieces are so popular that websites selling what she wears often crash because of demand.

Fashion blogs and social media reporting about her choice of clothing have increased in number. It is all very similar to the public reaction to Prince William’s wife, Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, several years ago.

Kate has a more conservative², solid color look that appeals to older women. Meghan has a more casual American look, and the British public loves it.

“The Meghan effect is this economic phenomenon similar to the Kate effect...where if she wears it, it turns to gold,” said Christine Ross.

Ross is a co-editorial director of Meghan’s Mirror fashion blog. She describes the Duchess’ style as “very on trend and modern”. Almost everything she wears up to and around $300…sells out, she added.

Designer dresses and shoes are the fashion dream of many women, but for Meghan these are just everyday things.

For her busy day, the now Duchess of Sussex usually wears clothing from high-end designers, such as Givenchy. The French company designed the dress she wore on her wedding day.

Dior, Ralph Lauren, Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta are among other designers she likes.

“We’ll really never know how much those cost,” Ross said. She estimates the clothing costs over $650,000 a year.

Meghan was named 2018’s best dressed woman by People magazine.

In addition to pricey clothes, the 37-year-old continues to wear less costly³ and more casual looking pieces. She has chosen fashion companies known for their concern about the environment and social issues, such as Reformation and Outland Denim⁴.

Meghan supports sustainable fashion, explained Holly⁵ Rains, digital editor at magazine Marie Claire UK.

Her less costly accessories⁶ quickly sell out from stores and websites. “The jewelry⁷, the bags…is where we can…get that kind of Meghan touch…,” Rains said. She added that the casual look proved popular with readers.

British fashion expert Michael Talboys said he hoped to see the Duchess of Sussex wear more British designers. So far, she has worn clothing from British fashion lines Victoria Beckham, Strathberry and Marks & Spencer.

Kate frequently wears well-known British designer clothing.

On the streets of London, student Savanah Edwards said Meghan’s look was having an effect.

“It does influence me to try new pieces,” she said.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

fashion – n. a popular way of dressing⁸ during a particular time or among a particular group of people

casual – adj. not formal or planned

phenomenon – n. someone or something that is very impressive or popular especially because of an unusual ability or quality

style – n. a way of behaving; a custom, look or appearance

trend – n. a way of doing things that has become popular

dress – n. a piece of clothing for a woman or a girl that has a top part that covers the upper body and a skirt that hangs down to cover the legs

sustainable – adj. related to a way of harvesting so that the material is not permanently⁹ damaged

accessory¹⁰ – n. something added to something else to make it more useful, attractive, or effective

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

3 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

4 denim   

n.斜纹棉布；斜纹棉布裤，牛仔裤

参考例句：

• She wore pale blue denim shorts and a white denim work shirt.她穿着一条淡蓝色的斜纹粗棉布短裤，一件白粗布工作服上衣。
• Dennis was dressed in denim jeans.丹尼斯穿了一条牛仔裤。

5 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

6 accessories   

n.附件；附件( accessory的名词复数 )；（衣服的）配饰；从犯；妇女饰品

参考例句：

• a range of furnishings and accessories for the home 各种各样的家居装饰物及配件
• These are indispensable accessories. 这些是不可缺少的附件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

8 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

9 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

10 accessory   

n.附件，附属品，（为全套衣服增加美感的）服饰

参考例句：

• He is an accessory to the murderer.他是这个杀人凶手的同谋。
• A radio is an accessory to a car.收音机是汽车的附件。