It was green in more ways than one. Vibrant and verdant, and a perfect match for a famous necklace, the dress worn by the Princess of Wales for the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Boston was also rented for the evening.
The Princess chose a gown by Solace London featuring an off the shoulder top, long fitted sleeves, a floor length skirt and a rather modest price tag of £350. But while we all know Kate could easily pop that into her online shopping basket, she chose to rent instead. It’s the first time a high profile British royal has hired out their outfit and it fitted the theme of sustainability as well as ticking the glitz boxes.
The Princess chose online platform the Hurr Collective for her foray into rented fashion. The site cites enjoying clothes and saving money as two of the reasons to use it as well as ensuring fashion has a ”minimal footprint”. The idea of renting clothes is becoming a major trend and Hurr says that borrowing for a day will help ”limit fashion’s impact on the planet”. It’s the ultimate style recycling.
Kate’s decision to take the royals down this route has underlined the environmental focus of the Earthshot Prize. As the Prince of Wales handed out five awards worth a million pounds each to schemes to help protect the planet, the Princess put the spotlight on sustainability with one dress. Hurr also highlights its attempts to clean every item in as green a way as possible using methods that ensure net zero carbon emissions.
Hurr is expecting a Kate effect. Unsurprisingly, the frock in question is now first in its list of gowns to hire. If you want to follow Kate’s lead, a night in this princess dress will cost from £74. And the good news for Kate is that they also stock some of her favourite brands, such as The Vampire’s Wife. Whether HRH took up their current offer of £10 off a first time rent isn’t known. It’s likely plenty more will be now they’ve hit the headlines.
Just to finish off the sustainable theme, the jewels chosen by the Princess were very obviously a rewear. Kate appeared, for the first time, in an emerald choker that once belonged to Queen Mary but which became one of the most famous items in the gem box of Diana, Princess of Wales. Sparkling, historic and a nod to the past on a night for the future. And very, very green.
