The dress Kate wore when she visited the Blue Mountains during last April's Royal Tour was one of my all time favourites on Kate as soon as I saw it. It is perfect for both formal and informal occasions, making you look appropriately dressed both for the office and for a family barbecue, depending on what accessories you combine it with.
Kate's original dress was quickly IDd as the 'Patrice' dress from Diane von Furstenberg (US$ 450), which features 3/4-length sleeves, a cross-over wrap front with self-fastening waist tie, a hidden side zipper and two pockets. The 'Patrice' is made of 100% no-stretch cotton and is unlined.
Several weeks ago a few Kate blogs posted about this replikate on Ebay, that looked almost identical to the original one, but for a fraction of the price: US$ 59. That sounded almost too good to be true (replikates made in China tend to be too short for me, to not even talk about the abysmal quality), but I gave it a shot anyway and ordered it.
The package arrived very fast! After payment it only took about 10 days to arrive in the Netherlands. It came however, in a very tiny package, so I was afraid the dress would be very thin, and also: very wrinkled. Luckily though, both were not the case.
Just a few facts about this replikate, to compare it to the original dress: it is made of 80% polyester and 20% silk and is lined with a white fabric made of 90% viscose and 10% silk. To be honest, I mostly notice the polyester and viscose, and not really any silk :-P The replikate is a faux-wrap dress, with a separate sash, a hidden zipper on the left side, and no pockets. But although there are a few design differences with the original 'Patrice' dress, I must say the Ebay dress is a really good replikate (I only noticed the differences when I researched the original dress for this post).
I am 5'9" and usually a US 8, sometimes 10, and the XL I ordered fits me great, leaving a bit of room for me in case I gain a few pounds, so I'd say the XL is a solid US 10 (UK 14), which matches the size guide in the Ebay listing.
I am 5'9" and usually a US 8, sometimes 10, and the XL I ordered fits me great, leaving a bit of room for me in case I gain a few pounds, so I'd say the XL is a solid US 10 (UK 14), which matches the size guide in the Ebay listing.
The verdict:
I won't lie, so I'll tell you you won't fool anyone who knows a bit about fashion into thinking this is a real DvF dress. The craftsmanship and fabric are both alright, but definitely not DvF quality. But is it a good replikate worth your US$ 59? Absolutely!
You can buy the replikate here.
I won't lie, so I'll tell you you won't fool anyone who knows a bit about fashion into thinking this is a real DvF dress. The craftsmanship and fabric are both alright, but definitely not DvF quality. But is it a good replikate worth your US$ 59? Absolutely!
You can buy the replikate here.
