Kate Middleton is still the girl that everyone can’t stop thinking about, even though she hasn’t gone into public to do charity work or grocery shop or buy a dress at Whistles in ages (okay, since August 19, but that’s a century in Internet time). If last season’s shows in New York were “dress[ed] up with a capital D,” as André Leon Talley described them, this season’s shows are only expected to be even more dressed up. The “model off duty” look popularized by designers like Alexander Wang — messy hair, filmy T-shirts, worn denim — is expected to make way for a ladylike, dressed-up look that the younger generation hasn’t ever really tried. This is because, designers and retailers think, Kate makes it seem cool to be polished, clean-looking, conservative, and classic. Showers: yes; grease: no, etc. Ed Burstell, managing director for Liberty of London, calls this “the Kate effect” in the Times. Anna Wintour, whose personal style is very ladylike, also approves!
