Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton caught the eye of fashionistas in India when she made a stunning appearance in designer Anita Dongre's dress during a charity match Sunday. The dress later became a huge search that led to Anita's e-commerce website to crash.
For the charity match, Kate wore the "Gulrukh" dress from Anita's summer 2016 collection "Love Notes." The georgette dress with Mughal details was originally long and had a stole, but Kate's stylist had altered the design.
Anita told IANS that Kate's patronage to her design has given a boost to her collection. The designer further said that the huge demand for the dress crashed her website Monday night.
"It has already given a great boost to our recently launched summer 2016 collection 'Love Notes'. This was a dream debut sighting from our recent Lakme Fashion Week runway showcase and I am overwhelmed to be the first Indian designer she chose for this trip," Anita said.
"Kate's patronage of my design has given new high to the line; so much so that our e-commerce website crashed last night with constant queries pouring in from all over the world," she added.
Asked whether she would like to see the Duchess of Cambridge in an Indian traditional wear, Anita told IANS, "To me, comfort is of paramount importance and I'd say that she should wear what she is most comfortable in. If she does manage to wear a sari, she will definitely carry it with utmost grace."
Kate's stylist Natasha Archer approached Anita a month before her India tour and asked her to send some of her designs. Talking about her dress, Anita told the Telegraph that she was happy to see Kate in her design, but she was happier when she saw that Duchess' stylist had altered the design to make it contemporary.
"Her stylist has taken the stole and converted part of that into the belt and then chopped it off so it can be worn as a dress. She's amazing - it looks easy, breezy and so contemporary," Anita said.