Meghan Markle dethrones Kate as most influential royal fashion icon, doubles outfit sales after each public appearance
All hail the new Duchess of Style!
Meghan Markle has managed to surpass her sister-in-law Kate Middleton to become the most influential royal style icon, according to the new figures from a global fashion search platform.
Lyst analyzed more than 20 million search queries over the past two years to find out which duchess influenced the most online searches for outfits worn during a public appearance. They found that while Kate's wardrobe choices led to a 119% increase in online demand, Meghan's outfits led to an increase of 216%, proving that "The Meghan Markle Effect" is still in full force.
According to the research company, the Duchess of Sussex's most influential fashion moment happened in March when she showed off her baby bump in a silver and gold brocade dress at Prince Charles' Investiture at Buckingham Palace. In the 24 hours that followed, there was a 500% rise in online demand for the dress.
News of Meghan climbing up the royal influencer ladder should hardly come as a surprise considering the fact that ever since the Duchess entered the royal family in 2018, fans have flocked to buy the outfits she wears at royal engagements. The outfits often sell out within hours of an appearance.
Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue and one of the frontrunners global fashion, called Meghan's style "inspiring".
On the other hand, Kate's most influential style moment was in the same month when she wore a red Catherine Walker coatdress to the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
After pictures of Kate wearing the red coatdress hit the internet, online searches for similar dresses reportedly increased by 225%.
The figures also showed that while the Duchess of Cambridge boosted searches for particular designers, Meghan was more likely to increase searches for certain colors, particularly white, beige, and navy.
Last weekend, Meghan made her first public appearance with Kate after giving birth to her baby boy Archie. They attended the Trooping the Colour parade at Buckingham Palace to mark the Queen's birthday, and even shared a carriage ride together.
To top it all off, Kate even managed to pay a sweet little tribute to her sister-in-law with her outfit, as she sported the same fascinator, and a near-identical dress, to the one that she wore to Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding the year before.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex celebrated their first wedding anniversary in May.