Kate Middleton sells a dress a minute

Kate Middleton's tan Reiss dress she wore to meet Michelle Obama sold out immediately. Photos by Getty Images and Reiss.
Kate Middleton's tan Reiss dress she wore to meet Michelle Obama sold out immediately. Photos by Getty Images and Reiss.

We thought the Kate Middleton hype might fade after the Royal Wedding, but clearly many women are still obsessed with the Duchess of Cambridge, or more specifically attaining her style. The tan Reiss Shola dress Middleton wore on May 24 when she met with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama (pictured left) sold out nearly instantly. The Reiss website crashed as shoppers surfed over in droves to buy the $340 bandage-style dress and their server could not accommodate their demands. According to the Daily Mail, site traffic was up 500% the day Middleton wore the dress and Reiss was selling one Shola dress every minute before the site crashed.

Middleton now-famously wore a white Reiss Nanette dress for her engagement photos that quickly sold out, was re-issued, and immediately sold out again. Reiss dress possibly for her honeymoon. Despite the Duchess favoring the brand, Reiss says were unprepared for the spike in sales last week. "We had no idea she was going to wear it," a Reiss employee told the Daily Mail. "We didn't send Kate the dress."

Once again shoppers seeking Middleton's wardrobe must scramble for knockoffs and re-sold dresses. A quick eBay search found 12 Reiss Shola dresses currently for sale in the U.S. and another 17 more from international sellers. One auction ends in five hours and is currently going for $757.16 with eight bids-over double the retail price. Other buy-it-now listings reach as high as $987.60. One resourceful eBayer from Australia has even created a knockoff available for$126.79.

If you're out looking for the Reiss Shola dress, you can try calling one of their retail locations to be put on a waiting list. It may take time, but at least you won't get ripped off. It is a cute, flattering design, but we have to wonder if women really like the dress or are literally only buying it because Kate Middleton wore it. What do you think?




Related links:
Kate Middleton's fashion choices create retail frenzy and tons of knockoffs
Kate Middleton's Style Secrets
Fashion Fit for a Princess
Kate Middleton criticized for wearing sheer blouse: How will her style have to change as a princess?