There's been some spirited debate regarding Kate Middleton's sartorial influence over the past week.
Last Thursday, the New York Times reported that many designers were inspired by Kate's ladylike grace and predicted that New York Fashion Week would experience a "Kate Effect."
However, the Times also noted that Middleton's style is not particularly adventurous, "or even especially chic." “She is no Daphne Guinness,” Anna Wintour told the paper.
And in yesterday's Daily Mail, Nordstrom fashion director Gregg Andrews shared a similar sentiment, observing, "She is stylish, but she’s not setting trends, she’s following trends."
Andrews continued:
If you take Kate out of the Royal Family, put her on a street in New York, you wouldn’t look at her twice. She’s a beautiful woman, but she blends into a crowd.
However, it seems that People holds Duchess Catherine in much higher esteem than, say, the average New York onlooker.
The magazine just announced its annual "10 Best Dressed" list, and Kate ranks at a respectable No. 7. People bestows Middleton with the epithet "The Tastemaker," and features her alongside greater fashion risk-takers such as Blake Lively and Jennifer Lopez.
Do you agree that the Duchess of Cambridge deserves People's best-dressed honors?
One thing's for sure: We love it when Kate shops her closet.