There was an enormous amount of planning, organizing and cash outlay for the royal tour of Prince Harry and his lovely wife. For example, there were 76 engagements and 39 official outfits for a wardrobe estimated at 118,000 in British Pound sterling (or $150,478 in US currency. (I did the conversion so if it’s wrong – which I doubt – you can blame me.)
The sheath the duchess wore in 2018 was such a hit that it prompted Internet headlines such as: “Forget Millennial Pink, Are You Wearing Gen-Z Yellow?”
Photo: Courtesy of Glamour, January 2019
According to the Financial Times of 11/10/18 “ the royal tour generates dozens of front pages and breathless social media coverage. In short: as a public relations exercise, it is unparalleled.”
ORDERS CAME FROM EVERYWHRE
As we reported last week, the New Zealand designer, Karen Walker had six items in the tour wardrobe – including the Banks trench coat the Duchess wore on her arrival in Auckland, the Fathom jacket and the Northern Lights sunglasses.
“The trench and jacket sold out and will not be restocked,” reports Walker. “Then in the 24 hours following the Duchess first wearing the sunglasses, our web store sold more than eight times the number of units that style had sold in the previous month. The orders were shipped mainly to the US, Australia, the UK and Canada – but we also heard from Morocco, the Netherlands and the UAE.”
BRANDS PROMOTING SOCIAL WELFARE
The tour wardrobe featured 10 ethical brands, including Stella McCartney and Outland Denim, a Queensland-based company that trains vulnerable young women in Cambodia to work as seamstresses from their village homes.
“Our Harriet jeans sold out in Australia within 24 hours,” says James Bartle, Outland Denim’s founder. “Website traffic to our home site increased 3,000% and global on-line sales increased 640% following the first sighting – we gained about 8,000 Instagram friends in 24 hours. Meghan put our brand on the map.” I don’t know about you, but I find these numbers absolutely astounding.
“I’M DEEPLY FLATTERED THAT SHE WEARS MY SHOES”
This is what Manolo Blahnik said when it was reported that the Duchess wore his BB pump in navy and olive with a 3.5-inch heel. He added, “For me she is the personification of elegance and grace. She never fails to look impossibly chic.” Like Jackie Kennedy used to look no matter where she was or what she was doing is the way I see it.
Photo: Courtesy of Glamour, January 2019
IS THERE ANY NEWS ABOUT PRINCE HARRY?
Yes, there is. A Finnish tech start-up reported that its traffic increased 10-fold following publicity about him wearing its sleep tracker throughout the couple’s tour.
So there you have it. Now you know everything about the royal tour to Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
NOT QUITE: HERE A FEW MORE STATS
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I just read an article that sounded – to me at least – like “a canary in a coal mine” or an early warning of danger. This piece, written by Joe Pompeo, appeared in the May 2020 issue of Vanity Fair magazine with the title “The British Tabloid Invasion” and a subtitle that read, “How the Daily Mail is conquering American gossip.”
The paparazzi horde, La Dolce Vita, 1960 – photo courtesy of Vanity Fair
Apparently the good old U.S. is a nation of “not great” sleepers. Really? And I thought I was the only one! According to a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention it was revealed that one out of three Americans are chronically sleep-deprived. Yikes!
I think we’re all taken by the incredible mystique of the famous French fashion house, Hermès that has been with us for two centuries and is still owned and operated by the same family. From its beginnings in fine equestrian leather goods, they are – in the tumultuous year 2020 – best known for their handbags and many other items.
My image of Hermès has always been rarified products at equally rarified prices so imagine my surprise when I recently received a very stylish publication of theirs in the mail.
