Queen Kate



This British Vogue cover from December 2001 epitomises Moss'
influence over British Fashion

 No, not that Kate!

Whilst Kate Middleton is new to the royal fold there is another Kate who has been fashion royalty for over a decade now. Is she a nineties icon of heroin chic? Or the independent wild child who led the fashion pack through the naughties with her edgy rock and boho style.

From the moment the girl from Croydon arrived on the scene as a doe-eyed fifteen year old there has barely been a week without controversy and intrigue. Fashion, drugs, rock stars and the infamous Primrose Hill clan, Kate has been at the centre of it all. Yet whatever was going on behind the scenes she has stayed notoriously tight-lipped maintaining her mystique and the last remnant of privacy and letting her work on the catwalk and on the cover of magazines speak for itself.

The word iconic is bandied around too much these days. Stars who have a gaggle of stylists pouring over their every outfit and the rise of celebrity stylist like Rachel Zoe and her Zoebots. So unwilling to put a foot wrong that their outfits seemed contrived and calculated rather than through a love of fashion.

When she was first on the scene Kate was very much the waif model of the moment. Before her had been the reign of the glamazon Supermodels, whose fiery personalities strutted down the catwalk. But Kate was different. She seemed very ordinary and laid back with effortless simple style.

This sheer, silk slip with no accessories is
the epitomy of Kate's understated style

Kate began dating Johnny Depp in 1994 and the image seemed complete. The king and queen of the indie scene Kate and Johnny were as equally cool as they were beautiful. Depp, was sexy, edgy and starred in cult films like What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Edward Scissorhands. His brooding intensity complimented Kate's vulnerable beauty.

But it was not all nights at the Viper Room, the LA bar that Depp owned, the couple could do Hollywood chic better than most.

After the relationship ended in 1998 Kate emerged with a cropped haircut and a new sense of independence. She was the undisputed Queen of the fashion pack with celebrities and designers desperately imitating her style. The Mia Farrow inspired look waves goodbye to the waif Kate and ushers in her era of dominance. In a time when she would become a single mother and be embroiled in a drug scandal with bad-boyfriend Pete Doherty, Kate's strength and independence shone through.

Before Victoria Beckham, Keira Knightley or Emma Watson
there was Kate

The next decade saw Kate lead most of the defining trends in practical fashion. Ballet pumps, skinny jeans and blazers were all first seen on Miss Moss. An army of wannabe Mosses began to spring up on high streets all over the UK as women tried desperately to imitate her dressed-down style. She became the enduring icon of London fashion and helped cultivate the edgy and fashion-forward image the city has today.

Three trends in one: Skinny jeans,
gladiator sandals and Ray Ban sunglasses

The blazer, the scarf and
 over the jeans boots - Kate's
standard look

This outfit taken from the early naughties is
well ahead of the opaque tight trend of the back end
of the decade. The monochrome echos the sixties
 perfectly. She was even sporting the blazer way back then

Kate had always been influenced by different eras and this came through even more in her style.  Vintage clothing and raiding charity shops became essential for any fashionista to achieve the eclectic look.

1950s style polka dot dress with leather belt

A nod to the 1950s Beat Generation poet
Allen Ginsberg

It was not just the high street that was imitating Kate. There were an army of celebs ready to jump on any look she sported. Perhaps the most notorious of this is the "Boho Chic" a label Kate has desperately avoided. The laid back, sexy style exploded in the summer of 2004. With girls all over Britain sporting messed-up brassy bedhair, flowing dresses and huge sunglasses.

The heavy leather boots, chunky accessories and flowing delicate
florals optimised the look

 Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as Sienna Miller, Nicole Ritchie and the Olsen twins jumped on the style.

Sienna Miller, who Kate was alleged to have said
stole her style

Nicole Ritchie, who became notoriously thin
during her boho era

 Kate herself is also responsible for the uniform of any female festival goer. Looking glamorous while camping was always a dilemma but, thanks to Moss it is now just an extension of the catwalk. Each summer an army of wannabe-moss' descends on the fields of Britain clad in skimpy/floaty top, denim hot pants and wellies. With the essential sunglasses and bedhair.

Alexa Chung, Kelly Osbourne and Sienna Miller may have perfected the look but it was Queen Kate who first led the charge.

Kate knows how to work the red carpet and sticks to a classic look, echoing old Hollywood glam with her edgy twist. Usually with a designer on her arm.

 Having weathered scandal in her personal life and her tumultuous relationship with Pete Doherty Kate made the natural step into fashion designing in 2007 working with Uncle Phil, Sir Phillip Green at the biggest high street retailer Topshop

Posing in the window of the Topshop flagship store in Oxford Street
in May 2007 to celebrate the launch of her line

The collections were a mix of clothes inspired by her own wardrobe as well as her own look. Having desperately imitated Kate for years it seemed only right that she had a hand in the designs, as she said as much herself. Many of her most iconic looks were recreated including my all time favourite outfit.Kate's lemon vintage dress which she wore for her birthday in New York in 2003.

Simple elegance and a gorgeous colour

So after nearly two decades in the limelight it is clear that Kate has not only been an icon of British and in particular London fashion, she has influenced it too. We crave her natural style and clamour to posses the high street versions that have her name on. But she will always be growing an changing her style whilst maintaining her classic Moss look.

Her wedding this summer was a testament to her strength of character. The gypsy and 1920s inspired dress was made by designer and friend Jon Galiano despite his fall from grace and as expected the guest list was a who's who of the fashion and music world, from Anna Wintour to Beth Ditto.

As she approaches forty and leaves her collaboration with Topshop behind it is interesting to see where Kate will no next. She still has numerous advertising deals and is a constant face on television and in magazines. But now she is married she may want to go in a different direction. . For twenty years she has kept us captivated by her style and whatever she does in the future we will be watching what she is wearing while she does it