It was the most talked about dress of 2010. After Kate Middleton wore Issa’s navy blue wrap dress to announce her engagement to Prince William, the £575 style sold out in a matter of moments – one of the first instances of the well-documented ‘Kate effect’ that’s since gone on to generate a maelstrom around the Duchess’s sartorial choices.
If you weren’t quick enough to the checkout six years ago and have been dreaming of the ‘Phylis’ dress ever since, we have some very good news. Issa’s former creative director Daniella Helayel has teamed up with Monsoon for a new collaboration, comprising – you guessed it – 13 wrap dresses, and the navy blue, V-necked ‘Gisele’ style is almost identical to the Duchess’s engagement dress. The best bit? It costs just £99, a mere fraction of the cost of the original Issa gown. We’re reaching for our credit cards right now…
Helayel has described her new collection as having ‘a wide appeal to every woman,’ adding, ‘I like to empower women so they can get on with their lives knowing they look fantastic.’ Amen to that.
Kate is famed for recycling her favourite outfits for public engagements, but we’re yet to see her blue engagement dress get another outing. Perhaps the impending royal tour of Canada (when the Duchess will be joined by Prince George and Princess Charlotte) will present her with an excuse to dig it out of her (enviable) wardrobe…
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