Kate Middleton brings regal fashion sense to the people

Associated Press

Twenty years ago, Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer got married in a swirl of questions: “What will she wear?” and “Simple, or overstated?” Tastes have changed since then, but the questions haven’t. Since Prince William and Catherine Middleton announced their engagement to the press in November, the exact same questions have been asked.

Despite plenty of speculation going around concerning what she will wear the day of, never mind what she’ll wear. Middleton’s previous ensembles she’s been seen in have ensured her place in the public eye as a fashion icon.

Her hats, in particular, have inspired not just British, but American women to create what Vogue magazine calls “personal fantasias.”

Feathered and floral hats, accessories Middleton wears quite frequently, have started a massive wave of popularity across two continents for hats similar to the ones she wears.

According to Vogue’s Sarah Mower, fashion’s greatest names are in agreement that the royal wedding will usher in a new era of fashion: the era of personal taste. Middleton, a connoisseur of individual style if there ever was one, has done something staunchly un-British: she broke the rules.

“Rules are boring,” Philip Treacy of couture fame told Mower in her story, “Heads up on the Royal Wedding: London’s Milliners are Ready for the Off.” “It’s just about individuality. There are no rules.”

Comparisons between this royal bride and the last abound. Diana, who appealed to us rowdy Americans because of her free-spirited personality, was a bigger risk-taker in fashion than is Middleton. The style rules maintained by generations of British royals mandated a sleek, polished look. Elegance and posh, two things