Kate Middleton Lends Her Influence To Fashion Week Designs

Kate Middleton, now officially the Duchess of Cambridge, has an elegant, classy style that many young people — and many designers — admire. In the first New York Fashion Week since Middleton married Prince William in April, fashion enthusiasts are taking a cue from the duchess's preference for clean lines, classic silhouettes and an idea of femininity more traditional than runways have recently projected.

The top designers and stylists have addressed either Middleton's influence directly or the common shift away from disheveled garments in general. “We are definitely returning to a time when we want things that are more timeless and polished, not looking a mess,” Hollywood super-stylist Rachel Zoe, who is producing her new line for Fashion Week, told The New York Times.

Designer Tommy Hilfiger, whose collection will feature Macintosh fabrics and Prince of Wales plaids, also alluded to Middleton's influence on designs both couture and mainstream. “She will influence all markets," Hilfiger said. There is already a word, coined by bloggers, for Middleton-inspired threads found in shopping malls around the country: "repliKates."