The picture on the left is not of one of the Middleton sisters, although it could be. It is, in fact, a Modigliani portrait from almost a hundred years ago.
Both the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister Pippa have a distinctive, early twentieth century look, fresh, lean and sporty which makes them into natural clothes horses for the best of modern British fashion. Modigliani's long, lean ladies could be templates for the sisters' greyhound silhouettes.
Since her marriage to Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge has been developing her own very eclectic style, teaming High Street labels with designer clothes and fabulous jewellery. She appears to have a natural talent for mixing the affordable with the ludicrously expensive. More interestingly, her History of Art background seems to inform her choice of clothes, and may even have started a serious fashion trend. Many of this week's London Fashion Week's designer looks seem to pay tribute to the great art of the early twentieth century – Modernism meets Downton Abbey, perhaps?
The Duchess and London Fashion Week
The Duchess of Cambridge has been widely praised for her determination to showcase the best of what British designers have to offer; both the Middleton sisters often wear Alice Temperley designs (this young designer has been hailed by American Vogue as "the designer making the biggest waves in British fashion".)
What has been very noticeable about London Fashion Week so far is the strong influences of modern art on many of the collections. The Mulberry collection claims to have been inspired by Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are", but as well as the controversial (and not wholly successful) use of fur, this fashion house has also used rich but fragmented golden colours reminiscent of the work of Gustav Klimt, and some other Op Art type prints which catch the eye, flickering and shape changing like Bridget Riley's Op Art experiments of the Sixties. The Farhi collection has taken inspiration from a similar metallic palette.
Strangely enough, the Duchess of Cambridge wore an Op Art effect tweedy dress with a shimmering fine herringbone pattern for her first solo public engagement last week. She was attending a private viewing of an exhibition of portraits of the late Lucien Freud at the National Portrait Gallery, and accessorised her High Street label dress with black Jimmy Choo heels (very high) and a diamond bracelet.
A Witty Dress Sense
Art History seems to be high on the agenda this spring, with even Vivienne Westwood singing the praises of style over throw- away fashion. There's little brutalism or punk in this year's Westwood collection, it's all very subdued, flowing and (although this is hard to believe) classical, although there are some edgy, sixties inspired patterns in her collection too.
Can it be that the Duchess of Cambridge's witty, mix-and-match outfits, which draw inspiration from the haute couture of early in the last century are feeding back their influence into the world of fashion in general?
Catherine Middleton is a very different sort of fashion icon from her late mother-in-law, the incomparable Princess Diana. She's cooler, more low key and more subtle in her approach to fashion, and seems to be in tune with the times when she chooses High Street designs over designer labels on a regular basis. Her accessories may be priceless, but she's queen of incorporating the common touch into her high end look.
There's something very interesting going on in British fashion this week; art, style, history, the aristocracy and modern design have all come together in an intriguing amalgam of shape, colour and fantasy on the cat walk.
The Duchess of Cambridge is no Princess Diana, but very much her own woman, with a strong signature style which will be fascinating to observe over the next few years as it develops and changes. Identifying the Art History references in her colour palette and choice of accessories in the coming seasons could be an intriguing spectator sport!
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