China
        

Photos

Kate's dress a hit with copycats

Updated: 2011-05-03 08:20

By Xu Junqian (China Daily)

Twitter Facebook Myspace Yahoo! Linkedin Mixx

SHANGHAI - Hours after Kate Middleton stepped out of the Rolls Royce that drove her to Westminster Abbey in London to marry Prince William, tailoring stores on taobao.com, China's largest online shopping bazaar, were already offering replicas of her wedding dress.

Kate's dress a hit with copycats
A Chinese couple wears the look-alike wedding dress one day after the royal wedding.[Photos Provided to China Daily]

A copy of the lace gown, which was designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, and featured a V-neck satin bodice flowing into a skirt with floral hand embroidery, is selling for 1,800 yuan ($280) at Sumiao's Little Store, one of the online shops offering the dresses. The price also includes a duplicate of the ivory tulle veil worn by the new Dutchess of Cambridge.

Related readings:
Kate's dress a hit with copycats William and Kate to delay honeymoon
Kate's dress a hit with copycats Prince William, Kate Middleton, leave palace
Kate's dress a hit with copycats Britain celebrates monarchy as Kate, William wed
Kate's dress a hit with copycats William and Kate marry as world watches

"We have been closely following the wedding dress Kate would wear ever since she and Prince William announced their engagement," said Chen Sumiao, 23, the owner of the store.

"The minute the design became known, we discussed with our designers about its feasibility and came up with a plan overnight," said Chen.

Although there are only snapshots of Kate in the dress on the website and no dresses have been made yet, the dress had, unsurprisingly, been well received by many brides-to-be as soon as it appeared on the website on the morning of April 30.

"We have had twenty or so enquiries a day about the dress," said Chen.

"No deals have been made yet, but considering the overwhelming response, it will sell like hotcakes," she added.

Some women said they were even considering giving up "the plain dress" that they had already ordered if this one would be available for their wedding day.

Chen said it usually takes four to five weeks to make a tailored gown. Customers only need to provide their body size and can have a tailor-made piece, or even a personalized one, if they want any changes made to the dress, such as a deeper V-neck or shorter train.

   Previous Page 1 2 Next Page  

Specials

British Royal Wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton married at Westminster Abbey in a royal occasion of dazzling pomp and pageantry.
Best wishes

The final frontier

Xinjiang is a mysterious land of extremes that never falls to fascinate.

Bridging the gap

Tsinghua University attracts a cohort of foreign students wanting to come to China.

Costly dream
Models gear up car sales
Urban breathing space